Casey Albert Wood and The fundus oculi of birds (1917)

Abstract

Casey Albert Wood’s The fundus oculi of birds, published in 1917, was the culmination of his decade-long study of the eyes of about a hundred bird species across the avian phylogeny. Wood was a professional ophthalmologist who, during his spare time, was drawn to the study of birds’ eyes because of their exceptional visual acuity. His stated goal was to inform taxonomy but that turned out to be pointless. With the assistance of an artist, Arthur William Head, Wood described and illustrated in colour the retina in these birds, with particular attention to the number, size, structure, and position of the pecten. Since the function and evolution of the avian pecten is still poorly known, Wood’s book continues to provide a useful point of departure for the study of birds’ eyes.