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RaySocietyBooks
@raysocietybooks.bsky.social
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The Ray Society a 180 yr old non-profit charity named after eminent naturalist John Ray (1628-1705) publishes natural history works often unavailable elsewhere.
raysociety.org.uk
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raysocietybooks.bsky.social
RaySocietyBooks @raysocietybooks.bsky.social · Mar 30
The Ray Society is now on Bluesky! Most recent publication ‘Biology, evolution and genetic review of the chemosymbiotic Bivalve Family Lucinidae’ by John Taylor and Emily Glover RRP £98 from the Ray Society and NHBS websites.
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lukaslarge.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you've shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews.
#Books #Nature #Naturewriting #naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky #MycoBookClub
GEASTRACEAE (BASIDIOMYCOTINA) MORPHOLOGY, ECOLOGY, AND SYSTEMATICS WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON THE NORTH EUROPEAN SPECIES BY STELLAN SUNHEDE SYNOPSIS FUNGORUM 1 FUNGIFLORA - OSLO - NORWAY
November 8, 2025 at 11:06 AM
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princetonupress.bsky.social
The fifth edition of Dragonflies of Britain and Ireland by Dave Smallshire and Andy Swash is now available worldwide!

Explore a free preview of this stunning book: press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...

#Nature #PUPNature #Dragonflies #ReadUP
Dragonflies of Britain and Ireland. Fifth Edition: Fully revised and updated by Dave Smallshire and Andy Swash
November 8, 2025 at 1:05 PM
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ianbeavis.bsky.social
More of Frederick Russell's beautiful illustrations from his Medusae of the British Isles (1953)
November 8, 2025 at 7:40 PM
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biodiversitypix.bsky.social
💦 Testacea Britannica, or, Natural history of British shells, marine, land, and fresh-water, including the most minute: London: And sold by J. White, 1803.

[Source]
Historical illustration from "Testacea Britannica" (1803) showing eleven finely detailed British shell drawings arranged in a grid on a pale background. Each shell is numbered and depicted from multiple angles to highlight their distinct spiral and conical shapes, textures, and openings. The shells include varieties from marine, freshwater, and land habitats, emphasizing the natural diversity of water-related mollusks found in Britain. The delicate linework and shading capture the shells’ intricate patterns and contours, providing a scientific and artistic study of these minute natural forms associated with aquatic environments.
November 9, 2025 at 3:23 AM
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wildlife.nathan.fun
A history of British birds. London, Groombridge and Sons, [1862?-1867?] (source: https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13551830) #nature #illustration #art
A history of British birds. London, Groombridge and Sons, [1862?-1867?] https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13551830�
November 9, 2025 at 9:04 AM
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ianbeavis.bsky.social
These pictures remind me of the delicately coloured illustrations in Frederick Russell's Medusae of the British Isles (1953)
November 8, 2025 at 7:37 PM
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thepoisongarden.bsky.social
Botanical illustrations of deadly wolfsbane species by Irish sisters Katherine and Frederica Plunket. They are part of a larger series of wildflower illustrations presented to the Royal College of Science in 1903.
November 9, 2025 at 2:32 AM
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romanceofbooks.bsky.social
Crab from Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst’s ‘Versuch Einer Naturgeschichte Der Krabben Und Krebse Nebst Eiener Systematischen Beschreibung Ihrer Verschiedenen ARten.’ Zürich: Berlin: J.C. Fuessley; G.A. Lange, 1782.

University of Chicago Special Collections

#Crustaceans #sciart #naturalhistory
November 9, 2025 at 12:02 AM
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wildlife.nathan.fun
Illustrations of Indian zoology London, Treuttel, Wurtz, Treuttel, Jun. and Richter, 1830-34 [i.e. 1835] (source: https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/45959851) #nature #illustration #art
Illustrations of Indian zoology London, Treuttel, Wurtz, Treuttel, Jun. and Richter, 1830-34 [i.e. 1835] https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/45959851�
November 9, 2025 at 3:24 AM
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lukaslarge.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you've shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews.
#Books #Nature #Naturewriting #naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky #MycoBookClub
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE FUNGAL KIND, IN PURSUIT OF REMARKABLE MUSHROOMS By RICHARD FORTEY, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A CURIOUS BOY
November 9, 2025 at 7:37 AM
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biodiversitypix.bsky.social
🦪 A history of British Mollusca and their shells
London: John Van Voorst, 1853.

[Source]
Historical illustration from 1853 showing ten detailed black-and-white drawings of British mollusk shells. Shells numbered 1 to 5 depict Litorina tenebrosa, characterized by a conical spiral shape with textured ridges. Shells numbered 6 to 10 represent Litorina patula, featuring a broader, less pointed spiral with similar ridged patterns. The arrangement is on a plain background, labeled "PLATE LXXXV" at the top, with species names and publication details at the bottom. The artwork focuses on the intricate shell morphology and texture, useful for scientific study of British mollusca species.
November 7, 2025 at 5:23 AM
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kentgrasshoppers.bsky.social
Darn you, Bluesky - look what you've got me into! Delivery this morning from @fieldstudiesc.bsky.social. @vc40orthops.bsky.social @vc40ladybirds.bsky.social
Two Field Studies Council publications: Illustrated Key to the British False Scorpions, and Micro Ladybirdd of Britain and Ireland.
November 6, 2025 at 10:59 AM
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biodiversitypix.bsky.social
🥚 A history of British birds
London, Pub. for the author by R.H. Porter [etc.]1883-85.

[Source]
Illustration from "A History of British Birds" (1883-85) showing seven detailed, colored bird eggs arranged in three rows on a beige background. The top row has two large eggs: a brown, dark-spotted Macqueen's Bustard egg on the left and a smaller, speckled Caper Cailzie egg on the right. The middle row features three solid-colored eggs: a warm brown Partridge egg, an olive-green Pheasant egg, and a pale beige Virginian Colin egg. The bottom row displays two heavily speckled Thick-Knee eggs with black and brown markings. Each egg is labeled beneath with the bird species name. The lithograph style highlights texture and color variation for identification.
November 6, 2025 at 9:23 PM
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lukaslarge.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you've shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews.
#Books #Nature #Naturewriting #naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky #MycoBookClub
MUSHROOMS AND TOADSTOOLS OF BRITAIN & EUROPE Volume 1 By Geoffrey Kibby Over 650 species illustrated in colour. Third edition
November 7, 2025 at 6:18 AM
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ianbeavis.bsky.social
A portrait of Aulonia albimana, the spider featured in that last repost, from Michael Roberts' Spiders of Great Britain & Ireland (1985)
November 6, 2025 at 10:45 PM
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lukaslarge.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you've shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews.
#Books #Nature #Naturewriting #naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
#MycoBookClub
The Resupinates of Hampshire By Paul Hugill and Alan Lucas
November 2, 2025 at 7:05 AM
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rlewington2.bsky.social
It's my pocket guide to butterflies.
November 2, 2025 at 5:00 PM
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linneansociety.bsky.social
Shell-o...is it a Linnean Lens you're looking for?

Tomorrow, Jon Ablett will share some species from our collection – from sex changing seashells, to killer cone shells. We'll hear how molluscs have been used for dyes, clothing, and even musical instruments.

Join online, 2pm, 4 Nov
Linnean Lens | Treasures of the Linnean Shells collection
A shell show-and-tell, with Jon Ablett, Senior Curator of Mollusca at the Natural History Museum, sharing the Linnean shell collection.
buff.ly
November 3, 2025 at 8:30 AM
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nmbluk.bsky.social
Not only is it #WorldJellyfishDay but #OTD in 1897 Sir Frederick Stratten Russell was born. Russell, a former Director of @thembauk.bsky.social spent much of his career studying medusae, so we've included some of his original illustrations that are stored in the archive 📷 PRU64
November 3, 2025 at 10:00 AM
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exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social
Good morning to everyone, but especially to all the jellyfish, for today is their special day!

This coloured plate by Philip Henry Gosse is from the book 'A Naturalist's Rambles on the Devonshire Coast' (1853).

📷 Reserve 574.94235 GOS

#WorldJellyfishDay #JellyfishDay #RareBooks #Devon
Book, lying on a cushion and held open with snake weights, showing a full-page colour plate of a jellyfish.
November 3, 2025 at 11:05 AM
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nmbluk.bsky.social
Today is also #WorldBaskingShark day! To celebrate these graceful oceanic grazers we have this illustration from volume 1 of 'A History of the Fishes of the British Isles' by Jonathan Couch, 1862 📖 BL.65/C
an illustration of a male basking shark with rocksa and sailing boats in the background
November 3, 2025 at 12:30 PM
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friel.bsky.social
Fellow fish nerds, I'm sharing a link to a free PDF of "The Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia". This new book provides a summary of the taxonomy, distribution, and biology of all freshwater fishes between the Bosphorus, Azerbaijan, Yemen, and Iran. 🐟

www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...
Cover and sample pages of a new book entitled "Handbook of Freshwater Fishes of West Asia" by Jörg Freyhof , Baran Yoğurtçuoğlu , Arash Jouladeh-Roudbar and Cüneyt Kaya.
October 31, 2025 at 5:53 PM
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nmbluk.bsky.social
Thanks to @exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social we have just found out it is also #WorldLemurDay!

Not sure we can make it 'mariney' but that's ok because we like all creatures, not just the ocean dwelling ones☺️
exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social University of Exeter Special Collections @exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social · 12d
Good morning to everyone, but especially to all the lemurs, for today is their special day!

To celebrate World Lemur Day, here is an engraving of a lemur - a diademed sifaka - from 'The Illustrated Natural History' (1863) by J. G. Wood.

📷 Reserve 590.2/WOO

#WorldLemurDay #LemurDay #RareBooks
Cropped image from a book, showing an engraving of a lemur climbing a branch, with a wooded landscape in the background. It has turned its head to look behind itself and, from a human perspective, it appears to have a worried expression on its face. The caption underneath reads: 'Propithece, or Diadem Lemur. - Propithecus Diadema'.
October 31, 2025 at 11:09 AM
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biodiversitypix.bsky.social
🕸️ British Oribatidæ /.
London: The Ray Society, 1884-1888..

[Source]
Historical scientific illustration titled "British Oribatidæ" showing detailed drawings of two species of oribatid mites, Scuto vertex corrugatus and bilineatus. The image features dorsal views of the mites with textured, patterned exoskeletons; one is rendered in dark gray shading and the other in brown tones. Surrounding the main figures are detailed anatomical sketches of legs, mouthparts, claws, and other body segments, numbered for reference. The illustration emphasizes intricate surface textures, limb joint articulation, and fine setae (hair-like structures) typical of mites in the Arachnida class. The plate is labeled as Plate LIV from the 1884-1888 Ray Society publication.
November 1, 2025 at 8:23 AM
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biodiversitypix.bsky.social
🐦 The British warblers: .
London: R.H. Porter ..., 1907-1914..

[Source]
Illustration of two reed warblers perched on slender green reeds. One adult warbler holds an insect in its beak, leaning toward a smaller, immature warbler with its mouth open, seemingly begging for food. Both birds have brownish feathers with lighter, creamy underparts. The background is a soft, muted gradient with faint reeds. The detailed artwork captures the birds’ delicate features and natural habitat, highlighting the feeding behavior. The title below reads "Reed Warbler: Adult & Immature."
October 30, 2025 at 10:23 AM