Prehistoric Giant Water Rail

27 x 19 cm (10.6 x 7.4 inches)
Leguatia gigantea
A bird described in the 1690's as a Giant Water Rail. It is still unsure whether it really existed.

This antique lithograph was made in about 1910 and is in excellent condition. It is from a rare set of collecting cards about dinosaurs, prehistoric animals and strange animals, Tiere der Urwelt (animals of the prehistoric world) by Heinrich Harder. On the back is text about the animal by the naturalist Wilhelm Bölsche. They remain some of the most intriguing images of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals and are still referred to. Harder is well known for his murals of extinct creatures at Berlin Zoo, and was art professor at Berlin University.