French translation by J. Du Plessis for volumes 1 and 2, and by Edmond Barker for volume 3.

Issued in parts.

Considered as a continuation (volumes 5, 6 and 7) of the author's "A natural history of birds," which was published from 1743-1751 in four parts, and with general title "A natural history of uncommon birds."

"In common with many other publications of the same period many copies of this work were made up from assorted stock, giving rise to considerable difficulty in the identification and collation of ideal copies of the various editions and issues" --Lisney, page 128.

The leaves of plates continue the numbering from the 1743-1751 edition of A natural history of birds, with plates numbered 211-260 in the first volume; plates numbered 261-310 in the second volume; and plates numbered 311-362 in the third volume.

"For some of the plates ... use was made of pictures from the collection of drawings of Indian animals and plants which Gideon Loten had had executed in India, nearly all of which are due to the native artist P.C. de Bevere" --Anker.

Head- and tail-pieces (some are engraved). The half-title engraved vignette in volume 1, featuring a facsimile of the Copley Medal awarded to Edwards by the Royal Society in 1750, is signed: J.S. Müller sculpt.

Carl von Linné issued a list of the species appearing in the seven parts of Edwards' Natural history in 1776.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Anker, J. Bird books and bird art, 126

Nissen, C. Nissen, C. Illustrierten Vogelbücher, 288

Catalogue of the Edward E. Ayer Ornithological Library pages 198-200

Lisney, Arthur A. A bibliography of British Lepidoptera, 1608-1799, 205, 209, 211

Text in English and French in parallel columns, with added title page in French.

extracted picklist 20081216 BHLEX

SCNHRB copy (volume 1, 39088002727485; volume 2, 39088004448270; volume 3, 39088004448288) has stamps: Smithsonian Institution National Museum, Jul. 26, 1905, with accession number 192594 for all 3 volumes; Division of Birds. Pencilled note on the upper left corner of the French title pages: Purchased Wesley Mus. Birds.

SCNHRB copy is imperfect: the portrait of George Edwards is wanting.

SCNHRB copy of volume 2 is apparently the second issue of the first edition, properly dated 1776, according to Lisney, because of the multiple groupings of pages in the preface: "This issue was published in 1776 with [Lisney bibliographical] nos. 190 and 195 in the same sets. The preface is shortened by the omission of certain matter on pages ii to viii and xx-xxiv, with the numbers of the missing pages grouped together on four adjoining pages so that pages i, ii, iii, iv and v, vi, vii, viii occupy opposite sides of a single leaf as do also pages xix, xx, xxi and xxii, xxiii, xxiv. The text has been slightly modified in order to meet the omissions and appropriate alterations in the signatures have been made ...."

SCNHRB copy has modern black buckram library bindings with gilt-lettered spines and gray endpapers. At date of recataloging (August 2018), all of the numbered leaves of plates were present.