Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos

A sister series to the New Naturalists, the New Naturalist Monographs was published between 1948 and 1971. Sharing the same high standards as the main series, they were envisioned as relatively short books of about 50,000 words in a smaller format. Artists Clifford and Rosemary Ellis were asked to design jackets, resulting in the same stunning, distinctive cover illustrations that had helped inspire an entire new generation of nature enthusiasts. Complete your collection of these monographs with Harper Collins's facsimile versions, which are printed on demand. Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos was first published in 1952

"Birds" a distinguished naturalist, A. E. Shipley, once wrote, "are not only birds but aviating zoological gardens". Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos is, in fact, an exploration of these zoological gardens.

The three groups which give the book its title provide excellent examples of the wide variety of animals which live in intimate association with the bird and prosper at its expense. The structure and life histories of these parasites, which range from the microscopical virus to the much-loved cuckoo, combine to form an unusually entertaining scientific work. The authors are zoologists who have specialised for many years in the study and collection of bird parasites. Miss Rothschild, who is a great authority on bird fleas and bird flukes, comes from the famous family of merchant bankers which has provided so many talented amateurs in various fields, including science and natural history. Miss Clay is a member of the staff of the British Museum (Natural History), and is the world’s greatest authority on bird lice. She has travelled widely in Europe, Africa, Asia, America and the Arctic in search of material. Together they have produced a book of extraordinary interest, the first to be written on that strangely complicated and virtually unknown community – the parasites of birds. Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos, which is a model synthesis, provides a handbook for the ornithologist and zoologist, and will reveal new fields of absorbing interest for the amateur naturalist.