Prideaux John Selby.

Northern Diver.

21 x 26 inches

A large-scale etching in original hand colour, drawn and etched by P. J. Selby and published in London between 1819 and 1834.

This has to be one of Selby's largest and most impressive bird illustrations. The adult Northern Diver is so big it barely fits upon the page. Known across the Atlantic as Loons, these magnificent birds are mostly winter visitors to the British Isles. Due to their muscular necks and enormous feet, the Northern Diver can plunge to an impressive 10 metres below sea level and stay underwater for up to a minute. Other fun facts about this majestic bird are that they are largely monogamous and can mate with the same partner for up to ten years and their offspring will be diving under water when only a few days old!

P. J. Selby (1788-1867) was an exceptional ornithologist from Northumberland whose major work, Illustrations of British Ornithology, from which these prints are taken, was published in London between 1819 and 1834. The work is striking, not least for its size (comparable to the work of Audubon, for whom Lizars also worked); it has been described as containing ''some of the best figures of British birds that have ever been published'' and indeed ''the finest copper engravings to be found in any ornithological work''.

£1200