Frank Finn

Born in Maidstone in 1868 and educated at Maidstone Grammar School and Brasenose College, Oxford, Frank Finn became known as an English ornithologist as well as a writer who could make natural history approachable for non-specialists.

He traveled on a collecting expedition to East Africa in 1892 and later worked at the Indian Museum in Calcutta, serving as First Assistant Superintendent and then Deputy Superintendent. That experience fed into some of his best-known books, including Birds of Calcutta, where practical observation and enthusiasm for birdlife come through clearly.

After returning to England, he continued writing and editing on zoological subjects. He died on October 1, 1932, but his work remains a window into an era when natural history was written for both serious students and curious everyday readers.