Bøker i Cambridge Library Collection - Zoology-serien

English zoologist Philip Henry Gosse (1810-88) spent several years studying the biodiversity of habitats in North America and the Caribbean. His Naturalist's Sojourn in Jamaica (1851) is reissued in this series. When he settled on the Devonshire coast, the area proved equally rich for research. In this 1859 publication, the deeply religious Gosse considers the 'Divine mechanics' of animal body parts and microorganisms seen through the lens of a microscope. He leads the reader through a selection of specimens ranging from a hog's bristle to the shoe-like protist Paramecium. Gosse's writing style, enlivened with anecdotes and literary references, earned him considerable appreciation among Victorian audiences. His entertaining text is complemented by more than 100 illustrations which showcase his draughtsmanship. While the work shares its year of publication with Darwin's groundbreaking Origin of Species, Gosse's religious views firmly shaped his interpretation of the specimens on show.

A professor of natural history at Caen and a member of the Academie des Sciences, Jean Vincent Felix Lamouroux (1779-1825) made significant contributions to the field of marine biology. Following the appearance in 1816 of his Histoire des polypiers corralligenes flexibles, he published in 1821 the present work, drawing upon John Ellis and Daniel Solander's seminal Natural History of Many Curious and Uncommon Zoophytes (1786). It divides more than 130 genera known at the time into twenty groupings. Taxonomy has progressed considerably since Lamouroux's day, yet this work, complete with eighty-four exquisitely drawn plates, serves to illuminate the contemporary understanding and classification of some remarkable marine organisms, principally those which take the form of polyps, such as corals. Moreover, a copy of this work is known to have been consulted by Charles Darwin aboard the Beagle on his famous voyage of discovery the following decade.

Having trained as a civil engineer and surveyor, the ornithologist William Eagle Clarke (1853-1938) established himself in his field by preparing reports on bird migration for the British Association. Focusing on the species passing through the British Isles, Clarke spent many months in various lighthouses and on remote islands. He brought all his research together in this two-volume work, first published in 1912 and illustrated with maps and weather charts. In Volume 2, Clarke describes key examples of his investigations. Photographs of the sites he visited accompany the text. The locations range from the Flannan Isles, in the Outer Hebrides, to the island of Ushant, off the coast of Brittany. Clarke's expedition to the latter location ended abruptly when he and his colleague were mistaken for spies and forced to leave. Extensive coverage is also given to Fair Isle, between Shetland and Orkney.

Having trained as a civil engineer and surveyor, the ornithologist William Eagle Clarke (1853-1938) established himself in his field by preparing reports on bird migration for the British Association. Focusing on the species passing through the British Isles, Clarke spent many months in various lighthouses and on remote islands. He brought all his research together in this two-volume work, first published in 1912 and illustrated with maps, weather charts and photographs of key research locations. In Volume 1, Clarke notes which species arrive in the British Isles during each season. A map shows the routes they take. He also explains how weather conditions affect avian journeys, using charts to indicate temperature changes across Europe and wind conditions over Britain. The annual movements of swallows, skylarks, rooks and other species are then discussed individually. The volume closes with Clarke's account of the month he spent at the Eddystone Lighthouse.

The Scottish naturalist Robert O. Cunningham (1841-1918) began his 1866 voyage to South America in inclement weather, and, by the eleventh day of travel, noted a 'pond' forming in his tiny cabin aboard HMS Nassau. With never-failing humour, Cunningham presents here a record of the zoological, botanical and geological observations made across the three years he spent at sea. As the ship's naturalist (recommended for the post by J. D. Hooker), his time was given wholly to research and exploration, and his findings are both fascinating and thorough. Included are his anecdotal records of seamen's slang, research into the history of the changing landscapes he visited, which had been previously documented by travellers as diverse as Drake and Darwin, statistical data on various species of animals and plants, and twenty-two original images. First published in 1871, this is an absorbing testament of the breadth of the explorer-naturalist's interests.

Thomas Bewick (1753-1828) is synonymous with finely crafted wood engravings of the natural world, and his instantly recognisable style influenced book illustration well into the nineteenth century. During his childhood in the Tyne valley, his two obsessions were art and nature. At fourteen, he was apprenticed to the engraver and businessman Ralph Beilby (1743-1817) with whom he later published A General History of Quadrupeds (also reissued in this series). The present work, with its text compiled from various sources, was the first practical field guide for the amateur ornithologist, inspiring also artists and writers. Each of the two volumes contains hundreds of illustrations of breathtaking beauty and precision: one for each species, neatly capturing its character in exquisite detail, interspersed with charming vignettes of country life. Volume 1, first published in 1797, covers land birds, including eagles, owls, sparrows and finches.

Thomas Bewick (1753-1828) is synonymous with finely crafted wood engravings of the natural world, and his instantly recognisable style influenced book illustration well into the nineteenth century. During his childhood in the Tyne valley, his two obsessions were art and nature. At fourteen, he was apprenticed to the engraver and businessman Ralph Beilby (1743-1817) with whom he later published A General History of Quadrupeds (also reissued in this series). The present work, with its text compiled from various sources, was the first practical field guide for the amateur ornithologist, inspiring also artists and writers. Each of the two volumes contains hundreds of illustrations of breathtaking beauty and precision: one for each species, neatly capturing its character in exquisite detail, interspersed with charming vignettes of country life. Volume 2, first published in 1804, covers water birds, including sandpipers, terns, grebes and guillemots.

A significant limitation on the development of zoology, botany and palaeontology in the mid-nineteenth century was the absence of a centralised collection of specimens. Appointed superintendent of the British Museum's natural history departments in 1859, the distinguished biologist Richard Owen (1804-92) quickly realised the need to make various scattered samples more readily available for study, and began campaigning for a new, national museum with unprecedented space and resources. This book is the text of one of his speeches to the Royal Institution, given in 1861 and first published in 1862. He argues against the usual practice of exhibiting only one type form for each genus, provides possible floor plans, and presents case studies across the zoological field which show the limitations of the then current system. He also stresses a new idea, that such a museum should aim not only to help scientists, but to educate the general public.

The great French zoologist Lamarck (1744-1829) was best known for his theory of evolution, called 'soft inheritance', whereby organisms pass down acquired characteristics to their offspring. Originally a soldier, Lamarck later studied medicine and biology, becoming particularly interested in botany; his distinguished career included admission to the French Academy of Sciences (1779), and appointments as Royal Botanist (1781) and as professor of zoology at the Musee Nationale d'Histoire Naturelle in 1793. Acknowledged as the premier authority on invertebrate zoology, he is credited with coining the term 'invertebrates'. This work, published in Paris in 1801, expands on Linnaeus' classification system, introducing seven sub-categories, creating finer divisions along lines of the species' inherent physical traits, and describing their natural characteristics and organisation. Also included is Lamarck's museum lecture, delivered in 1800, in which he first set out his ideas on evolution.

Published in 1858, this memoir recounts the life and work of the natural historian and geologist Hugh Edwin Strickland (1811-53). Written by his father-in-law, the Scottish naturalist Sir William Jardine (1800-74), the book covers Strickland's early childhood, his education at Oxford, his involvement in and influence upon the establishment of the Ray Society and his notable academic pursuits in natural history before his life was tragically cut short by a freak railway accident in 1853, when he was just forty-two. The reader will gain an insight into Strickland's character, his scientific acquaintances, including Henslow and Darwin, and his wide-ranging interests in the area of natural history, including geology, zoology, palaeontology and especially ornithology, demonstrated by his study The Dodo and its Kindred (1848). Drawing upon revealing and informative extracts from Strickland's journals throughout, the book also contains a wide selection of Strickland's shorter scientific writings.

Although devoted to his parish, Leonard Jenyns (1800-93) combined his clerical duties with keen research into natural history. Notably, he was offered the place on the Beagle that later went to Charles Darwin. His numerous works include A Manual of British Vertebrate Animals (1835) and Observations in Meteorology (1858), both of which are reissued in this series. First published in 1846, the present work was originally intended as a companion volume to Gilbert White's acclaimed Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne (1789), which Jenyns had copied out as a student at Eton. The product of two decades of meticulous observation of Jenyns' surroundings in eastern England, the text includes journal entries with careful records on a wide variety of wildlife, including quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, fish, insects and molluscs. Also featuring a detailed calendar of periodic phenomena, this work illuminates the rhythms and quirks of the natural world in England.

Having studied medicine at Guy's Hospital, London, John Kidd (1775-1851) established himself as a physician and educator at Oxford, where he lectured widely on chemistry, anatomy, mineralogy and geology. Regius professor of medicine and a fellow of the Royal Society from 1822, he rooted his scientific understanding and teaching in natural theology. Published in 1833 as the second Bridgewater Treatise, the present work attempted to bring science and religion into harmony, drawing on such disciplines as anthropology and comparative anatomy. Seeking to demonstrate the superiority of humans in the natural world, Kidd argues that animals, minerals and plants had been adapted by God to serve mankind. Founded upon a belief in the antediluvian world and the revealed existence of God in nature, the work exemplifies the influence of natural theology within the scientific establishment before the era of Darwin.

Although in the original preface to this work the British naturalist Charles Waterton (1782-1865) modestly says his book has 'little merit', his account is a rich description of his experiences in South America and the Caribbean. Waterton managed his family's sugar plantations in Demerara from 1804 to 1812, studied natural history, and later (1812-25) divided his time between the Americas and Europe. This book, originally published in 1825 and reissued here in its 1828 second edition, describes his four expeditions, beginning with his search deep in the rainforest for samples of the rare poison, curare. Waterton also recounts a fierce battle with the Maroons, but his main focus is zoology, including the capture of 'an enormous Coulacara snake', encounters with sloths, monkeys and vampire bats, and close observations of a huge variety of birds. The final chapter describes Waterton's methods of 'preserving birds for cabinets of natural history'.

The English naturalist Philip Henry Gosse (1810-88) travelled to Jamaica in 1844 and stayed for eighteen months to observe the diverse wildlife there. Upon his return he described his findings in a trilogy of books. The first two examined the island's birds - he has been hailed as the 'father of Jamaican ornithology' - but he used the present work, first published in 1851, to describe all the other forms of life on the island, from beetles to fruit trees. Lamenting that natural history was too often presented as a 'science of dead things', Gosse made his investigations come alive in this work by writing it in a diary form, discussing what he encountered as his journey progressed, and providing a number of illustrations. His lively and engaging style won him a wide audience, and this work remains an important early example of popular natural history.

Philip Henry Gosse (1810-88) is best remembered today for the portrait given by his son Edmund in his autobiographical Father and Son. In his own day, he was famous as a natural historian, and his books were extremely popular. (His Naturalist's Sojourn in Jamaica is also reissued in this series.) In 1857, Gosse moved from London to Devon, where he spent the rest of his life. This 1865 book offers essays about various aspects of the geography and natural history of the West Country. There are some digressions (one chapter is on the woods of Jamaica), and reminders of the two great Victorian crazes, for ferns and for seashore life, which Gosse's writings partly instigated. In his final essay, on Dartmoor, is an appendix which argues that Britain is the biblical Tarshish - a reminder that Gosse was also a fundamentalist Christian who struggled with many aspects of contemporary science.

The author and artist Sarah Lee (1791-1856) was a remarkable traveller and scientist in her own right. With her first husband, Thomas Bowdich, she explored the flora, fauna and local culture of the Asante region and Gabon in west Africa. The pair then went in 1819 to Paris, to study zoology under the famous Cuvier, in preparation for another trip to Africa. They financed their stay by translating French scientific books into English, and became close friends of Cuvier himself. Their second expedition proved a disaster, as Thomas Bowdich died in 1824, leaving Sarah alone in Africa with three small children. She made her way back to England, and made her living from scientific translation and her own writings. This biography of her mentor was published in 1833, shortly after his death, and remained the authoritative work in English on the most distinguished scientist of the age.

'Birds have been to me the solace, the recreation, the passion of a lifetime.' So wrote Reginald Bosworth Smith (1839-1908), former Classics master at Harrow School. As a young man, he published his first book on birds while teaching at Oxford, and he continued to combine his lifelong love of birds with classical and literary teaching and research. He retired to a country house in Dorset and in 1905 published this book, based on a series of articles written in his retirement. Recording his own observations, some of many years before, and peppered with scholarly references to birds in literature, the essays cover individual birds such as the owl, the raven and the magpie, as well as bird-watching in Dorset and beyond. Imparting a love and respect for wildlife that remains inspiring, this book will be of great interest to the bird-lover and scholar of today.

Championed as one of the gentlest and most calming of field sports, angling has had its notable votaries throughout its history, from Isaak Walton to Horatio Nelson. In this charming book on the pleasures of fly fishing, the eminent chemist Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829) adds his name to the list. He assigns his often poetic arguments to an imaginary cast of four friends, some of whom adore the sport while others question its morality as they embark on a series of angling trips. As their conversations progress, the friends discuss entomology and biology, the finer techniques of landing trout, and the use of peacock feathers and yellow monkey fur in the making of artificial flies. Originally published in 1828, Davy's book offers a glimpse of the sportsman behind the chemist and remains both accessible and instructive for modern enthusiasts.

An Oxford-educated clergyman and prolific writer on natural history topics ranging from seashore wildlife to microscopy, John George Wood (1827-89) wrote and lectured for a receptive Victorian audience. His books were not rigorously scientific, but they made their subjects accessible to laypeople and were said to have inspired many future naturalists in their youth. His Nature's Teachings (1877) has also been reissued in this series. Theodore Wood (1862-1923) published this biography of his father in 1890. The account covers Wood's childhood and education, his clerical work and his desire to share his enthusiasm for the natural world with the public. His lecturing engagements, including a tour of America, and his home life are also discussed. An affectionate portrait of a significant figure in the history of popular science, this work sheds light on the intellectual interests of its subject and his readership.

The naturalist and traveller Thomas Pennant (1726-98) helped popularise British ornithology by meticulously compiling and arranging existing research. At the age of twelve, Pennant had been given Francis Willughby's Ornithology (1678), to which he credited his lifelong love of natural history. His own writings on ornithology are heavily based on the classification system devised by Willughby and John Ray, which divides birds primarily into land birds and waterfowl. Although Pennant's brief, accessible book brought few original insights to the field, it boosted public interest in the study and classification of birds. The detailed descriptions of the appearance and habits of each bird are enlivened by the author's elegant turns of phrase. This better-known 1781 version of the 1773 original includes fifteen fine engravings. Pennant's other zoological works include Arctic Zoology (1784-5) and his History of Quadrupeds (third edition, 1793), both of which are reissued in this series.

First published in 1840 as a volume in the Cabinet Cyclopaedia - a series published between 1830 and 1844, intended for the self-educating middle class - this work was written by the naturalist and artist William Swainson (1789-1855). The first part is a treatise on taxidermy, showcasing methods of Victorian science that may appear gruesome to modern readers. It discusses the best ways to collect, preserve and present animals for scientific study. Swainson gives detailed advice, making allowances for naturalists working in different locations and searching for a range of species. The directions for skinning and mounting animals are not for the faint-hearted, but they offer a fascinating insight into the practices of the time. The work's second part is a zoological bibliography, with short biographies of notable authors. Zoological painters and engravers, such as Thomas Bewick (1753-1828), are also featured.

Richard Jefferies (1848-1887) remains one of the most thoughtful and most lyrical writers on the English countryside. He had aspirations to make a living as a novelist, but it was his short, factually based articles for The Live Stock Journal and other magazines, drawn from a wealth of knowledge of the rural community into which he had been born, which when collected in book form brought him recognition (though not wealth), and which continued to be read and admired after his early death. Wild Life in a Southern County, published in 1879, examines the habitats of the Downs and the birds and animals which live there. Written in Jefferies' highly descriptive style, these essays reveal his deep love and knowledge of the countryside. The sense of wonder evoked by the natural world, which permeates all of Jefferies' works, is fully exemplified in this volume.

This 1784 two-volume work by Thomas Pennant (1726-98), zoologist and traveller, describes the wildlife of northern America, Europe and Siberia. Volume 1 describes the various habitats of the Arctic and its indigenous quadrupeds. Other works by Thomas Pennant are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

In 1793, French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829) became professor of invertebrate zoology at the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. He set about the huge task of classifying this neglected group of organisms. Published between 1815 and 1822, this groundbreaking seven-volume work laid the foundations for future invertebrate study.

Eminent French scientist Georges Cuvier (1769-1832) spent his life studying the anatomy of animals. His most influential work integrated for the first time geology, palaeontology, zoology and comparative anatomy. First published in 1817, this four-volume work covers mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, molluscs, arachnids, insects and zoophytes.

Eminent French scientist Georges Cuvier (1769-1832) spent his life studying the anatomy of animals. His most influential work integrated for the first time geology, palaeontology, zoology and comparative anatomy. First published in 1817, this four-volume work covers mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, molluscs, arachnids, insects and zoophytes.

Naturalist and surgeon Sir John Richardson (1787-1865) accompanied Sir John Franklin on his first two Arctic expeditions. Richardson collected specimens during the trips and produced this four-volume natural history work on his return. Volume 1 was first published in 1829 and is dedicated to Arctic mammal species.

The most influential work of French biologist and comparative anatomist Georges Cuvier (1769-1832), Le Regne Animal, was published in French in 1817, and this sixteen-volume illustrated English version appeared between 1827 and 1835.

Palaeontologist Richard Owen (1804-92) was superintendent of natural history in the British Museum and founder of the Natural History Museum. This 1866 work gives a thorough overview of vertebrate anatomy. Volume 1 deals with haematocrya, or cold-blooded vertebrates such as fishes and reptiles.

First published in 1876, this comprehensive two-volume set presents Alfred Russel Wallace's findings on the distribution of thousands of animal and bird species. Volume 1 explores classification, migration and geological conditions in a diverse range of zoological regions worldwide, contributing to a landmark study in zoology and evolutionary biology.