The Selborne Society or Selborne League formed in November 1885 to "perpetuate the name and interests of Gilbert White, the Naturalist of Selborne" and following the philosophy of observation rather than collection was Britain's first national conservation organization. The object of the Society was the preservation of birds, plants and pleasant places. It was founded by George Arthur Musgrave (1843 - 29 August 1912) and his wife Theresa of Torquay in Devon and it was inspired by Gilbert White's well-known book, The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne. The society amalgamated with the Plumage League which had been founded by the Reverend Francis Orpen Morris and Lady Mount Temple in January 1886 with the full title of the Selborne Society for the Preservation of Birds, Plants and P