viii, 298 pp. Illustrated with 50 hand-colored lithographed plates by William E. Hitchcock, printed and colored by J.T. Bowen and primarily after drawings by George I. White; tissue guards. (Large 8vo), 26.4x17 cm. (10½x6¾"), original publisher's full blindstamped brown morocco, spine lettered in gilt, all edges gilt. First Edition.

John Cassin, a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, undertook this work as a general revision of ornithology of the United States following Audubon. Fifty species are beautifully illustrated, with color backgrounds, and several more are described in each synopsis. Three species are described as new (Ayer). Cassin's work is "clearly following the Audubon format and also using J.T. Bowen as a lithographer" (Reese). Ayer p.124; Nissen IVB 173; Fine Bird Books, p.64; Reese, American Color Plate Books, 42.