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Until the nineteenth century, the investigation of natural phenomena, plants and animals was considered either the preserve of elite scholars or a pastime for the leisured upper classes. As increasing academic rigour and systematisation was brought to the study of 'natural history', its subdisciplines were adopted into university curricula, and learned societies (such as the London Zoological Society, founded in 1826) were established to support research in these areas. These developments are reflected in the books reissued in this series, which describe the anatomy and characteristics of animals ranging from invertebrates to polar bears, fish to birds, in habitats from Arctic North America to the tropical forests of Malaysia. By the middle of the nineteenth century, this work and developments in research on fossils had resulted in the formulation of the theory of evolution.

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94 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Zoology

Page 4 of 5

The Geographical Distribution of Animals
  • With a Study of the Relations of Living and Extinct Faunas as Elucidating the Past Changes of the Earth's Surface
  • Volume 2
  • Alfred Russel Wallace
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1876
  • Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) was a British biologist and explorer whose theories of evolution, arrived at independently, caused Darwin to allow their famous joint paper to go forward to the Linnean Society in 1858. Considered the nineteenth century's leading expert on the geographical distribution of animals, Wallace carried out extensive fieldwork in areas as diverse as North and South America, Africa, China, India and Australia to document the habitats, breeding, migration and feeding behaviour of thousands of species around the world, and the influence of environmental conditions on their survival. First published in 1876, this two-volume set presents Wallace's findings, and represents a landmark in the study of zoology, evolutionary biology and palaeontology which remains relevant to scholars in these fields today. Volume 2 explores the distribution of primates, the habitats and characteristics of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and insects, and patterns of migration.

Notes on the Natural History of the Strait of Magellan and West Coast of Patagonia
  • Made during the Voyage of HMS Nassau in the Years 1866, 67, 68, and 69
  • Robert O. Cunningham
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    26 January 2012
    First published in:
    1871
  • 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.

Fauna Boreali-Americana; or, The Zoology of the Northern Parts of British America
  • Containing Descriptions of the Objects of Natural History Collected on the Late Northern Land Expeditions under Command of Captain Sir John Franklin, R.N.
  • Volume 2, The Birds
  • John Richardson
  • Assisted by William Swainson, William Kirby
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    16 February 2012
    First published in:
    1831
  • Sir John Richardson (1787–1865), surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer, went on Sir John Franklin's first two Arctic expeditions as ship's doctor and naturalist, and made observations and collected a large number of plant and animal specimens from the Canadian Arctic. On his return to England after the second expedition he began to write this four-volume work of natural history, first published between 1829 and 1837. A volume is dedicated to each of the classes of mammal, bird, fish and insect, which are found in the Canadian Arctic. This work is an interesting example of pre-Darwinian natural history, full of detailed descriptions of the appearance, anatomy and behaviour of the different species. Volume 2 was first published in 1831 and focuses on the species of birds found in the Canadian Arctic. It was co-authored with naturalist and illustrator William Swainson (1789–1855) and contains many illustrations.

Fauna Boreali-Americana; or, The Zoology of the Northern Parts of British America
  • Containing Descriptions of the Objects of Natural History Collected on the Late Northern Land Expeditions under Command of Captain Sir John Franklin, R.N.
  • Volume 3, The Fish
  • John Richardson
  • Assisted by William Swainson, William Kirby
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    16 February 2012
    First published in:
    1836
  • Sir John Richardson (1787–1865), surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer, went on Sir John Franklin's first two Arctic expeditions as ship's doctor and naturalist, and made observations and collected a large number of plant and animal specimens from the Canadian Arctic. On his return to England after the second expedition he began to write this four-volume work of natural history, first published between 1829 and 1837. A volume is dedicated to each of the classes of mammal, bird, fish and insect, which are found in the Canadian Arctic. This work is an interesting example of pre-Darwinian natural history, full of detailed descriptions of the appearance, anatomy and behaviour of the different species. Volume 3 was first published in 1836 and is devoted to the species of fish found in the Canadian Arctic. It contains many detailed illustrations, and discussions of the similarities between different species of fish.

Système des animaux sans vertèbres
  • Ou tableau général des classes, des ordres et des genres de ces animaux
  • Jean Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet de Lamarck
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    22 December 2011
    First published in:
    1801
  • 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 Musée 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.

On the Extent and Aims of a National Museum of Natural History
  • Including the Substance of a Discourse on that Subject, Delivered at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, on the Evening of Friday, April 26, 1861
  • Richard Owen
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1862
  • 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.

On the Anatomy of Vertebrates
  • Volume 1, Fishes and Reptiles
  • Richard Owen
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    29 December 2011
    First published in:
    1866
  • Richard Owen F.R.S. (1804–92) was a controversial and influential palaeontologist and anatomist. Owen studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and at London's St Bartholomew's Hospital. He grew interested in anatomical research, and after qualifying he became assistant conservator in the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, and then superintendent of natural history in the British Museum. He quickly became an authority on comparative anatomy and palaeontology, coining the term 'dinosaur' and founding the Natural History Museum. He was also a fierce critic of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, and engaged in a long and bitter argument with Darwin's 'Bulldog', Thomas Huxley. Published in 1866, this is the first book in a highly illustrated three-volume set that comprises a thorough overview of vertebrate anatomy. This volume focuses on the anatomy of fishes and reptiles, and includes a preface that outlines the author's views on anatomical methodology.

On the Anatomy of Vertebrates
  • Volume 3, Mammals
  • Richard Owen
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1868
  • Richard Owen F.R.S. (1804–92) was a controversial and influential palaeontologist and anatomist. Owen studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and at London's St Bartholomew's Hospital. He grew interested in anatomical research, and after qualifying he became assistant conservator in the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, and then superintendent of natural history in the British Museum. He quickly became an authority on comparative anatomy and palaeontology, coining the term 'dinosaur' and founding the Natural History Museum. He was also a fierce critic of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, and engaged in a long and bitter argument with Darwin's 'Bulldog', Thomas Huxley. Published in 1868, this is the third book in a highly illustrated three-volume set that comprises a thorough overview of vertebrate anatomy. This volume completes the analysis of mammalian anatomy and includes a chapter of general conclusions.

The Birds of Siberia
  • A Record of a Naturalist's Visits to the Valleys of the Petchora and Yenesei
  • Henry Seebohm
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    20 October 2011
    First published in:
    1901
  • Henry Seebohm (1832–95) was a Yorkshire steel manufacturer and passionate amateur ornithologist. He travelled widely in Greece, Scandinavia, Turkey and South Africa studying birds in their native habitats. He served as secretary of the Royal Geological Society, was a fellow of the Linnean Society, and member of the British Ornithologists' Union and of the Zoological Society. This volume, published in 1901, contains two books recounting his travels in Siberia. Siberia in Europe (1880) was the result of an expedition to the lower Pechora River valley in 1875 with zoologist J. A. Harvie-Brown, and also his study of bird migrations in Heligoland with ornithologist Heinrich Gätke. He located the breeding grounds of several visitors to Britain, including the grey plover and Bewick's swan. Siberia in Asia (1882) was published after his 1877 journey with Arctic explorer Joseph Wiggins along the Yenisey River. There are numerous woodcuts illustrating birds and Siberian landscapes.

The Life of Richard Owen
  • With the Scientific Portions Revised by C. Davies Sherborn and an Essay on Owen's Position in Anatomical Science by the Right Hon. T. H. Huxley, F.R.S.
  • Volume 1
  • Richard S. Owen
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1894
  • Richard Owen, F.R.S. (1804–92) was a controversial and influential palaeontologist and anatomist. Originally from Lancaster, he studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and at London's St Bartholomew's Hospital. He grew interested in anatomical research and, after qualifying as a surgeon, became assistant conservator in the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, and then superintendent of natural history in the British Museum. He became an authority on comparative anatomy and palaeontology, coining the term 'dinosaur' and founding the Natural History Museum. He was also a fierce critic of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, and engaged in a long and bitter argument with Thomas Huxley, known as 'Darwin's bulldog' for his belligerent support of the theory. Published in 1894, this two-volume biography draws on Owen's diaries and a wealth of correspondence. Volume 1 covers Owen's life up to 1854, just before his appointment to the British Museum.

The Geographical Distribution of Animals
  • With a Study of the Relations of Living and Extinct Faunas as Elucidating the Past Changes of the Earth's Surface
  • Volume 1
  • Alfred Russel Wallace
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1876
  • Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) was a British biologist and explorer whose theories of evolution, arrived at independently, caused Darwin to allow their famous joint paper to go forward to the Linnean Society in 1858. Considered the nineteenth century's leading expert on the geographical distribution of animals, Wallace carried out extensive fieldwork in areas as diverse as North and South America, Africa, China, India and Australia to document the habitats, breeding, migration and feeding behaviour of thousands of species around the world, and the influence of environmental conditions on their survival. First published in 1876, this two-volume set presents Wallace's findings, and represents a landmark in the study of zoology, evolutionary biology and palaeontology which remains relevant to scholars in these fields today. Volume 1 focuses on the classification of species, migration processes, factors influencing extinction, and the characteristics of a range of zoological regions worldwide.

Fauna Boreali-Americana; or, The Zoology of the Northern Parts of British America
  • Containing Descriptions of the Objects of Natural History Collected on the Late Northern Land Expeditions under Command of Captain Sir John Franklin, R.N.
  • Volume 4, The Insects
  • John Richardson
  • Assisted by William Swainson, William Kirby
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    16 February 2012
    First published in:
    1837
  • Sir John Richardson (1787–1865), surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer, went on Sir John Franklin's first two Arctic expeditions as ship's doctor and naturalist, and made observations and collected a large number of plant and animal specimens from the Canadian Arctic. On his return to England after the second expedition he began to write this four-volume work of natural history, first published between 1829 and 1837. A volume is dedicated to each of the classes of mammal, bird, fish and insect, which are found in the Canadian Arctic. This work is an interesting example of pre-Darwinian natural history, full of detailed descriptions of the appearance, anatomy and behaviour of the different species. Volume 4 was first published in 1837 and was written by distinguished entomologist William Kirby (1759–1850) using Richardson's specimens from the second expedition. It focuses on the species of insect found in the Canadian Arctic.

The Animals of New Zealand
  • An Account of the Dominion's Air-Breathing Vertebrates
  • Frederick Wollaston Hutton, James Drummond
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1923
  • Frederick Wollaston Hutton (1836–1905) was a geologist and a supporter of Darwinian theory. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1866, became Professor of Biology at Canterbury College, and won awards both in Britain and Australasia for his work on the natural history of New Zealand. He published scientific papers on biology and zoology as well as geology and, with James Drummond, wrote two popular works, Nature in New Zealand (1902) and The Animals of New Zealand (1904). The latter was extremely successful. It was revised and expanded the following year, and this fourth edition was published in 1923. The book focuses on native vertebrates, so the bulk of the content relates to birds, of which Hutton had published a catalogue in 1871. It also describes marine mammals, reptiles, and bats, and gives brief coverage to introduced species. There are 154 illustrations, and indexes of Maori, English and scientific names.

Wanderings in South America, the North-West of the United States, and the Antilles, in the Years 1812, 1816, 1820, and 1824
  • With Original Instructions for the Perfect Preservation of Birds, etc for Cabinets of Natural History
  • Charles Waterton
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    27 October 2011
    First published in:
    1828
  • 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'.

History of Quadrupeds
  • Volume 1
  • Thomas Pennant
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1793
  • Thomas Pennant (1726–98) was a keen geologist, naturalist and antiquary. Linnaeus supported his election to the Royal Swedish Society of Sciences in 1757, and in 1767 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. His History of Quadrupeds (1793), aimed to promote natural history among a wider readership, originated in an informal index to John Ray's Synopsis of 1693. In his preface, Pennant acknowledges the monumental Histoire naturelle by the Comte de Buffon, as well as works by Klein (1751), Brisson (1756), and particularly the work of Linnaeus, though Pennant strongly disagreed with Linnaueus's classification of primates as including humans with apes. Pennant's two-volume book, beautifully illustrated with over 100 engravings, provides an overview of the state of zoological classification at the end of the eighteenth century. Charles Darwin owned a copy and had it sent to him in South America during the Beagle voyage.

The Natural History of Birds
  • From the French of the Count de Buffon; Illustrated with Engravings, and a Preface, Notes, and Additions, by the Translator
  • Volume 8
  • Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
  • Edited and translated by William Smellie
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    25 November 2010
    First published in:
    1793
  • Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707–88) was a French mathematician who was considered one of the leading naturalists of the Enlightenment. An acquaintance of Voltaire and other intellectuals, he worked as Keeper at the Jardin du Roi from 1739, and this inspired him to research and publish a vast encyclopaedia and survey of natural history, the ground-breaking Histoire Naturelle, which he published in forty-four volumes between 1749 and 1804. These volumes, first published between 1770 and 1783 and translated into English in 1793, contain Buffon's survey and descriptions of birds from the Histoire Naturelle. Based on recorded observations of birds both in France and in other countries, these volumes provide detailed descriptions of various bird species, their habitats and behaviours and were the first publications to present a comprehensive account of eighteenth-century ornithology. Volume 8 covers domestic and foreign marine birds.

History of Quadrupeds
  • Volume 2
  • Thomas Pennant
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1793
  • Thomas Pennant (1726–98) was a keen geologist, naturalist and antiquary. Linnaeus supported his election to the Royal Swedish Society of Sciences in 1757, and in 1767 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. His History of Quadrupeds (1793), aimed to promote natural history among a wider readership, originated in an informal index to John Ray's Synopsis of 1693. In his preface, Pennant acknowledges the monumental Histoire naturelle by the Comte de Buffon, as well as works by Klein (1751), Brisson (1756), and particularly the work of Linnaeus, though Pennant strongly disagreed with Linnaueus's classification of primates as including humans with apes. Pennant's two-volume book, beautifully illustrated with over 100 engravings, provides an overview of the state of zoological classification at the end of the eighteenth century. Charles Darwin owned a copy and had it sent to him in South America during the Beagle voyage.

The Malay Archipelago
  • The Land of the Orang-Utan, and the Bird of Paradise. A Narrative of Travel, with Studies of Man and Nature
  • Volume 2
  • Alfred Russel Wallace
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1869
  • Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) was a British naturalist who is best remembered as the co-discoverer, with Darwin, of natural selection. His extensive fieldwork and advocacy of the theory of evolution led to him being considered one of the nineteenth century's foremost biologists. These volumes, first published in 1869, contain Wallace's acclaimed and highly influential account of extensive fieldwork he undertook in modern Indonesia, Malaysia and New Guinea between 1854 and 1862. Wallace describes his travels around the island groups, depicting the unusual animals and insects he encountered and providing ethnographic descriptions of the indigenous peoples. Wallace's analysis of biogeographic patterns in Indonesia (later termed the Wallace Line) profoundly influenced contemporary and later evolutionary and geological thought concerning both Indonesia and other areas of the world where similar patterns were found. Volume 2 covers the Molucca Islands and New Guinea.

The Natural History of Birds
  • From the French of the Count de Buffon; Illustrated with Engravings, and a Preface, Notes, and Additions, by the Translator
  • Volume 1
  • Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
  • Edited and translated by William Smellie
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    25 November 2010
    First published in:
    1793
  • Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707–1788) was a French mathematician who was considered one of the leading naturalists of the Enlightenment. An acquaintance of Voltaire and other intellectuals, he worked as Keeper at the Jardin du Roi from 1739, and this inspired him to research and publish a vast encyclopaedia and survey of natural history, the ground-breaking Histoire Naturelle, which he published in forty-four volumes between 1749 and 1804. These volumes, first published between 1770 and 1783 and translated into English in 1793, contain Buffon's survey and descriptions of birds from the Histoire Naturelle. Based on recorded observations of birds both in France and in other countries, these volumes provide detailed descriptions of various bird species, their habitats and behaviours and were the first publications to present a comprehensive account of eighteenth-century ornithology. Volume 1 covers birds of prey and flightless birds.

The Naturalisation of Animals and Plants in New Zealand
  • George M. Thomson
  • Published online:
    05 January 2012
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1922
  • George Thomson (1848–1933) was born in Calcutta, grew up in Scotland and emigrated to New Zealand at 20. He settled there, working as a teacher and analytical chemist, and was eventually elected to the House of Representatives in 1908. Thomson had an interest in natural history, but he was especially fascinated by the biological battles between native species of plants and animals and more recent arrivals. Realising New Zealand's unique advantage in having written records about the introduction of new species from the period of Captain Cook's second voyage in 1773 onwards, Thomson was able to trace the origins and spread of many plants and animals. This study, published in 1922, notes their locations and dates, and includes lists of foreign species officially designated as pests. It is a comprehensive guide to the non-native flora and fauna of New Zealand, providing valuable information about the country's ecological history.

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