Nineteenth–Century Ornithology

Volume II: Ornithology Abroad

Henry A. McGhie

• Publisher: Routledge
• Edition: 1
• Year: 2026
• Topic: History
• Print ISBN:
  9781041298687
• Subtopic: 19th Century History
• eBook ISBN:
  9781040916131
• Index: History

Volume 2, Ornithology Abroad, focusses on ornithological activity beyond Britain. The volume commences with readings related to ornithology and the quest for the North West Passage. These are followed by a reading from Alexander Wilson, a Scot who emigrated to America and found fame (if not fortune) as an ornithologist, illustrator and author. Staying in America, the next readings cover the expansion of the Smithsonian Institution and systematised collecting, and the experiences of Henry Dresser, who travelled in Texas during the American Civil War. The theoretical aspects of distribution are covered in readings from Philip Sclater and Alfred Wallace. Readings on the birds of Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Arctic and discoveries by British colonial officials, explore the strong connections between birds, colonialism and imperialism. The volume concludes with two readings from Charles Darwin, on the finches and mockingbirds of the Galapagos.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Series Editor Introduction
• Acknowledgements and Credits
• General Introduction
• Volume II Introduction
• 1 Lists of Specimens Presented to the Zoological Society and the Museum of the University of Edinburgh; Great Cinereous Owl, from Fauna Boreali-Americana
• 2 Birds, from A Supplement to the Appendix of Captain Parry’s Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage
• 3 American Ornithology (extracts)
• 4 Directions for Collecting, Preserving, and Transporting Specimens of Natural History, Prepared for the Use of the Smithsonian Institution (extracts)
• 5 Field Ornithology: Comprising a Manual of Instruction for Procuring, Preparing and Preserving Birds … (extracts)
• 6 Observations on the Birds of St Croix
• 7 Wanderings in South America, the North-west of the United States, and the Antilles … (extracts)
• 8 The Birds of Southern Texas
• 9 On the Geographical Distribution of Class Aves
• 10 The Malay Archipelago (extract)
• 11 The Geographical Distribution of Animals, with a Study of the Relations of Living and Extinct Faunas … (extract)
• 12 The Birds of Australia (extracts)
• 13 The Birds of Asia (extracts)
• 14 A History of the Birds of New Zealand (extracts)
• 15 On the Birds Collected by the Earl of Ranfurly in New Zealand and Adjacent Islands
• 16 Stray Notes on Ornithology in India
• 17 Stray Feathers (extracts)
• 18 The Hume Collection of Indian Birds
• 19 The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (extracts)
• 20 Notes on the Ornithology of the Gold Coast
• 21 Notes on Ornithology Taken Between Takoo and Peking …
• 22 The Ornithology of Formosa, or Taiwan
• 23 Letter
• 24 A Voice on Ornithology from Formosa
• 25 Notes on Chinese Ornithology
• 26 Introduction in Biologia Centrali-Americana- Aves
• 27 On Extinct and Vanishing Birds
• 28 List of Birds Observed in Smith Sound and in the Polar Basin during the Arctic Expedition of 1875–76
• 29 Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited during the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle …
• 30 The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, Under the Command of Captain Fitzroy …
• Bibliography
• Index