Now here's an amazing thing .... you might remember that I wrote about the author of The Observer's Book of Birds some while ago, but I wasn't able to find out anything at all about the author, S. Vere Benson, who was also the Hon. Sec. of The Bird Lovers' League ..... I couldn't find any trace of that either. I wasn't even sure of his/her gender. But everyone knows his/her nickname ... "Severe Benson." Especially me ... because I invented it. BUT ..this very morning I found this little book, hardly bigger than a playing card, in a charity shop for the extortionate price of £1 !! ... and here's the flyleaf .... and there is her real name ... well, I suppose it is. ...and right at the end of the preface ... we find out something else ... woo ! Oh yes ... it appears that she lived in Kendal. So I'm going to see if I can find out more ..... The book itself, published in 1943, is ,er, OK, but it is a bit impaired by the monochrome pencil drawings ... which are reasonable, but colour would have made them far more useful for beginners. One thing about it is very much of its time .. the tendency to give the birds human attributes, and to be lacking any moral sense ... er, what ? The cuckoo, for example, gets this ... " Though a very popular bird, it causes the destruction of many useful, innocent smaller birds." And for the Jay ... we get .. " It is a coward, taking cover in trees, with raucous cries, and it is very mischievous and robs the nests of other birds, devouring eggs or young." As for the Great Black-backed Gull .... " It is a slayer of sea-birds and also devours eggs and young, is fond of carrion, offal and fish. Known as " the corpse-eater." ( Is it really ? ) There is a rather odd section at the end about bird footprints. Hey-ho ! Well.... I honestly cannot think of any suitable music to go with that ... .. so ..... we will have this instead ....
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AuthorThat's the author up there ... I was young and sprightly then. Archives
October 2022
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