The Historical Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland 1875 - 1900

London: T. & A. D. Poyser, 1996. First edition, 1996. Hardback. viii, 476pp. Dust jacket. Simon Holloway presents maps showing the distribution of Britain's birds during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. His researches have covered all of the numerous county avifaunas, which covered the whole country, as well as a great many other contemporary publications and reports. The book illustrates the effects of sportsmen, collectors and others on raptors such as the Buzzard and Red Kite, corvids and rare species like the Kentish Plover and Savi's warbler. Land use changes, such as drainage, enclosure and intensifying agriculture have also had large effects on groups like the waterfowl, wadesr and many passerines. Even pollution has had local effects which can be seen in the maps of some species. The maps and their accompanying texts make fascinating reading and paint a picture of Britain's and Ireland's breeding birds before the growth of modern agriculture but during a period when changes in the balance of rural and urban population began to alter the face of the countryside forever. An understanding of the situation of the birds in those past times will enhance both our enjoyment and understanding of their fate and fortune today and into the future. Book in very good condition. A little light soiling to upper edge of text block. Book plate of the distinguished naturalist Bryan L Sage to front paste down. Dust jacket very good and unclipped. Very minor edge wear.