Howard Saunders

Howard Saunders (16 September 1835 - 20 October 1907) was a British businessman, who later in life molded himself into a noted ornithologist.

Biography

Saunders was born in London on 16 September 1835. He received his early education at Leatherhead and Rottingdean.

Saunders entered business as a merchant banker. This allowed him to travel widely. From 1855 to 1862 he traveled in Brazil and Chile.

Career in Ornithology

After 1862 Saunders devoted himself to the study of the avifauna of Spain. He published several articles on the subject in The Ibis, having visited the Pyrenees in 1883 and 1884. He also published articles on the birds of Switzerland in 1891, and an account of The Distribution of Birds in France in 1893.

Saunders was an expert on gulls and terns. He served as secretary of the British Ornithologists' Union from 1901 to 1907, and first Secretary and Treasurer of the British Ornithologists' Club. He was also an active member of the Zoological, Linnean and Royal Geographical Societies.

Legacy

Two species of birds have been named in his honor:

• Saunders's Gull
• Saunders's Tern

Bibliography

• Third and Fourth (1885) editions of Yarrell's The History of British Birds
• Sternae (1889)
• Manual of British Birds (1889)
• Third edition, Gurney & Jackson (1927) with revisions by William Eagle Clarke
• Catalogue of the Gaviae and Tubinares in the Collection of the British Museum (1896, with Osbert Salvin).

References

• Mullens and Swann - A Bibliography of British Ornithology
• Ibis Jubilee Supplement