CATALOGUE OF THE PASSERIFORMES OR PERCHING BIRDS, IN THE COLLECTION OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. OLIGOMYODAE, Or the Families Tyrannidae, Oxyrhamphidae.... (Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum Volume XIV.] by Sclater, Philip Lutley - 1888

London: Printed by Order of the Trustees (British Museum), 1888. pp. xix, [1 errata], 494, [2], 26 hand-coloured and chromo-lithographic plates, some heightened with gum Arabic, after drawings by J. Smit; b/w illustrations in text. Original brown textured cloth binding with gilt lettering and gilt stamped shelf-no. to the spine, good with a little general wear, cloth somewhat discoloured/faded. Contents good and tight, original yellow coated end papers, the front pastedown with the engraved library plate of Royal Albert Memorial Public Library Exeter pasted over other bookplates; several oval library stamps to the half-title, title page etc. and to the reverse of the plates; perforated library stamp to the title page and a corner of each plate affecting the printer's name and some titles, but not the coloured engraved part. Otherwise plates are clean, plate I with slight spotting otherwise without foxing, paper somewhat toned. A good only copy. This is volume fourteen of what was eventually 27 volumes ''Unquestionably the most important work on systematic ornithology that has ever been published'' (Zimmer).. First Edition. Hardback. Good. Book.