The collection shows Dr. Casey Wood's interest for ophthalmology, especially in the history of ophthalmology but also for medicine in the countries he visited, among them Ceylon. The collection contains rough copies of published articles or planned papers on these subjects. Ayurvedic medicine is a major interest. The collection also contains three versions of the "Descriptive catalogue of the Casey A. Wood Collection of Sinhalese Materia Medica for the Museum of McGill University".

This collection consists of materials dated from approximately 1850-1981, but predominantly from 1913-1940, relating to Dr. Casey Albert Wood’s research, writing, correspondence, and personal interest concerning ornithology, vertebrate zoology, memoir and family history, Emma Shearer Wood and Blacker Library collection development, ophthalmology, politics, and current events. Materials relate chiefly to Wood’s “Introduction to the Literature of Vertebrate Zoology” (1921-1956), falconry (1930s), his unpublished memoir (1930s), the development of McGill University’s Emma Shearer Wood and Blacker Libraries (1918-1941), the history of ophthalmology (1925-1936), “Fundus Oculi” (1911-1934), his travels and research expeditions studying birds in their natural habitat (1920-1940), political interests, and correspondence relating to these activities and subjects.

There are approximately 2902 incoming and outgoing pieces of correspondence including letters, postcards, notes, telegrams, and cards. Series 1) Research and writing, contains the largest volume of correspondence relating to “the Introduction to the Literature of Vertebrate Zoology.” While Series 2) Research trips, contains the largest portion of photographs. Other materials in this collection include research notes, manuscripts, page and galley proofs, book and article reprint publications, postcards, artwork, glass plate negatives, book plates, palm leaf manuscripts, artefacts, printed ephemera, clippings, journals, and administration and financial records relating to Wood’s publications or the Emma Shearer Wood and Blacker Libraries.

There are gaps within this collection relating to geographic locations, as not all locations Wood is known to have visited are represented or are only minimally represented. Asian countries, such as China or Japan, are not represented in this collection. While geographic locations that are prominent within the collection are Fiji, Sri Lanka and India.

The series consists of 1) research and writing (ca. 1850-1956); 2) research trips (1920-1937); 3) scrapbooks (1887-1946); 4) collection development (1918-1941); 5) published books (1907-1981); 6) artefacts (191-?, 1920-1937); and 7) glass negative plates (1924, 1927, 1930, 1956).

This subseries consists of other research, writing, and correspondence files related to Wood's research and writing activities (1852-1925), writings of others assisting in Wood’s research projects or written about Wood (1936-1943), and volumes containing multiple publications by Casey Wood from 1852-1943, but predominantly 1920-1938. Some of these volumes include writings of other authors as well. The subseries is composed mostly of publications, manuscripts, and correspondence, along with photographs, clippings, book dust covers, feathers from John III, and printed materials pertaining largely to ornithology, falconry, and Wood's research.
Included in this subseries are 661 incoming and outgoing correspondence (1914, 1927, 1933-1940) including letters, postcards, and telegrams. Some of the individuals represented within the subseries include G. R. Lomer, Elizabeth E. Abbott, Margaret E. Hibbard, Dr. Maude Abbott, Dr. Cresswell Shearer, Marjorie Fyfe, Alan H. Wood, Samuel Casey Wood III, Arthur William Head, H. Gronvold, H. Kirke Swann, Alexander Wetmore, Dr. Andreas Nell, Elliott Coues, George Arliss, Duke of Wellington, Professor Arthur Willey, Dr. Witmer Stone, John Still, E. C. T. Holsinger, Dr. Burton Chance, Wladimir Ivanow, John M. McWilliam, Dr. Max Meyerhof, W. L. Sclater, Harry Harris, Dr. Arnold C. Klebs, Professor Alonzo Taylor, Dr. Harold Gifford, David Nutt, William Wrigley Jr., Professor W. P. C. Zeeman, Eileen Thompson, William Thornwall Davis, H. S. Swarth, E. Edward Newton, Joseph Pearson, R. T. Gunther, Dr. Jon Pearson, Sir George Perley, J. Wilkes, Edward Von S. Dingle, George Edwards, W. E. Powell, L. J. Griffin, Robert Moore, and Major Chester Davis. Book publishers and dealers represented include Wheldon and Wesley, G. E. Stechert and Co., Bernard Quaritch Ltd., R. Friedlander and Sohn, K. F. Koehler’s Antiqarium, Foliophiles, Sotheby and Co., Francis Edwards, Vitty and Seaborne Ltd., Sun Engraving Co., Dulau & Co., Ltd., Samuel N. Rhoads, and Franklin Bookshop.
Topics and research projects within the subseries include ornithology, aviculture, bird protection, fossil eggs, zoology and sea life, collection and financial records for McGill Libraries and other institutions, McGill Library exhibits, the Feather book, travel and research, professional and personal lives, Wood’s ancestry, events Wood attended, politics and crime, Dr. Joseph Grinnell, Sir Henry and Elizabeth Gwillim, James Graham Cooper, John III’s painting and life, Emma Shearer Wood library boo plate, bird and zoology prints and other artwork, the dodo bird and related art, Sinhalese Olas, coins, and Persian manuscripts, ayurvedic medicine, Dominion Parliament building, “Fundus Oculi of Birds,” “An Introduction to Literature of the Vertebrate Zoology,” “Coloured Plates of the Birds of Ceylon,” Benevenutus Grassus’ de Oculis, Tadhkirat of Ali ibn Isa translation, Frederick II’s de Arte Venandi cum Avibus and falconry, “Catalogue du Fonds de Paul Lechevalier,” “James Craw Portrait of Alexander Wilson,” “Monograph of the Birds of Prey,” and other manuscripts.
Places referenced in this subseries include the British Museum, McGill University, Emma Shearer Wood Library, San Francisco, England, Barbados, New Zealand, Fiji, Oceania, Switzerland, India, Sri Lanka, and others.

This subseries consists of many of Wood's major publications in various iterations such as manuscripts, typescripts, page proofs, and galley proofs. Additionally, this subseries contains other manuscripts, research notes, photographs, prints or illustrations, correspondence, book reviews, and other materials relating directly to Wood's research projects and publications. The material is dated from 1904-1942 but focuses predominantly from 1913- 1934. Much of the subseries is composed of bound volumes, some of which contain multiple record types, either bound or mounted within the volumes.
The research and writing projects focus on the following topics and geographic regions: ornithology, Fundus Oculi (1911-1934), Wood’s family history (1920-1940), South America (1920-1921), Fiji and Fiji Islands (1920-1931), fossil eggs (1923-1925), flowers and meadows in Switzerland (1924-1934), “An Introduction to the Literature of Vertebrate Zoology,” aviculture (1925-1928), New Zealand, medieval Persian manuscripts (1927-1934), Benevenutus Grassus’ de Oculis (1930), John III, Kashmir and North India (1921-1934), Ceylon (1925, 1928, 1934), "the Art of Falconry" (1938?-1942), and Ali ibn Isa (1935-1936).
Other contributors to some publications and manuscripts include Marjorie Fyfe, Alexander Wetmore, Wladimir Ivanow, Arthur William Head, Dr. Andreas Nell, W. J. Belcher, William C. Morgan, and Marion C. Tallmon.
This subseries also contains 145 incoming and outgoing pieces of correspondence including letters and notes. Some individuals addressed include Arthur William Head, Christopher Leggo, Lillian Bates, Elizabeth E. Abbott, Cora Raymond, Dr. Richmond, W. J. Belcher, C. S. Walis, Theodore Hamblin Ltd., James R. Slonaker, and R. R. Donnelley and Sons Co.. This subseries also includes photographs of Wood’s family, professional colleagues and friends, and research and publications.

This series consists of 30 bound volumes either published by Casey A. Wood, used for reference during his research and writing projects, or published on his professional career and publications. The volumes are dated from 1907-1981, with predominant dates from 1923-1936. Wood's publications focus on his international work in ornithology between 1915-1936 and were published in prominent ornithological journals such as the Smithsonian Report, Auk, Ibis, Bird-Lore, Condor Magazine, McGill Publications, etc.

Two volumes contain a number of Wood’s published books and one also includes newspaper clippings related to Fiji, Ceylon, Sinhalese coins, and McGill Library collection materials. One volume of "A Collection of Birds from the Fiji Islands" includes presentations notes from W. J. Belcher on birds from Fiji dated December 14, 1936.

The files used for Wood’s research dated from 1907-1937 include publications on Emperor Frederick II and falconry, English-Italian dictionaries, and ornithology library catalogues. This series also contains the 1981 Casey Wood Bio-bibliography compiled by E. C. Astbury. Not all of Wood’s publications are present within this series, however various iterations of the manuscripts or parts of manuscripts not represented within this series may be present in other series.

Individual cataloguing records of volumes can be found in the McGill library catalogue.

This series consists of research, writing, and correspondence files relating to Casey Wood's major and minor publications and unpublished works, as well as, others assisting in Wood's publications, research, or writing about Wood. The majority of the research and writing materials for Wood's published and unpublished works were created between 1920-1940, while other materials collected during Wood's life, those associated with his memoir and obituary, date from approximately 1850-1943.
Some prominent writings by Wood include “Introduction to the Literature of Vertebrate Zoology” (1921-1956), his unpublished memoir (ca. 1850-1939), “Fundus Oculi” (1911-1934), Wood family history (1920-1940), “Birds of Fiji” (1920-1928), “Through Forest and Jungle in Kashmir and North India” (1921-1934); Persian, Arabic and Hindustani manuscripts (1927-1934); and “The Art of Falconry” (1942).
The series consists of many volumes and files containing a number of record types including manuscripts, typescripts, proofs, publications, photographs, correspondence, clippings, printed material, postcards, journals, administrative and financial records, and artwork. Some of the volumes are scrapbooks containing many of these materials mounted within, while others include similar materials bound within. These volumes do not necessarily have a clear organization but are sometimes arranged chronologically or by correspondent.

There are 2230 incoming and outgoing pieces of correspondence including letters, postcards, notes, telegrams, and cards. Subseries 1) Introduction to the Literature of Vertebrate Zoology includes 1313 pieces of correspondence, the largest number of correspondence within the collection.

This series consists of 14 scrapbook volumes and files of material collected by Wood that were of interest to him either professionally or personally, dated between 1887-1955, but predominately 1926-1941. The scrapbooks and files contain newspaper and periodical clippings, correspondence, printed ephemera, photographs, postcards, palm leaf manuscripts, prints, paintings and other artwork, manuscripts, bookplates, place cards, and textile badges. There are also a few items within the volumes relating to Wood’s research trips and minor writings.
Overall topics within the series include ornithology, Wood’s parrot John III, zoology, naturalists, current events (1927-1941), poems, politics and war, British culture and people, health, obituaries, education, tourism, science and medical research, McGill Library and other institution collections, bird sanctuaries, and bird, ancient, and medieval artwork.
Printed ephemera from Wood’s travels include invitations, programs, brochures, tickets, visitation membership cards, business cards, etc.. There are two volumes (1925-1932) with Saturday Evening Post articles written by Hal G. Evarts, Stewart E. White, David Newell, Bozeman Bulger, Lord William Percy, Donald R. Dickey, and others.
There are 63 incoming and outgoing correspondence, including letters, notes, cards and telegrams. Individuals addressed include Dr. Axel Munthe, Irving Thalberg, Major Allan Brooks, Edith Swan, William Beebe, Chester W. Davis, F. L. Struthers, Elizabeth E. Abbott, W. H. Poole, Thos. Cook and Son Ltd., Margaret E. Hibbard, National Audubon Society, Senator William E. Borah, Stuart Baker, T. S. Palmer, Samuel Casey Wood III, Alan Wood, E. E. Chambers, McGill University, C. F. Martin, George Perley, Emma Shearer Wood, and Wheldon and Wesley. Some topics discussed within correspondence include bird protection, ornithology, travel, holidays, politics, and a speaking event during World War One.
Other individuals represented in this series include Archibald Thorburn, Robert Ridgway, Joseph Addison, M. K. Wisehart, Charles D. Stewart, Dr. George Harlet, Charles Livingston Bull, Dr. Harding, W. J. Belcher, Doris Rosenthal, Marquess of Tavistock, Francis Moore, Karel Fabritius, John Burroughs, T. C. Harrison, R. L. Gallienne, W. H. Bartlett, Harvey Cushing, John H. Sage, Alexander Wetmore, Dr. Andreas Nell, and John G. Howard.
Some locations either visited by Wood or represented in the series include England, Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, India, Sri Lanka, Italy, British Guiana, British Museum of Natural History, Notre Dame Cathedral, Victoria Albert Museum, and Bodleian Library.

This subseries focuses on the unpublished memoir of Casey A. Wood, which consists of manuscripts, typescripts, notes, research project notes and publications, correspondence (1888-1939), photographs, clippings and printed material, and journals (1891, 1930-1931) from approximately 1850-1939. Wood had assistance from family members, professional connections, and friends to compile his biographical information for the memoir. Wood was living in Rome during the mid- to late-1930s, so much of the Canadian research was conducted by family members Samuel Casey Wood III, Alan Wood, and Edith Hayes. There is correspondence between Wood and his family on the progress of the memoir, their family, and personal lives. The subseries consists of approximately 110 letters and 1 telegram with additional correspondence, clippings, and other materials integrated into the memoir’s manuscript and typescripts.
Individuals addressed within the correspondence and other materials include Alan Wood, Samuel Casey Wood III, George Iles, H. Clay Evans, Dr. George H. Mathewson, Francis J. Shepherd, Harvey Cushing, Dr. George H. Simmons, Casey Hayes, Josephine Seymour, Dr. Charles P. Small, Ms. Slaughter, Major J. C. Dawson, Dr. J. C. Simpson, J. R. Slonaker, Irving S. Cutter, Dr. H. D. Birkett, Dr. Franck Brawley, Dr. Maude Abbott, Elizabeth E. Abbott, Dr. W. W. Francis, Harry Harris, G. R. Lomer, Dr. Harry Vanderbilt Wurdemann, Dr. C. F. Wylde, V. C. Wynne Edwards, Dr. Andreas Nell, Sir William Osler, C. F. Wylde, Frank Allport, and Norma Shearer.
Throughout the subseries common topics include providing information for the memoir, travel, careers, education, Italy during the late 1930s, politics, ornithology, zoology, donations of materials by Casey Wood, family, Emperor Frederick II and “the Art of Falconry,” Emma Shearer Wood and Blacker Library collections, aviculture, John III, the Feather book, animal protection, history of medicine, “Coloured Plates of the Birds of Ceylon,” Ali ibn Isa, and Wood’s research, career, and health.
The printed material includes a variety of leaflets, brochures, cards, invitations, tickets, bookplates, booklets, clippings etc. from or about various current events, travel experiences, publications, etc.. Within the subseries' photographs are images of Dr. Thomas Woodruff, Emma Shearer Wood, Casey Wood, Marjorie Fyfe, James Shearer, Eliza Shearer, Dr. Richmond, Dr. Ridgway, other family members and friends, and from research trips. Places related to Wood’s life mentioned in this subseries include the United States, Canada, Germany, Sri Lanka, England, Italy, Ethiopia, Vienna, France, Afghanistan, British Guiana, Australia, Fiji, McGill and Emma Shearer Wood Libraries, Bishops’ College, Western General Hospital, Stanford University, and the Chicago Ophthalmological Society.