David Seth-Smith FZS, MBOU (9 March 1875 – 30 October 1963) was a British

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

, wildlife artist,

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

broadcaster and author. His career included spells as Curator of Mammals and Birds for the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

and editor of the

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club The ''Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club'' is an ornithological journal published by the British Ornithologists' Club (BOC). It is cited as ''Bull. B. O. C.'' Many descriptions of birds new to science have been published in the bull ...

and the Avicultural Magazine. In 1905 he was appointed a member of council for the Zoological Society and was awarded the society's Silver Medal in 1908. He later presented nature programmes on the BBC's Children's Hour under the name "The Zoo Man", and also "Friends from the Zoo" on BBC Television, giving his first broadcast in 1932. He illustrated and photographed many animals and birds in captivity and is credited for taking the only known photographs of the now extinct

pink-headed duck The pink-headed duck (''Rhodonessa caryophyllacea'') is a large diving duck that was once found in parts of the Gangetic plains of India, parts of Maharashtra, Bangladesh and in the riverine swamps of Myanmar but feared extinct since the 1950s. ...

. By 1945, he was a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the Zoological Society; Member of the British Ornithologists' Union; Hon. Fellow,

New York Zoological Society New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

; Corresponding Fellow, American Ornithologists' Union; and Corresponding Member, Societe National d'Acclimatation de France. He was the first-born son of William Seth Smith (1824–1887), by his second marriage to Catherine Sarah (nee Edwards). He married firstly Mary, daughter of James Benjamin Scott and his wife Sarah, on 11 June 1900, and they had four children. Following her death, he married secondly Heather (nee Heydemann), on 11 January 1946. His grandfather was the developer

Seth Smith Garry Seth Smith (born September 30, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles. He ...

, who built large proportions of Mayfair and Belgravia in the West End, and his half-brother, William Howard Seth-Smith III was also a noted

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

List of works

*'' Parakeets: A Handbook to the Imported Species'' (R.H. Porter, 1903) - revised second edition (Quaritch, 1926) - further revised by Matthew M. Vriends for later editions as: ''Small Parrots (Parrakeets)'' (1979-) *''Adventures with The Zoo Man'' (Pitman, 1935) *''Zoo Friends - A Pictorial Tour of the Zoo, reproduced from over 300 photographs'' (Associated Newspapers, 1935?) *''Animals and their Young'' (Routledge, 1936) - introduction, with photos by Gabriel Denes *''The Zoo Man Speaking'' (Thomas Nelson, 1937) *''Stories by The Zoo Man'' (E.J. Arnold, 1939) - no. 26 in the "Broadcast Echoes" series *''Birds of Our Country and of the Dominions, Colonies and Dependencies; their Life, Eggs, Nests and Identification'' (Hutchinson, 1939-) - 2 vols., editor *''More Adventures with The Zoo Man'' (Pitman, 1942) *''The Zoo Man Talks About the Wild Animals of Our Country'' (Littlebury, 1945) *''The Zoo Man Talks About the Wild Birds of Our Country'' (Littlebury, 1946) *''Jolly Families, by the Zoo Man of the BBC'' (Studly Press, 1946) - no. 12 in the "Tally-Ho" series, illustrated by

Walter Trier Walter Trier (25 June 1890, Prague – 8 July 1951 Craigleith, near Collingwood, Ontario, Canada) was a Czech-German illustrator, best known for his work for the children's books of Erich Kästner and the covers of the magazine '' Lilliput' ...

*''Natural History Birds and Mammals'' (Herbert Jenkins, 1949) - from the "Reason Why" series *''Zoo Birds'' (Penguin, 1951?) - no. 68 in the "Puffin Picture" series of books

References

External links

Portraits in the NPG

Seth-Smith Family Tree
- for information on the ancestry of David Seth-Smith 1875 births 1963 deaths British zoologists English nature writers British children's writers British radio personalities British bird artists 20th-century British painters British male painters Children's Hour presenters 20th-century British male artists {{UK-zoologist-stub