16 Dr. E. Hopkinson—Eighteenth Century Cage-bird Books


EIGHTEENTH CENTURY CAGE-BIRD BOOKS


By Dr. E. Hopkinson


The Fathers of Aviculture, or, rather, of avicultural writing, and

the inspirers of most of the later writers, are Albin in England and

Bechstein in Germany, both of the eighteenth century. In the

nineteenth century the output of such works was, of course, large, but

it is probably not generally realized that the previous century produced

quite a large number. The following is an attempt to provide a more or

less annotated list of these.


A good many of the books mentioned I know and I have used

the German bibliographies of Engelmann, Carus, and Taschenburg,

but for the particulars given I am mainly indebted to booksellers’

catalogues (especially the very fully annotated one issued by

Messrs. Sotheran in 1924), and for British Birds, to the Bibliography

op British Ornithology by W. H. Mullens and H. Kirke Swann

(Macmillan and Co., 1917).


Although I know there must be many sins of omission, I hope there

are few of commission, and that the whole may interest, and perhaps

be a step towards a real Bibliography of the subject, which the present

writer, with a collaborator, attempted thirty years ago (in Bird Notes),

but which I realize now was full of every kind of error and only useful

as a warning of how not to do it.


Albin (Eleazar). A Natural History of English Song-Birds

and such of the Foreign as are usually brought over and esteemed for

their Singing. 8vo. Col. pis. (the first ed.). London. 1737.


Three more issues or editions, 1738, 1741, 1759, and a New

Edition with many improvements under the article of Canary Birds.

T. Lowndes and S. Bladon. 1779.


Also many piracies and/or reprints, Sotheran .


Anon. The Bird-Fancier’s Delight ; or Choice Observations and

Directions concerning the Taking, Feeding, Breeding, and Teaching

of all sorts of Singing Birds. 12mo (pp. 83). Printed for Thos. Ward.

1714.


-- The Bird-Fancier’s Recreation ; being Curious Remarks


on the Nature of Song-Birds with choice Instructions concerning the



