Bird-Life: A Guide to the Study of Our Common Birds (1905)

By Frank Chapman

Illustrated By Ernest Seton-Thompson

Published 1905
D. Appleton and Company, Publisher/New York

A beautifully illustrated early 20th-century bird guide by pioneering ornithologist Frank M. Chapman, Bird-Life introduces readers to the science and beauty of North American birds. This popular edition features 75 full-page color plates drawn by renowned wildlife artist Ernest Seton-Thompson, along with numerous in-text line drawings.

Chapman, then Associate Curator of Ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History, presents bird biology in an accessible yet richly informative style. Topics include migration, song, color variation, nesting behavior, and methods for identifying species in the field. The book includes a helpful field key to common land birds and detailed classifications of water birds and land birds.

Green cloth binding with illustrated detail to front board. A clean, firm copy with light wear to spine ends/corners. Interior pages are clean and bright with mild age toning. All 75 full-page chromolithographs are present and vibrant.

 Chapters include:
    •    The Bird, Its Place in Nature and Relation to Man
    •    The Living Bird: Form and Function
    •    Colors of Birds and Their Meanings
    •    Migration Patterns and Origins
    •    Birdsong and Communication
    •    Nesting Habits and Raising Young
    •    How to Identify Birds in the Field
    •    Special Sections on Water Birds and Land Birds

Condition: Very Good

Size: 5 1/2” X 8 1/4”