Original pencil drawing of an unidentified bird, possibly by John James Audubon, on the verso of uncolored proof plate 9, Red-shouldered Buzzard, Royal Octavo first edition. (See number 3 for the standard print from this edition). Audubon contributed guidance drawings (but not new images to be published) for the preparation of this edition. Thirteen of these drawings are in the Rare Book Collection of Louisiana State University. This drawing is unsigned and without provenance. If by Audubon, it is very rare, and if not, it is still of interest, since the likely other creator would have been his son John Woodhouse Audubon, an illustrator who worked with his father on the edition, and a worthy artist in his own right.
