BELL, Thomas A History of British Quadrupeds, including the Cetacea. John van Voorst. 1874.
8vo.. Recently rebound in half green morocco, marbled boards, all edges green; pp. xviii + 474 + [2, index], illustrated throughout with woodcuts; previous owner's inscription to ffep and blind stamp to corner of title page, spine sunned, otherwise very good, internally very clean indeed.
Second edition. Thomas Bell (1792 - 1880) was at the heart of the British zoological establishment. He was the elder cousin of P.H. Gosse and encouraged him in his interests. He also contributed to the theory of evolution by confirming that the Galapagos tortoises were natives of the islands and was instrumental in the publication of Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle. However, when he chaired the meeting of the Linnean Society in 1858 at which Darwin and Wallace presented their famous joint paper, he was less than impressed. His presidential report for May 1859 commented that "The year which has passed has not, indeed, been marked by any of those striking discoveries which at once revolutionize, so to speak, the department of science on which they bear". This is a comprehensive guide to British mammalia.
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