William, one of the most popular of modern naturalists, was born at Westminster in 1784. His father was a newspaper agent, and he himself succeeded to the business on his father's death, and prosecuted it till within a few years of his own. Like many others of those confined to town by their profession, he availed himself of any interval of relaxation to enjoy such sport as the neighbourhood of London afforded; and had the reputation of being the best shot and the first angler in the metropolis. Wisely he did not confine himself to the mere pleasure of sport, but examined with care the trophies of his skill, and soon became an expert naturalist, his knowledge being derived from the best of all sources, the actual study of nature. In 1824 he became a fellow of the Linnean Society, and was a diligent contributor to their Transactions, which contain many of his papers, especially on questions of ornithological interest. He was one of the earliest members of the Zoological Society, and always took a lively interest in the gardens which the society established in Regent's Park. His contributions to their proceedings are said to evince a skill in dissection rarely attained by one who is not a practical anatomist. Among other discoveries for which the naturalist is indebted to Mr Yarrell is the interesting one that whitebait is a distinct species of fish, and not the young of some other species, as was so long believed. The greater part of his leisure towards the end of his life was devoted to his two great works, The History of British Fishes, 2 vols., 1836; and The History of British Birds, 2 vols., 1843. These works are compiled on the same plan; they contain accurate figures, with accompanying descriptions, of every known variety of British fish or bird; and they have from the first taken their position as the standard authorities on the subject in our language. Few books on natural history are more agreeable to the general reader; the style is ever pleasant, and the truth with which he describes the habits of the birds is such as might have been expected from the keen sportsman who had so often watched their motions when at liberty in their native haunts. In 1856 he had an attack of paralysis, of which he died at Yarmouth in September of the same year.