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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 5 of 5

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 2
  • Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
  • Edited and translated by William Smellie
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    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 2 covers wild and domestic fowl and pigeons.

Wild Life in a Southern County
  • Richard Jefferies
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    27 January 2011
    First published in:
    1879
  • 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.

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 4
  • Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
  • Edited and translated by William Smellie
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    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 4 covers foreign and domestic finches and flycatchers.

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 9
  • Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
  • Edited and translated by William Smellie
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    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 9 covers water fowl and related birds.

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 7
  • Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
  • Edited and translated by William Smellie
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    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 7 covers woodpeckers and kingfishers.

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 3
  • Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
  • Edited and translated by William Smellie
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    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 3 covers corvids, thrushes and some tropical birds.

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 6
  • Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
  • Edited and translated by William Smellie
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    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 6 covers parrots, parakeets and other foreign birds.

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 5
  • Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
  • Edited and translated by William Smellie
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    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 5 covers larks, wagtails and fig-eaters.

The Philosophy of Zoology
  • Or a General View of the Structure, Functions, and Classification of Animals
  • Volume 2
  • John Fleming
  • Published online:
    05 October 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1822
  • John Fleming (1785–1857) was a minister of the Church of Scotland, but in his time at the University of Edinburgh he had also studied geology and zoology. In the tradition of the country parson who was also a talented and knowledgeable naturalist, he published his first works on the geology of the Shetland Islands while serving there as a minister. His subsequent works led to his being offered the chair of natural philosophy at the University of Aberdeen, and subsequently at the newly created chair of natural history at the Free Church College in Edinburgh. The two-volume Philosophy of Zoology was published in 1822, and the young Charles Darwin is recorded as borrowing it from the library of Edinburgh University in 1825/6. His intention in the book was to 'collect the truths of Zoology within a small compass, and to render them more intelligible, by a systematical arrangement'.

Catalogue of the Osteological Portions of Specimens Contained in the Anatomical Museum of the University of Cambridge
  • William Clark
  • Published online:
    07 September 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1862
  • William Clark was Professor of Anatomy at Cambridge for nearly fifty years, collecting many specimens of bones for use in the study of comparative anatomy, physiology and osteology. These formed a principal part of the collection that eventually became the university's Museum of Zoology. He wished to support students of natural sciences in acquiring knowledge from direct observation of well arranged and accurately identified specimens. The 1,289 items, catalogued in 1862, include 128 from humans of various races and dates. These include masks of the faces of Isaac Newton, William Pitt and Benjamin Franklin. This focus reflects, in part, the nineteenth-century fascination with phrenology. A regular participant in the influential Cambridge Philosophical Society, in May 1860 William Clark made there what Darwin perceived to be a 'savage onslaught' on his recently published On the Origin of Species. This book reveals Clark's very different approach to studying the tree of life.

On the Classification and Geographical Distribution of the Mammalia
  • Richard Owen
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1859
  • English anatomist and biologist Richard Owen (1804–92), who in 1842 coined the word 'dinosaur', published this book in 1859, the year of On the Origin of Species. He reviews ancient and recent studies of mammals in Western science before going on to present his own updated categorisation of the class. Owen's eye for detail and range of scholarship are evident in this work, which is an extensive catalogue of mammals based on biological, geographical and anatomical characteristics. It incorporates, among other things, detailed classifications and sub-classifications of genus based on dental structures, food habits and cerebra. Owen's prose is lucid and precise and his investigations scrupulous, demonstrating the commitment that led him to become one of the foremost anatomists of his time. An appendix reveals Owen's views on the hotly debated theories of transmutation and extinction proposed by scientists such as Lamarck, Lyell and Darwin.

The Philosophy of Zoology
  • Or a General View of the Structure, Functions, and Classification of Animals
  • Volume 1
  • John Fleming
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1822
  • John Fleming (1785–1857) was a minister of the Church of Scotland, but in his time at the University of Edinburgh he had also studied geology and zoology. In the tradition of the country parson who was also a talented and knowledgeable naturalist, he published his first works on the geology of the Shetland Islands while serving there as a minister. His subsequent works led to his being offered the chair of natural philosophy at the University of Aberdeen, and subsequently at the newly created chair of natural history at the Free Church College in Edinburgh. The two-volume Philosophy of Zoology was published in 1822, and the young Charles Darwin is recorded as borrowing it from the library of Edinburgh University in 1825/6. His intention in the book was to 'collect the truths of Zoology within a small compass, and to render them more intelligible, by a systematical arrangement'.

A Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural History
  • William Swainson
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    24 September 2009
    First published in:
    1834
  • William Swainson F. R. S., was recognised principally as a zoologist, an ornithologist and a skilled and prolific illustrator. He also had a tremendous enthusiasm for seeking and identifying new species. In this 1834 volume however, Swainson addressed the nature of, foundations for and successful pursuit of zoology. It argues firmly for the key importance of taxonomy. Swainson was an ardent advocate of MacLeay's now entirely outmoded 'quinary' system of classification – even then a distinctly minority view. This sought affinities, patterns and analogies among organisms, in order to discern God's order. More than a mere curiosity, such work was of pivotal concern to enterprising naturalists of the 1820s and 1830s – including the young Charles Darwin. It also reached Robert Chambers, whose 1844 Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation was an important landmark in the development of the theory of evolution.

The Naturalist on the River Amazon
  • A Record of Adventures, Habits of Animals, Sketches of Brazilian and Indian Life, and Aspects of Nature under the Equator, during Eleven Years of Travel
  • 3rd edition
  • Henry Walter Bates
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1873
  • First published in 1863, this is a first-hand account of Henry Walter Bates' eleven-year expedition to the river Amazon in 1848, during which he discovered some eight thousand species unknown to the natural sciences. Written in the first person, it records the astonishing range of natural life in the regions traversed by the Amazon and its tributaries. Describing his adventures south of the equator, Bates takes the reader through Pará, Tocantins, Cametá, Marajó, Caripí, Obydos, Manos, Santarem, Tapajos, and Ega, descriptively cataloguing the rich vegetation, aboriginal population, and wondrous birds, animals and insects of these regions. More than just a scientist's log, the work that took Bates three years to complete was considered by Darwin to be 'the best work of natural history travels ever published in England.' This third edition of the book (1873) also contains numerous illustrations by the noted zoologist Joseph Wolf.

Page 5 of 5