"The Cambridge Bird Club published David Lack's first book, The Birds of Cambridgeshire, a year after he completed his studies at Magdalene College, Cambridge. Although it provides few hints as to the ultimate influence this British ornithologist was to have on 20th century ecology, it does contain some glimpses into a mind that was the product of a changing scientific landscape in the field of ornithology, and indeed in biology as a whole. The Birds of Cambridge is not simply a compilation of the species that had been recorded in the county. Instead, Lack devoted almost half of the book to chapters describing the major habitats in the county, observations on migration, historical changes in the county's avifauna, and the resident status of the 160 regularly occurring species. He expressly deemphasized rare and accidental species, a significant departure from the typical emphasis of ornithology at the time."