Jonathan Couch was an ichthyologist, local doctor, botanist, archaeologist and classical scholar. His A History of the Fishes of the British Islands published in four volumes between 1862 and 1865, is considered to be his major work. It continues to be referenced by scientists and fishermen today. The illustrations were drawn by Alex F. Lydon after drawings by Couch. They were engraved and color printed from woodblocks by Benjamin Fawcett and finished by hand.

Filefish belong to the family of Monacanthidae and are found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Upon Couch’s capture of the filefish, it had been seen only in Mediterranean waters and captured live only in waters off of Ireland. The fish was well known to the Ancient Greeks and Romans who lauded it for being bold and pugnacious.

7 x 10 inches, sheet.
Hand colored steel engraving.
Excellent condition.
With accompanying text.

Jonathan Couch was an ichthyologist, local doctor, botanist, archaeologist and classical scholar. His A History of the Fishes of the British Islands published in four volumes between 1862 and 1865, is considered to be his major work. It continues to be referenced by scientists and fishermen today. The illustrations were drawn by Alex F. Lydon after drawings by Couch. They were engraved and color printed from woodblocks by Benjamin Fawcett and finished by hand.

Described by Couch as an “ever-wandering race,” the mackarel is found in temperate and tropical seas. They are from the family Scombridae. The “Spanish Mackarel,” is also known as the Scomberomorous maculatus.

7 x 10 inches, sheet.
Hand colored steel engraving.
Excellent condition.
With accompanying text.

Jonathan Couch was an ichthyologist, local doctor, botanist, archaeologist and classical scholar. His A History of the Fishes of the British Islands published in four volumes between 1862 and 1865, is considered to be his major work. It continues to be referenced by scientists and fishermen today. The illustrations were drawn by Alex F. Lydon after drawings by Couch. They were engraved and color printed from woodblocks by Benjamin Fawcett and finished by hand.

Named for the man who first brought it to scientific attention, “Ray’s Bream” is now commonly known as “Couch’s Bream” or “red porgy.” It is common in the Mediterranean and around the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira. It can also be found in the Western Atlantic off the US coast from the Carolinas to Texas, and off the South American coast from Venezuela to Argentina.

7 x 10 inches, sheet.
Hand colored steel engraving.
Excellent condition.
With accompanying text.

Jonathan Couch was an ichthyologist, local doctor, botanist, archaeologist and classical scholar. His A History of the Fishes of the British Islands published in four volumes between 1862 and 1865, is considered to be his major work. It continues to be referenced by scientists and fishermen today. The illustrations were drawn by Alex F. Lydon after drawings by Couch. They were engraved and color printed from woodblocks by Benjamin Fawcett and finished by hand.

Described by Couch as an “ever-wandering race,” the mackarel is found in temperate and tropical seas. They are from the family Scombridae.

7 x 10 inches, sheet.
Hand colored steel engraving.
Excellent condition.
With accompanying text.

Jonathan Couch was an ichthyologist, local doctor, botanist, archaeologist and classical scholar. His A History of the Fishes of the British Islands published in four volumes between 1862 and 1865, is considered to be his major work. It continues to be referenced by scientists and fishermen today. The illustrations were drawn by Alex F. Lydon after drawings by Couch. They were engraved and color printed from woodblocks by Benjamin Fawcett and finished by hand.

The doree (or “dory”) was considered sacred to Neptune, the God of the Ocean. Highly valued by the Ancient Romans, it is described by Ovid as “rarus.” Most doree fish belong to the order Zeiformes.

7 x 10 inches, sheet.
Hand colored steel engraving.
Excellent condition.
With accompanying text.

Jonathan Couch was an ichthyologist, local doctor, botanist, archaeologist and classical scholar. His A History of the Fishes of the British Islands published in four volumes between 1862 and 1865, is considered to be his major work. It continues to be referenced by scientists and fishermen today. The illustrations were drawn by Alex F. Lydon after drawings by Couch. They were engraved and color printed from woodblocks by Benjamin Fawcett and finished by hand.

The “Plain Bonito,” part of the fish family Scombridae, is also known as the “Orcynopsis unicolor,” and is found in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.

Hand colored steel engraving.
7 x 10 inches, sheet.
Excellent condition.
With accompanying text.