ZOOLOGY - KINNEAR, Norman.

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Notes on the Animals (Mammals, Birds & Reptiles) of Mesopotamia. First edition, first printing, of this early pamphlet on the fauna of Iraq written for soldiers active in the Middle Eastern theatre of the First World War. We have traced only three copies in UK institutions and three in France.Norman Boyd Kinnear (1882-1957) was a zoologist and ornithologist who became curator of the museum of the Bombay Natural History Society in 1907. This society was dedicated to collecting specimens of animals from across the Indian subcontinent and beyond. For example, in 1911 they organized a survey of mammals in India that amassed over 50,000 specimens, and Kinnear was tasked with cataloguing and dispatching this collection to the British Museum.Kinnear produced this present pamphlet in 1916. "During World War I, large collections of birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects were shipped to the Society by its members... Kinnear was then associated with the Brigade Headquarters, Bombay, as Intelligence Officer. In spite of the new responsibilities on him, he succeeded in preparing and presenting a pamphlet on the 'Animals of Mesopotamia', which was circulated among the officers and men serving with the Expeditionary Force. It became a frequent book of reference and proved a great help for those who were collecting specimens" (Bombay Natural History Society, pp. 24-25). Soldiers and officers alike used the guide to collect a reported 259 mammal species.Provenance: Francis E. W. Venning, with

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