Audubon Aquatint Sea-Side Finch

AUDUBON, John James (1785 - 1851).
Sea-Side Finch, Plate 93.
Aquatint engraving with original hand color.
London: Robert Havell, 1827-1838.
38 3/4” x 25 3/4” sheet.
Comparable: Christie's, 2004 - $9,988.
"The monotonous chirpings which one hears in almost every part of our maritime salt-marshes, are produced by this bird and another nearly allied to it. The Sea-side Finch may be seen at any hour of the day, during the months of May and June, mounted on the tops of the rankest weeds which grow by the margins of tide-waters along the greater portion of our Atlantic coast, whence it pours forth with much emphasis the few notes of which its song is composed. When one approaches it, it either seeks refuge amongst the grass, by descending along the stalks and blades of the weeds, or flies off to a short distance, with a continued flirting of its wings, then alights with a rapid descent, and runs off with great nimbleness." - Audubon's Ornithological Biography.