Detail of the portrait of W.H. Hudson by Frank Brooks that hangs above the fireplace at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds headquarters in Sandy, England. A beanpole of a man, decked out in tweeds, waistcoat and laced boots, looking more British than the British, he kept himself cool by carrying a moist handkerchief inside his hat. Some believed that Hudson, sharp-eyed and constantly on the move, was like a wild bird himself—a hawk, perhaps, or an eagle. His laugh sounded like that of the green woodpecker, reports Conor Mark Jameson in his new biography, adding that he could no longer listen to that bird without thinking of Hudson.

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Persons: . Hudson, Frank Brooks, Conor Mark Jameson William Henry Hudson, Hudson, Conor Mark Jameson Organizations: Royal Society for Locations: ., Sandy , England, tweeds, British