PIKE (Nicolas) Lot n° 50

Sub Tropical rambles in the Land of Aphanapteryx; Personal experiences and adventures in and around the island of Mauritius. New York. Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1873. Gr. in 8°. Publisher's full percaline binding. Flat spine decorated with a gilt iron depicting a dodo. Title in gilt lettering on front cover. 3 maps, 6 tables, 15 plates out of text and 33 illustrations on wood in text. 512 pages. One section detached. Consul in Mauritius, Pike took great pains to record his naturalist remarks: "I determined to note everything, relative to this information. Many not aware of the very beautiful bird the Aphanapteryx Imperalis". [Aphanapteryx , sometimes called the red hen or Mauritius rail, is an extinct species of bird in the Rallidae family. Known from bones and descriptions, it was a flightless rail, slightly larger than a hen, with reddish plumage, black legs and a long, curved beak].