NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF DAMARA LAND

And the adjacent territories of South-West Africa. Arranged and edited by John Henry Gurney, with some additional notes by the editor, and an introductory chapter containing a sketch of the author's life.

394 pages, map as frontispiece, 4 lithographic plates, original blue cloth gilt. Staining at the in the top margin of the 4 plates, bookplate on the front paste-down endpaper and a corresponding small stamp below the date on the title page, overall a very good copy.

'On returning from an expedition to the Victoria Falls with James Chapman, in 1862, Thomas Baines stayed at the home of Charles John Andersson at Otjimbingwe, South-West Africa. Andersson was contemplating writing a bird book to be called 'Avi-fauna of South-West Africa' and invited Baines to assist in illustrating the proposed work. Baines accepted the commission and remained with Andersson from August 1863 to October 1864, painting from the many sketches he had made and from bird-skins collected on his recent expedition. Andersson died before he could complete his magnum-opus on the birdlife of South-West Africa and it was only some years later that his notes were edited and published posthumously by the celebrated British ornithologist, John Henry Gurney. Baines' illustrations were not included in the new work no doubt due the high cost of reproducing the many coloured and tinted plates. It was estimated that more than £4000 would be required - a considerable sum at that time.' R.F. Kennedy in the preface to 'The Birds of South Africa' painted by Thomas Baines.