Attractive black and white copperplate engraving entitled Le Coua, Coucou de Madagascar, published in Paris in the year 1780. 

Couas are cuckoos endemic to Madagascar. One of three featured in Comte de Buffon’s book, the coua has striking blue coloring around its eyes.

Artist: Comte de Buffon

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788) was a highly influential French naturalist who wrote the important work Histoire Naturelle which was the most complete work on natural history up until that time. Comte de Buffon was an influence on later important scientists including Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Georges Cuvier. Comte de Buffon is considered the “father of all thought in natural history in the second half of the 18th century” by historians.

Histoire Naturelle by Comte de Buffon was published in 1780 in 36 volumes and continued to be improved upon after the author’s death. The massive work was a complete overview and record of the natural sciences up until the late 18th century, including physics, chemistry, technology, and biology. It is considered an early form of the encyclopedia.