Verner, Willoughby. My Life Among The Wild Birds of Spain. 1st. Ed. Pub. John Bale, Sons & Danielsson. 1909
pp.xvi, 468 with many b/w. photos. and illus. in text and fold-out view of Bearded Vulture's nesting station on linen as published at rear. Large 8vo. Hardback. Very minor, very occasional spotting, o/w. contents fine. With the bookplate of Herbert Massey to front pastedown. With one note in pencil reference the number of eggs laid by Raven in Britain. Original decorated green cloth boards, spine more recently relaid, and very pleasingly, the original end-papers retained in tact, all in nr. fine condition. A scarce work with super provenance.
Herbert Massey (1852-1939) ‘created one of the finest private collections of birds’ eggs ever to be formed in Britain.....The quality of his collection was paramount and contained some of the rarest specimens ever assembled in one collection.....His eggs of the Limicolae were so outstanding that Frank Poynting chose to base his illustrations in his classic ‘Eggs of British Birds - Limicolae’ (1895/96) from specimens in Massey’s collection.....Herbert Massey was a remarkable oologist. Kind hearted and generous, he was not subject to outbreaks of irritability or petulance to which some of his fellow oologists were sometimes prone at meetings.’ (Cole and Trobe).
£950.00 [Ref: 60808]