St Petersburg, Russische Entomologische Gesellschaft zu St. Peterburg, 1874. Large 4to (32.5 x 24.5 cm). 190 pp.; 14 engraved plates of which the first three nicely hand-coloured. Original printed wrappers. In contemporary quarter cloth marbled portfolio.

Very rare mongraph on crustaceans, in particular the gammarid shrimps of Lake Baikal, a lake renowned for its unique and diverse fauna, which is now much endangered due to pollution. The plates show a great variability, including several extremely colourful species. Nearly all are described as new. Two hand-coloured plates are present twice. Published as a supplement to the Horae Societatis Entomologicae Rossicae. The author, Benedykt Tadeusz Dybowsky, or Dybowski (1833-1930) was a Polish zoologist. "He studied at Minsk High School, and later medicine at Tartu (earlier Dorpat) University in present-day Estonia. He later studied at Wroclaw University and went on expeditions to seek and study oceanic fishes and crustaceans. He became a professor of zoology at the Warsaw main school. In 1864 he was arrested and condemned to death for taking part in the Polish January Uprising. His sentence was later reduced to 12 years in Siberia. He started studying the natural history of Siberia and in 1866 a governor Muraviov dismissed Dybowski from hard labour (katorga), renewed his civil rights and proposed him to work as a doctor in hospital. He later settled in the small village Kultuk and began a detailed study of Baikal Lake with some technical support from the Russian Geographical Society. He served as a medical doctor for the indigenous population of Kamchatka, the Aleutian Islands, the Commander Islands, Bering Island, making four trips per year around the populated areas there" (Wikipedia). Uncut. Small chip in the top corner of the front wrapper, and, being uncut, some marginal fraying; spine split between text leaves and plates (on heavier paper); otherwise a very good, clean copy. Nissen ZBI, 1223.