When there were birds : the forgotten history of our connections / Roy and Lesley Adkins.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Adkins, Roy (Roy A.), author.

Adkins, Lesley, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Birds--Great Britain.

Birds.

Human-animal relationships.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

488 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

London : Little, Brown, 2021.

Summary:

Birds are a joy and solace in troubled times, as well as a reminder of past experiences and a symbol of hope for the future. For centuries, they were also seen as a source of food, feathers and even fuel, and being so numerous, many were persecuted as pests. When There Were Birds is a social history of Britain that charts the complex connections between people and birds, set against a background of changes in the landscape and evolving tastes, beliefs and behaviour. Birds were once key elements of the nation's history, traditions and sports, and this gave rise to a rich legacy of literature, language and myths. No other group of animals has had such a complex and lengthy relationship with humankind. Birds have been kept in cages as pets, taught to speak and displayed as trophies. More practically, they have been used to tell the time, predict the weather, foretell marriages, provide unlikely cures for ailments, convey messages and warn of poisonous gases. Although very familiar, birds have often seemed strange, sinister and alarming. With their ability to fly, they bridged the gap between the earth and the heavens, and superstitions were rife because they were presumed to be linked to the supernatural.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Abundance

2. Vermin

3. Hunting

4. Shooting

5. Stuffed

6. Caged

7. Migration

8. Weather

9. Nests and Eggs

10. Food

11. Sickness and Death

12. Myths and Magic

13. A National Sport

14. By-products

15. At Work.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781408713570

1408713578

OCLC:

1305300027