For info. (From Russell. I sent him below comments.)
<<Regarding the term ‘bird-watching’, I didn’t actually say that it had never been used before Selous in 1901, merely that Selous ‘is credited with
coining the term’. Those earlier usages that one of the COG members points to are clearly references to activities very different to the recreation of birdwatching.
Keep in touch
Russell
Russell McGregor
Adjunct Professor of History
College of Arts, Society and Education
James Cook University >>
From: Canberrabirds <>
On Behalf Of Kevin Windle via Canberrabirds
Sent: Wednesday, 1 January 2025 9:15 PM
To: Canberrabirds list <>;
Subject: [Canberrabirds] Fw: First use of the term 'birdwatching' in English
Thank you, David and all, for your comments on Russell McGregor's
Enchantment by Birds and my review of same. It is indeed a fascinating book. Re the term 'birdwatching', McGregor cites the following source: Edmund Selous,
Bird Watching, Dent, London, 1901.
I haven't read Selous's book, but McGregor says that it 'explicitly offered watching as a civilised alternative to the "monstrous and horrible" practice of collecting.'
I should, of course, have checked the OED myself for the history of usage, but I tend to agree with John: those early examples refer to a rather different activity from that described by Selous.
Thanks John, you make good points.
Re accessing the OED, as you probably know, some years ago, when the previous Cth govt starved the National Library (along with other national cultural institutions) of funds, the Library was forced to cancel its subscription.
Great news, however: their improved funding position means that they have now resubscribed. Access it via eResources
https://www.nla.gov.au/app/eresources
Best wishes – David
From: Canberrabirds <>
On Behalf Of calyptorhynchus via Canberrabirds
Sent: Wednesday, 1 January 2025 5:49 PM
To:
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] First use of the term 'birdwatching' in English
Hi David
I suggest that those OED entries in fact refer to other things than bird-watching in the modern sense.
The 1712 entry refers to augury via sightings of birds
The other two entries referring to bird-watchers are to individuals (usually small children) posted in fields to scare birds away from newly planted seeds, or crops that are coming to fruition. (The poet John Clare was often employed in this capacity when
young as he was very small and not strong enough to do anything else, and he nearly froze to death several times doing it in wintry weather).
I access the OED through the ACT Library system, but ever since the OED has had a face-lift my ACT Libraries credentials have been rejected and so I can't consult it online to make sure that is what it is referring to, but those are my guesses.
cheers and Happy New Year
John L
On Wed, 1 Jan 2025 at 16:49, David McDonald (Personal) <> wrote:
Many thanks to the editors of and contributors to the current—Dec. 2024—issue of
Canberra Bird Notes. Another fascinating and informative issue.
Kevin Windle’s fine review of Russell McGregor’s Enchantment by birds… makes me want to rush out and purchase it without delay! Though I note Kevin’s informing us that McGregor states that ‘Birdwatching is a fairly recent recreational activity; the
term was coined only in 1901 (p. 59)’.
A quick check of the Oxford English Dictionary suggests otherwise:
-
Birdwatching: ‘1846 It appears that the little fellow was employed in ‘bird-watching’ in a field adjoining the sea. N. Devon Journal 19 March
-
Birdwatcher: ‘1712 Auspex does not signify a Favourer or Promoter of any Work or Undertaking, but a
Soothsayer, a Consulter of Omens, a Bird-watcher, whenever it is applied to Person’.
W. Oldisworth in translation of Horace, Odes vol. II. i. vii. Notes upon Notes 34/1
Birdwatcher: ‘1803 Pictures of the lonely bird-watcher and of the hay-field group contrasted.’
J. Kenney, Society, with Other Poems 41
Still, the book sounds great. Thanks for such an interesting review, Kevin.
David
--
David McDonald
1004 Norton Road, Wamboin NSW 2620, Australia
Mobile: 0416 231 890 | Tel: (02) 6238 3706
E-mail:
--
This is the email announcement and discussion list of the Canberra Ornithologists Group.
Emails posted to the list that exceed 2 MB (2,000 kB) in size, including attachments, will be rejected.
All emails distributed via the list are archived at http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/canberrabirds. It is a condition of list
membership that you agree to your contributions being archived.
Canberrabirds mailing list
https://lists.canberrabirds.org.au/mailman/listinfo/canberrabirds
--
John Leonard
Canberra
Australia
www.jleonard.net
Make nature great again.
