- Hugh Whistler
Hugh Whistler (
1889 -7 July 1943 ), F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. was an Englishornithologist .Whistler was born in
Mablethorpe and educated atAldenham School . He served with theIndia n police in the Punjab province from 1909 to 1926. Whistler studied and collected birds and on retiring to England he continued his researches into Indian ornithology. He also make collecting trips toSpain andAlbania , often in the company ofClaud Buchanan Ticehurst . Whistler's publications include the "Popular Handbook of Indian Birds" (1928). Two more editions of this publication were produced and the last was produced after his death. In this work he foresaw the value of popularizing observation based ornithology:Whistler lived at
Battle, East Sussex during his retirement, where he was aJustice of the Peace . He joined the British Ornithologists' Union in 1913 and in 1940 served as its as Vice-President. He visited Kashmir with Admiral Lynes and wanted to produce an account of the birds of Punjab and Kashmir, however this was not completed. The Whistler Prize ofSussex University , awarded to the best essay onnatural history orarchaeology , is named after him. His collection of 17,000 bird skins is now at theNatural History Museum .References
* Obituary. Ibis 1943:524-532
* Palmer, T. S. 1947. Obituary. Auk 64:161External links
* [http://www.archive.org/details/popularhandbooko033226mbp Scanned version of the Popular Handbook]
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