Reed Warbler Perched on a Reed, Hand Colored Bird Print by Morris, 1896

This is an original wood engraved bird plate, colored by hand, captioned "REED WARBLER." A single bird perches on an upright yellowish reed stem, facing right, with its body level and its long tail raised to the upper left. It is warm tawny brown above, with dark brown wing feathers edged paler, a whitish throat, pale pinkish buff underparts and a slender bill with a yellow base. Its feet grip the stem, one leg stretched out to the left. Green reed blades arch above the bird, and two long blades sweep down below it.

The caption "REED WARBLER." is engraved in capitals in the lower margin. There is no number or other lettering above the picture, and no engraver's credit can be read within it. The Reed Warbler is Acrocephalus scirpaceus.

A History of British Birds was written by the Reverend Francis Orpen Morris (1810 to 1893), rector of Nunburnholme in Yorkshire. The wood blocks for the plates of the work were engraved by Benjamin Fawcett (1808 to 1893) of Driffield in Yorkshire. This plate comes from the fourth edition, issued in six volumes by John C. Nimmo of London, and belongs to the third volume, whose title page is dated 1896 and states that the plates are colored by hand. Each plate combines an engraved black key block with a printed gray tint, finished by hand in watercolor.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.