Text of the Land birds by Ralph Beilby assisted by Bewick who was "primarily responsible for the text of the Water birds, but was assisted by others, e.g. Rev. Henry Cotes, vicar of Bedlington"--Cf. Weekley, p. 117 note 1.
"The text of Vol. I was written by Beilby; Vol. II is wholly the work of Bewick."-Catalogue of the Edward E. Ayer Ornithological library, pt. 1, p. 57.
Vol. 2 has variant imprint: Newcastle: Printed by Edward Walker, for T. Bewick: sold by him, and Longman and Rees, London. ... 1804.
Roscoe identifies v. 1, with date "1797," "engraven" and "Price one guinea in boards" on t.p., and advertisement for the 4th edition of the author's A general history of quadruped at end, as a 2nd, "unofficial" edition printed in 1798 and issued by Bewick and his publishers as a later impression of the 1st ed.--Cf. Roscoe, S., p. 52.
Below imprint of v. 1: (Price one guinea in boards.); v. 2: (Price 15s. in boards.)
Vol 1: xxx, [2], 335, [1] p.; v. 2: xx, 400 p.
Advertisement for the author's A general history of quadrupeds (4th ed.) on last page of v. 1.
117 figures of birds: 91 vignettes, tail-pieces, etc. in v. 1; 101 figures of birds and 136 vignettes, tail-pieces, etc. in v. 2.
Roscoe, no. 15a (imperial paper), p. 52 for v. 1; Roscoe, no. 17c (thin paper royal), p. 65 for v. 2.
With the cut of the magpie on p. 75 of v. 1 in the 2nd state and the vignette on p. 285 of v. 1 in the censored, inked over state.