Bitten by the snake of learning

John Ray and the cunning craftsmanship of nature

A momentous decision

Continental journey: the Low Countries

Images of Central Europe

Italian sophistication and Spanish desolation

Back at Middleton

Curious about birds, illness and death

Into the light: publication

A sustained finale: Willughby's buzzard takes flight

Acknowledgements

Appendix 1: A timeline of Francis Willughby's life

Appendix 2: Brief biographies of the principal players in Willughby's life

Appendix 3: The story of Willughby's charr

Appendix 4: Identification of birds listed on page 61 and named in the Ornithology.