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New Book About Scientific Names of Bird Species

To: "Stephen Ambrose" <>, <>
Subject: New Book About Scientific Names of Bird Species
From: "Margaret Cameron" <>
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:27:41 +1000
I have bought this book (Jobling's Helm dictionary of scientific bird names) from Andrew Isles already, and it is terrific. It says it has some 20,000 entries. It does not only have "the generic and specific name for almost every species of bird in the world and ...its meaning and derivation. In the case of eponyms brief biographical details are provided for each of the personalities commemorated in the scientific names. " It explains variations (and errors) in spelling. It tells the stories of Greek and Latin gods etc whose names have inspired bird names and explains or speculates why. There are sometimes little anecdotes, for example about the discovery of a bird, or about one ornithologist's opinion of another's choice of name. And more! Just reading the longer entries is an entertainment.

I recommend it!
Margaret


Margaret Cameron
2 Cintra Street
Eastern Heights, Qld
Australia 4305
07 3282 9151




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