Fauna Boreali-Americana, or the Zoology of the Northern Parts of British America, Volume 2: The Birds Containing Descriptions of the Objects of Natural History Collected on the Late Northern Land Expeditions Under Command of Captain Sir John Franklin, R.N.

About this book

A reprint of a classical work in the Cambridge Library Collection.

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.

Contents

Introduction John Richardson
Introductory observations on the natural system William Swainson
Preface William Swainson
List of authors
Raptores: Vulturidae
Falconidae
Strigidae
Insessores: Dentirostres: Lanidae
Merulidae
Sylvidae
Ampelidae
Conirostres: Fringillidae
Sturnidae
Corvidae
Curtipedes
Scansores: Picidae
Certhidae
Tenuirostres: Trochilidae
Fissirostres: Hirundinidae
Caprimulgidae
Halcyonidae
Rasores: Tetraonidae
Columbidae
Grallatores
Natatores: Anatidae
Appendices
Index.

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