Audubon Aquatint, American Crossbill

AUDUBON, John James (1785 - 1851).
American Crossbill, Plate 197.
Aquatint engraving with original hand color.
London: Robert Havell, 1827-1838.
38 1/2" x 25 1/2" sheet.

Provenance: John Vickers Painter's Collection.

Comparable: Christie's, 2004 - $5,975.

"The flight of this species is undulating, firm, tolerably swift, and capable of being protracted over a large space. While travelling they pass in the air in straggling flocks, and keep up a constant noise, each individual now and then emitting a clear note or call. They move with ease on the ground, alight sidewise on the walls of houses and on trees, on the twigs of which they climb with the aid of their bill. When caged they soon become tame, and are fed without any difficulty." - Audubon's Ornithological Biography.