Edmund Selous

Born in London on August 14, 1857, Edmund Selous was a British ornithologist and nature writer. He studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and later entered the Middle Temple, but he became best known not for law but for his close, sustained study of birds and animal behavior.

Selous was an early champion of non-destructive bird study at a time when many naturalists still relied on shooting specimens and collecting eggs. His field notes and books, including Bird Watching, helped popularize the idea that animals could be understood through patient observation of their habits in the wild.

He died on March 25, 1934. Today he is remembered as a thoughtful naturalist whose writing helped bridge Victorian natural history and the more modern study of animal behavior.