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"engaging book . . . excellently written"
Product Description
This work is a history of Australian birding in the 20th century. The emu of the title comes from the 100-year journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologist's Union, but the text is much more than the history of a society. It encompasses ornithological research in museums, universities, government agencies, CSIRO and community groups, exploring the tensions between amateur and professional in a discipline where exceptional amateur contributions have shaped science. The work details international scientific expeditions and relates stories of adventurous Australians in far flung places - such as Robert Hall and Ernie Trebilcock's 1903 expedition to Siberia, the breeding place for many migratory waders known in Australia in the non-breeding season.
