Thomas Hudson Nelson (12 February 1856, in

Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland () is a market town and civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, northern England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham. Much of the town's early history surro ...

, County Durham – 5 November 1916, in

Redcar Redcar is a seaside town on the Yorkshire Coast in the Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is located east of Middlesbrough. The Teesside built-up area's Redcar subdivision had a population of ...

, North Yorkshire) was a British

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

. He is best known for ''The Birds of Yorkshire'': ''being a historical account of the avi-fauna of the county'' (1907).

Life

Thomas Hudson Nelson was born on 12 February 1856 in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. He was educated privately under Marquis de Kervan. Due to health problems, Nelson was unable to continue his education. On doctor’s advice, he moved to Redcar, where his interest in birds grew. He traveled around the country with fellow collectors and ornithologist visiting classic bird sites. Nelson became an assistant editor of ''The Naturalist'', published many papers on the ornithology of Yorkshire and was an active member of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union. In 1898, he married Frances Shaw. In 1907, Nelson’s major work ''The Birds of Yorkshire'': ''being a historical account of the avi-fauna of the county'' was published. The book consisted of almost 900 pages and a number of photographic illustrations of birds and bird habitats in two volumes.

William Eagle Clarke Dr William Eagle Clarke FLS FRSE PBOU Imperial Service Order, I.S.O Doctor of Laws, LL.D. (16 March 1853 – 10 May 1938) was a British ornithologist. Life Clarke was born in Leeds where his father William Clarke was a solicitor and educated at ...

and Frederick Boyes assisted Nelson in the production of the book. Among Nelson’s other contributions to ornithology should be mentioned such works as ''Nesting of the Ruff in Yorkshire'' (1906), ''Pallas's Sand Grouse in Yorkshire in June'' (1908), ''Little Bunting in Durham'' (1903), and ''Little Bunting in Yorkshire''. Nelson had an extensive collection of birds and eggs that was bequested to the

Dorman Museum Dorman Museum is a local and social history museum on the town centre side of Albert Park, Linthorpe in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. It is one of two museums operated by the local borough council, along with the Captain Cook birt ...

in Middlesbrough in 1914. The collection includes over 100 mounted bird specimens and guillemot eggs with unusual colors and marking. Thomas Hudson Nelson died on 5 November 1916 in

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Thomas Hudson British ornithologists 1856 births 1916 deaths 19th-century British zoologists People from Bishop Auckland