668 
A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF 
[yarrell 
ment was printed in 1845. The History of British Birds , 
which originally appeared in three volumes, proved a great 
success. The beautiful woodcuts were executed by the 
Thompsons. Yarrell, besides being an accomplished orni- 
thologist, knew exactly what the general public wanted in 
the form of a popular text-book, and, moreover, possessed 
the skill of presenting his knowledge in a concise and agreeable 
manner. In fact, the value of his works and the admiration 
which they still evoke may be said to be due to the accuracy 
of the information they contain, together with the simplicity 
of their style and the charm and fidelity of the illustrations. 
The publication of his British Birds indeed marks an im- 
portant era in the literature of British ornithology. A 
second edition of the work appeared in 1845, and a third, 
incorporating the second supplement, in 1856. In 1871 a 
fourth edition was commenced ; this was finished in 1885, 
and consisted of four volumes, the original text being almost 
entirely rewritten, Professor Newton undertaking that of the 
first two volumes, and Howard Saunders that of the remainder. 
The latter of these two — both, alas, since deceased — 
further condensed the whole into a single volume, illustrated 
with the same figures as the larger work, and entitled An 
Illustrated Manual of British Birds (1st edition, 1889 ; 2nd, 
1899). 
Yarrell was a man of unbounded energy, and in addition 
to his business labours was the author of many and various 
writings on natural history. He was also a zealous supporter 
of several learned societies. After a long and busy life he 
was seized with a sudden illness while on a visit to Yarmouth, 
where he died on September 1 , 1856. He was buried at Bay- 
ford in Hertfordshire, in a spot which had been selected by 
himself. For a Memoir of Yarrell, with a portrait and list 
of his writings, vide a History of British Fishes , by William 
Yarrell, third edition (London), 1859. 
Mr. Harting, who in 1904 paid a visit to the grave of 
Yarrell in company with Yarrell’ s publisher, the late John 
Van Voorst, has given an interesting account of the visit in 
