Birds of Western Australia
Encyclopedia
The Birds of Western Australia is a book first published in 1948 by Patersons Press Ltd in Perth, Western Australia
. Its full title originally was A Handbook of the Birds of Western Australia (with the exception of the Kimberley Division), though with the publication of the 5th edition only the shorter form was used. It was authored by Dominic Serventy and Hubert Whittell
. It was issued in octavo
format (228 x 148 mm) and contains 372 pages bound in blue buckram with a dustjacket illustrated with a painting of Australian Pelican
s by Harley Webster. It contains a coloured frontispiece of paintings of the heads of Meliphaga
honeyeater
s, with numerous black-and-white
drawings and maps scattered through the text.
The book covered birds recorded within the Australia
n state of Western Australia
except, as the full title of the first edition indicates, the tropical Kimberley region of its north. It was the first Australian regional ornithological handbook
. In the Introduction the authors state:
With regard to the layout of the book, they say:
The success of the book was such that, for many years, it was the principal source of information on the birds of the state. Further editions appeared in 1951, 1962, 1967 and 1976, the fifth and final one being published by the University of Western Australia Press, with the length having increased by then to some 490 pages. It was described later in the preface to the state’s next ornithological handbook as:
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. Its full title originally was A Handbook of the Birds of Western Australia (with the exception of the Kimberley Division), though with the publication of the 5th edition only the shorter form was used. It was authored by Dominic Serventy and Hubert Whittell
Hubert Whittell
Hubert Massey Whittell OBE was a British army officer, and later an Australian farmer and ornithologist who compiled a history and bibliography of ornithology in Australia from its origins until the mid 20th century....
. It was issued in octavo
Octavo
Octavo to is a technical term describing the format of a book.Octavo may also refer to:* Octavo is a grimoire in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett...
format (228 x 148 mm) and contains 372 pages bound in blue buckram with a dustjacket illustrated with a painting of Australian Pelican
Australian Pelican
The Australian Pelican is a large water bird, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant to New Zealand.-Taxonomy:...
s by Harley Webster. It contains a coloured frontispiece of paintings of the heads of Meliphaga
Meliphaga
Meliphaga is a genus of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It contains the following species:* White-lined Honeyeater * Kimberley Honeyeater * Scrub Honeyeater...
honeyeater
Honeyeater
The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family of small to medium sized birds most common in Australia and New Guinea, but also found in New Zealand, the Pacific islands as far east as Samoa and Tonga, and the islands to the north and west of New Guinea known as Wallacea...
s, with numerous black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
drawings and maps scattered through the text.
The book covered birds recorded within the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n state of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
except, as the full title of the first edition indicates, the tropical Kimberley region of its north. It was the first Australian regional ornithological handbook
Handbook
A handbook is a type of reference work, or other collection of instructions, that is intended to provide ready reference .A handbook is sometimes referred to as a vade mecum or pocket reference that is intended to be carried at all times.Handbooks may deal with any topic, and are generally...
. In the Introduction the authors state:
”The need for some such Handbook as this one was impressed on the authors by their own early experiences in Western Australian ornithology. Perhaps, however, they flatter themselves unduly for presenting to the bird-loving public a book which they like to feel is one of the type they wished had been available to them when beginning the study of local birds.”
With regard to the layout of the book, they say:
”The first two sections deal with the history of Western Australian ornithology and a discussion of the bird geography of the State. Though complete in themselves both are supplementary to the third section, the detailed treatment of the species of birds occurring in our area.”
The success of the book was such that, for many years, it was the principal source of information on the birds of the state. Further editions appeared in 1951, 1962, 1967 and 1976, the fifth and final one being published by the University of Western Australia Press, with the length having increased by then to some 490 pages. It was described later in the preface to the state’s next ornithological handbook as:
”…a landmark in Australian ornithology. Its high standard and concise presentation provided a stimulus for a great deal of ornithological research in this State.”