The Birds Of Long Island (1844) (Paperback)

Relatively little first-hand is known of J[acob] P[ost] Giraud, Jr.'s life, other than that he lived in New York, traveled in adjoining states, had a keen interest in ornithology, was familiar with the works of earlier authorities, and sport-hunted on Long Island. He does not appear in major biographical or bibliographical references. To appreciate Giraud's work, one needs to place it into a time-frame. The Introduction to his opus is dated June 1843. Only a few significant books on American ornithology had been published by then. They included: Alexander Wilson's, 9-volume American Ornithology (1808-14)John James Audubon's 4-volume The Birds of America (1827-38) and his 5-volume Ornithological Biography (1813-39). Thomas Nuttall's A Manual of the Ornithology of the United States and of Canada, The Water Birds (1834), and The Land Birds (1840). Giraud's contribution followed these major, well-known contributions by only a few years, in Wilson's case, about three decades. Further, Giraud's Birds of Long Island must be among the very first comprehensive regional avian works. Oddly, it is relatively little known.--Henry M. Reeves.