Reproduction of the original: Birds in Town & Village by William Henry Hudson

Once you enter the world of the city's birds, life in the great metropolis will never look the same.

In Speciation in Birds, Trevor Price, a University of Chicago professor and leading expert in the field, has written the most authoritative and modern synthesis on the subject to date. In clear and engaging prose and through beautiful illustrations, Price shows us why the field is as exciting and vibrant as ever. He evaluates the roles of natural selection and sexual selection. He asks how speciation contributes to some of the great patterns in species diversity such as the large number of species in the tropics, and the many endemic species on isolated islands. Throughout the book, Price emphasizes the integration of behavior, ecology, and genetics.

This fascinating book includes W. H. Hudson's original 1893 account of the birds found in a village in southeast England and compares the species and populations that occurred then with those that are present today. The striking differences are explored in relation to changes in the countryside during the intervening century and through anecdotes gathered from local residents. Incorporating the original text of W. H. Hudson (cofounder of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) from ca. 1893 Species accounts of birds in typical rural villages at that time Behavior of countryside birds and our relationship with them A reminder of a slower pace of life A reflection on the many changes in village life and its effects on birdlife down the years to the present time Containing anecdotal considerations of birds and our current generation's knowledge of them Illustrated in sepia and full-color images