yarrell] 
BRITISH ORNITHOLOGY 
667 
Sharpe A Monograph of the Hirundinidce or Family of 
Swallows , with coloured plates, 4to, 1889. His British Birds , 
the figures in which were drawn by the author, and coloured 
by the Misses Sharpe, is probably the best “ working ” book 
of illustrations : the artists having avoided the too common 
fault of over-colouring the birds figured. Wyatt contributed 
several important papers to the Ibis on foreign birds. For 
further particulars vide Ibis , 1901, pp. 347-8. 
1894-99. British Birds, being illustrations of all the Species of Passerine 
Birds, both Resident and Migratory, also Picarian Birds, Birds of 
Prey and Pigeons, with some notes in reference to their Plumage. 
2 vols. London : 1894—99. 
Collation — 2 vols. 4to. (Pub. £7 net.) Yol. I. (1894), pp. 25 
and 25 col. pi. Yol. II. (1899), pp. 42 and 42 col. pi. Together 
67 col. pi., figuring 103 species. 
Yarrell (William), 1784-1856 
William Yarrell was born on June 3, 1784, in Great Ryder 
Street, in the parish of St. James’s, London. His father, who 
at one time spelt his name Yerrall, carried on the trade of a 
newspaper agent in Duke Street, and to this business Yarrell 
succeeded in due course. He was educated at Ealing, and 
in 1802 in his eighteenth year entered the banking-house of 
Herries, Farquhar & Co., as a clerk, but soon left to assist his 
father in business. Yarrell seems to have turned his attention 
to ornithology while engaged on the fishing and shooting 
expeditions with which he varied the monotony of business. 
As he neared middle age his love for natural history increased, 
and he abandoned field sports and henceforth devoted himself 
to the systematic study of zoology. In 1823 he commenced 
to note the appearance of rare and interesting birds, and is 
said to have aided Bewick by sending him rare birds. He 
became a fellow of the Linnean Society in 1825, and was one 
of the original members of the Zoological Society. In 1836 
he completed a History of British Fishes , and in July 1837 
published the first part of his well-known History of British 
Birds. This was completed in May 1843, and the first supple- 
