Edmund Selous (14 August 1857 – 25 March 1934) was a British ornithologist and writer. He was the younger brother of big-game hunterFrederick Selous. Born in London, the son of a wealthy stockbroker, Selous was educated privately and matriculated at Pembroke College, Cambridge in September 1877. He left without a degree and was admitted to the Middle Temple just over a year later and was called to the bar in 1881. He practised as a barrister only briefly before retiring to pursue the study of natural history and literature.
Edmund married Fanny Margaret Maxwell (1863-1955) on 13 January 1886.[3] Fanny was the eldest daughter of the novelist Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1835-1915) and publisher John Maxwell (1824-1895).[4]
Illustration by Joseph Smit of owls in Edmund Selous's Bird Watching (1901)
Selous started as a conventional naturalist, but developed a hatred of the killing of animals for scientific study and was a pioneer of bird-watching as a method of scientific study. He was a strong proponent of non-destructive bird-study as opposed to the collection of skins and eggs. In his book Bird Watching (Selous, 1901) he said:
For myself, I must confess that I once belonged to this great, poor army of killers, though happily, a bad shot, a most fatigable collector, and a poor half-hearted bungler, generally. But now that I have watched birds closely, the killing of them seems to me as something monstrous and horrible; and, for every one that I have shot, or even only shot at and missed, I hate myself with an increasing hatred. I am convinced that this most excellent result might be arrived at by numbers and numbers of others, if they would only begin to do the same; for the pleasure that belongs to observation and inference is, really, far greater than that which attends any kind of skill or dexterity, even when death and pain add their zest to the latter. Let anyone who has an eye and a brain (but especially the latter), lay down the gun and take up the glasses for a week, a day, even for an hour, if he is lucky, and he will never wish to change back again. He will soon come to regard the killing of birds as not only brutal, but dreadfully silly, and his gun and cartridges, once so dear, will be to him, hereafter, as the toys of childhood are to the grown man.
The shooting of birds for so called scientific purposes, like building museum collections, he strongly rejected.[6]
He was a solitary man and was not well known in ornithological circles. He avoided both the company of ornithologists and reading their observations so as to base his conclusions entirely on his own observations. He believed that every observed detail should be published and produced a number of ornithological books and papers as well as several other books on popular natural history and a natural history series for children.[1]
Selous published a variety of books on natural history, especially birds, ranging from children's books to more serious ornithological works. He travelled to southern Africa and India in his youth and later to Shetland, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Iceland to observe birds there. He had a particular interest in bird behaviour, sexual selection and the problem of the coordinated flight manoeuvres of flocking birds, which he sought to explain through the idea of thought-transference. He continued bird-watching and writing until near the end of his life.[1]
The Bird Watcher in the Shetlands. With some notes on seals – and digressions. London: Dent. 1905b – via Wikisource.
The Romance of the Animal World – Interesting Descriptions of the Strange and Curious in the Natural History. London: Seeley & Co. 1905c.
The Romance of Insect Life – Interesting Descriptions of the Strange and Curious in the Insect World. London: Seeley & Co. 1906.
Tommy Smith's Other Animals. London: Methuen. 1906.
Jacks's Insects. London: Methuen. 1910.
The Zoo Conversation Book. London: Mills & Boon. 1911.
The Zoo Conversation Book. London: Hughie's Second Visit. Mills & Boon. 1912.
The Wonders of the Insect World. London: Seeley, Service. 1914.
The Wonders of Animal Life. London: Seeley, Service. 1916.
Tommy Smith at the Zoo. London: Methuen. 1919.
Jacks's Other Insects. London: Methuen. 1920.
The Wonders of Animal Life. London: Seeley, Service. 1921.
Tommy Smith's Birds. London: Methuen. 1922.
Realities of Bird Life. Being extracts from the diaries of a life-loving naturalist. London: Constable & Co. 1927.
Thought-transference (or what?) in birds. London: Constable & Co. 1931.
Evolution of Habit in Birds. London: Constable & Co. 1933.
Selous also wrote several articles in journals:
An Observational Diary of the Habits of Nightjars (Caprimulgus europæus), Mostly of a Sitting Pair. Notes Taken at Time and on Spot. The Zoologist, 4th series, vol. 3, issue 699 (September, 1899), pp. 388–402 and issue 701 (November, 1899), pp. 486–505. 1899 – via Wikisource.
An Observational Diary of the Habits of the Great Plover (Œdicnemus crepitans) during September and October. The Zoologist, 4th series, vol. 4, issue 706 (April, 1900), pp. 173–185, issue 708 (June, 1900), pp. 270–277, and issue 712 (October, 1900), pp. 458–476. 1900 – via Wikisource.
An Observational Diary of the Habits, Mostly Domestic, of the Great Crested Grebe and of the Peewit. The Zoologist, 4th series, vol. 5, issue 719 (May, 1901), pp. 161–183, issue 723 (September, 1901), pp. 339–350, issue 726 (December, 1901), pp. 454–462, issue 730 (April, 1902), pp. 133–144. 1901 – via Wikisource.[9]
Referencesedit
^ abcK. E. L., Simmons. "Selous, Edmund (1857–1934), ornithologist and author". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/37948. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
^England & Wales, National Probate Calendar, 1934. "SELOUS Edmund of Lydwell Buxton-road Weymouth Dorsetshire died 25 March 1934 Probate London 26 June to Mary Braddon Frederica Whitehead Payne single woman. Effects £16217 13s. 11d." (via this link (access-date 2019-10-29).)
^"Edmund Selous M, b. 1857, d. 25 March 1934". Greathead.org. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
^. Sensationpress.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
^Hollings, D.F. (1997). . Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
^"Review of Beautiful Birds by Edmund Selous". Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art. 93 (2412): 86. 18 January 1902.
^"Review of Bird Life Glimpses by Edmund Selous". The Athenaeum (4057): 143. 29 July 1905.
^In this text (and in later articles) Selous wrote about the mounting of male Grebes by females, and tried to explain this behavior in Darwinian terms. See Brooks, Ross (2021). "Darwin's closet: the queer sides of The descent of man (1871)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society of London. 191 (2): 323–346. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa175.
Sourcesedit
Simmons, K.E.L. (2004). Selous, Edmund (1857–1934), ornithologist and author. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Lack, D., 1958. Some British pioneers in ornithological research, 1859–1939. Ibis, 101(1), pp.71–81.
Nice, M.M., 1935. Edmund Selous – An Appreciation. Bird-Banding, 6, pp.90–96.
Simmons, K.E.L., 1984. Edmund Selous (1857–1934): fragments for a biography. Ibis, 126(4), pp.595–596.
Works by Edmund Selous at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
Edmund Selous: "Pittville's first bird-watcher" by John Simpson, on the website of Pittville History Works.
April 11, 2024
edmund, selous, august, 1857, march, 1934, british, ornithologist, writer, younger, brother, game, hunter, frederick, selous, born, london, wealthy, stockbroker, selous, educated, privately, matriculated, pembroke, college, cambridge, september, 1877, left, wi. Edmund Selous 14 August 1857 25 March 1934 was a British ornithologist and writer He was the younger brother of big game hunter Frederick Selous Born in London the son of a wealthy stockbroker Selous was educated privately and matriculated at Pembroke College Cambridge in September 1877 He left without a degree and was admitted to the Middle Temple just over a year later and was called to the bar in 1881 He practised as a barrister only briefly before retiring to pursue the study of natural history and literature Edmund SelousBorn14 August 1857 1 Regent s Park London EnglandDied25 March 1934 1934 03 25 aged 76 2 Dorset EnglandOccupationsornithologist writerRelativesFrederick Selous brother Edmund married Fanny Margaret Maxwell 1863 1955 on 13 January 1886 3 Fanny was the eldest daughter of the novelist Mary Elizabeth Braddon 1835 1915 and publisher John Maxwell 1824 1895 4 In 1888 they moved to Wiesbaden German Empire and then to Mildenhall in Suffolk in 1889 In the 1920s they moved to the Weymouth village Wyke Regis in Dorset where they lived in Wyke Castle 5 Contents 1 Career 2 Bibliography 3 References 3 1 Sources 4 External linksCareer edit nbsp Illustration by Joseph Smit of owls in Edmund Selous s Bird Watching 1901 Selous started as a conventional naturalist but developed a hatred of the killing of animals for scientific study and was a pioneer of bird watching as a method of scientific study He was a strong proponent of non destructive bird study as opposed to the collection of skins and eggs In his book Bird Watching Selous 1901 he said For myself I must confess that I once belonged to this great poor army of killers though happily a bad shot a most fatigable collector and a poor half hearted bungler generally But now that I have watched birds closely the killing of them seems to me as something monstrous and horrible and for every one that I have shot or even only shot at and missed I hate myself with an increasing hatred I am convinced that this most excellent result might be arrived at by numbers and numbers of others if they would only begin to do the same for the pleasure that belongs to observation and inference is really far greater than that which attends any kind of skill or dexterity even when death and pain add their zest to the latter Let anyone who has an eye and a brain but especially the latter lay down the gun and take up the glasses for a week a day even for an hour if he is lucky and he will never wish to change back again He will soon come to regard the killing of birds as not only brutal but dreadfully silly and his gun and cartridges once so dear will be to him hereafter as the toys of childhood are to the grown man The shooting of birds for so called scientific purposes like building museum collections he strongly rejected 6 He was a solitary man and was not well known in ornithological circles He avoided both the company of ornithologists and reading their observations so as to base his conclusions entirely on his own observations He believed that every observed detail should be published and produced a number of ornithological books and papers as well as several other books on popular natural history and a natural history series for children 1 Selous published a variety of books on natural history especially birds ranging from children s books to more serious ornithological works He travelled to southern Africa and India in his youth and later to Shetland Sweden the Netherlands and Iceland to observe birds there He had a particular interest in bird behaviour sexual selection and the problem of the coordinated flight manoeuvres of flocking birds which he sought to explain through the idea of thought transference He continued bird watching and writing until near the end of his life 1 Bibliography editBooks by Selous include Tommy Smith s Animals London Methuen 1899 Beautiful Birds London Dent 1901 7 Bird Watching London Dent 1901 via Wikisource Bird Life Glimpses George Allen 1905a 8 illustrations by George Edward Lodge The Bird Watcher in the Shetlands With some notes on seals and digressions London Dent 1905b via Wikisource The Romance of the Animal World Interesting Descriptions of the Strange and Curious in the Natural History London Seeley amp Co 1905c The Romance of Insect Life Interesting Descriptions of the Strange and Curious in the Insect World London Seeley amp Co 1906 Tommy Smith s Other Animals London Methuen 1906 Jacks s Insects London Methuen 1910 The Zoo Conversation Book London Mills amp Boon 1911 The Zoo Conversation Book London Hughie s Second Visit Mills amp Boon 1912 The Wonders of the Insect World London Seeley Service 1914 The Wonders of Animal Life London Seeley Service 1916 Tommy Smith at the Zoo London Methuen 1919 Jacks s Other Insects London Methuen 1920 The Wonders of Animal Life London Seeley Service 1921 Tommy Smith s Birds London Methuen 1922 Realities of Bird Life Being extracts from the diaries of a life loving naturalist London Constable amp Co 1927 Thought transference or what in birds London Constable amp Co 1931 Evolution of Habit in Birds London Constable amp Co 1933 Selous also wrote several articles in journals An Observational Diary of the Habits of Nightjars Caprimulgus europaeus Mostly of a Sitting Pair Notes Taken at Time and on Spot The Zoologist 4th series vol 3 issue 699 September 1899 pp 388 402 and issue 701 November 1899 pp 486 505 1899 via Wikisource An Observational Diary of the Habits of the Great Plover Œdicnemus crepitans during September and October The Zoologist 4th series vol 4 issue 706 April 1900 pp 173 185 issue 708 June 1900 pp 270 277 and issue 712 October 1900 pp 458 476 1900 via Wikisource An Observational Diary of the Habits Mostly Domestic of the Great Crested Grebe and of the Peewit The Zoologist 4th series vol 5 issue 719 May 1901 pp 161 183 issue 723 September 1901 pp 339 350 issue 726 December 1901 pp 454 462 issue 730 April 1902 pp 133 144 1901 via Wikisource 9 References edit a b c K E L Simmons Selous Edmund 1857 1934 ornithologist and author Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 37948 Subscription or UK public library membership required England amp Wales National Probate Calendar 1934 SELOUS Edmund of Lydwell Buxton road Weymouth Dorsetshire died 25 March 1934 Probate London 26 June to Mary Braddon Frederica Whitehead Payne single woman Effects 16217 13s 11d via this link access date 2019 10 29 Edmund Selous M b 1857 d 25 March 1934 Greathead org 23 September 2016 Retrieved 14 July 2019 Fanny Margaret Maxwell Sensationpress com Archived from the original on 12 May 2008 Retrieved 30 October 2019 Hollings D F 1997 History of Wyke Regis chapters 5 10 Archived from the original on 11 June 2009 Retrieved 30 October 2019 See for instance Selous 1905b p 143f Review of Beautiful Birds by Edmund Selous Saturday Review of Politics Literature Science and Art 93 2412 86 18 January 1902 Review of Bird Life Glimpses by Edmund Selous The Athenaeum 4057 143 29 July 1905 In this text and in later articles Selous wrote about the mounting of male Grebes by females and tried to explain this behavior in Darwinian terms See Brooks Ross 2021 Darwin s closet the queer sides of The descent of man 1871 Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society of London 191 2 323 346 doi 10 1093 zoolinnean zlaa175 Sources edit Simmons K E L 2004 Selous Edmund 1857 1934 ornithologist and author Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Lack D 1958 Some British pioneers in ornithological research 1859 1939 Ibis 101 1 pp 71 81 Nice M M 1935 Edmund Selous An Appreciation Bird Banding 6 pp 90 96 Simmons K E L 1984 Edmund Selous 1857 1934 fragments for a biography Ibis 126 4 pp 595 596 External links edit nbsp Works by or about Edmund Selous at Wikisource nbsp Media related to Edmund Selous at Wikimedia Commons Works by Edmund Selous at Project Gutenberg Works by Edmund Selous at LibriVox public domain audiobooks nbsp Edmund Selous Pittville s first bird watcher by John Simpson on the website of Pittville History Works Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Edmund Selous amp oldid 1214359587, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
