Author: Azara, F. de
Title: Apuntamientos para la historia natural de los páxaros del Paraguay y del Río de la Plata. Edición de Joaquín Fernández Pérez.
Description: Madrid, Ediciones Doce Calles (for the Comision interministerial de Ciencia y Technologia), 1992. Large 4to (31.0 x 22.0 cm). 619 pp.; plates. Publisher's green leatherette binding with gilt title on the front board and spine. Green endpapers full colour pictorial dust jacket. = A luxurious work commemorating the ornithological researches around the Rio de la Plata by the Spanish explorer and ornithologist Félix de Azara (1746-1821), 250 years earlier, and published in 1802. "Over the course of his time there, he "described 448 birds ... This number is reduced to 381 when duplications of sex, age, and plumage are taken into account (eight remain unidentified), and 178 of them are the types upon which the scientific names are based ... His works were well received though not without criticism. Azara had largely written his works to correct what he considered to be many errors in Histoire naturelle by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon. Intellectuals praised him for his thoroughness and accuracy. Charles Darwin had a high regard for Azara's work" (Wikipedia). Well-illustrated with facsimile prints of coloured bird drawings from Buffon, to which de azara compared his species. De Azara provided much more information on the habits and habitats, and corrected many errors made by Buffon. A limited edition of 2000 copies, of which this is number 1806. A former owner added a useful typed index of bird names, alphabetically according to genus (loosely inserted). Light wear to dust jacker, otherwise an excellent, clean copy.

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