Audubon Aquatint Marbled Godwit

AUDUBON, John James (1785 - 1851).
Great Marbled Godwit, Plate 238.
Aquatint engraving with original hand color.
London: Robert Havell, 1827-1838.
25 1/2” x 38 3/8” sheet.
Comparable: Christies, 1982 - $2,200.
"Few birds are more shy or vigilant than the Great Marbled Godwit. It watches the movements of the gunner with extreme care, particularly while in small flocks, in which case it rarely happens that one can approach them, and they are more commonly shot by coming unawares over the concealed sportsman. When in large flocks I have known them to be neared, and killed in great numbers. On such occasions, they walk towards each other, until they are quite close, when they stand still. Then is the time for the gunner, who has driven them before him as it were, to the extremity of a mud or sand-bar, to fire with a certainty of obtaining something worth his trouble, for besides the number killed by his first shot, he is likely to commit equal havoc with the second, as they fly off in a dense mass." - Audubon's Ornithological Biography.