William Yarrell, a British naturalist, born in St. James's, Westminster, in June, 1784, died in Yarmouth in September, 1856. He was a newspaper agent, and became a naturalist from being a sportsman. In 1824 he was chosen a member of the Linnaean society, and henceforth constantly contributed to its "Transactions " and to other periodical publications on natural history. He was one of the first members of the zoological society, and contributed 17 papers to the first volume of its transactions. Although self-taught, his anatomical descriptions are remarkable for their accuracy. He was the first to prove that the whitebait is a distinct species of fish, and not the young of the shad or herring. Besides about 70 monographs, he wrote "The History of British Fishes" (2 vols. 8vo, 1835-'6; supplement, 1839; 3d ed., with a memoir, 1859), and "The History of British Birds" (3 vols., 1839-'43; 3d ed., 1856). These works contain interesting descriptions and wood engravings of all the species of British birds and fishes.