Belfast Natural History Society
Encyclopedia
The Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society was founded in 1821 to promote the scientific study of animal
s, plants, fossils, rocks
and minerals.
The Society was founded by George Crawford Hyndman
, James Lawson Drummond
, James Grimshaw
, James McAdam
, Robert Patterson
, Robert Simms
, Francis Archer
, the Thomas Dix Hincks
, Edward Hincks
and Edmund Getty
. Five years later in 1826 Alexander Henry Haliday
and William Thompson
both joined. In 1823, the Society’s collection and the small collection begun in 1788 in the rooms of the Belfast Reading Society
and that of the Belfast Literary Society
were moved to Belfast Academical Institution
where James Bryce
was centralising Belfast’s rapidly expanding natural history holdings.A new building opened at No 7 College Square North in 1831.
How big the first collections were is not known but the 1831 figure of 300 insects given when the Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society Museum opened to non-members must refer to specimens on display. The research material would have been very much more numerous and expanded rapidly during the next decade. Specimens from England
, the West Indies, Lapland, France
, Greece
, Italy
, Senegal
, New Holland
, Java, Sumatra
, Ceylon, Mauritius
, Colombia
, Recife
, Peru
, Virginia
, India
and West Africa
were acquired by gift. The Society maintained an excellent library and received many journals from corresponding members of English and continental natural history societies. Notable contributors were John Obadiah Westwood
, Francis Walker
, Carl August Dohrn
), Maximilian Spinola
and John Gould
and Charles Darwin
. Many of the collections and some of the books were transferred to the Trinity College Museum
, Dublin in 1843 after the society became the Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society in 1842 when lectures in chemistry, physics, engineering and were allowed. Specimens remaining in Belfast
are kept in the Ulster Museum
where they bear the tag BNHPS collection.The formerly central role of natural history and archaeology diminished from this year on and in 1863 the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club
was founded. The fragmentary BNHS minute books (pre 1842) and few letters are in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
, in Belfast
. The Society still exists today retaining ownership of the Old Museum Building, publishing occasional books, and running a lecture series out of the Linen Hall Library.
Fundamenta Prima PraesentibusSocietatis Historiae Naturalis apud BelfastamSociis, aliisque multis scientiae faventibusqui ad hoc opus pecuniam contulerant:Locavit Vir Honoratissimus Georgius Augustus Chichester
Marchio de DonegallIV. Non Maias MDCCCXXX.Rege Augustissimo Georgio IV.Annum Regni XI.Agente.Thomas J Duff, J. Jackson, Architectis; J. Johnston, Redemptore.
The museum was the first erected in Ireland by public subscription.From its inception in 1831 and for 47 years the Museum employed a curator
taxidermist named William Darragh (1813 - 1892). In the first report of the society he wrote an account entitled "Directions for preserving subjects in natural history" This covered Birds, Tortoises etc., Lizards and Serpents, Fish, Shells, Corals, Seafans etc., Crabs, Lobsters etc.., Asterias or Starfish, Insects, Botanical specimens, Seeds, Minerals and Fossil. He notes , correctly anticipating foreign specimens "As there is now no vexatious delay or trouble experienced by Custom-house regulations, specimens of natural history being admitted free of duty, it is recommended that all packages may be entered in the ship’s papers, and if a list of all the contents of each package could, with convenience, be attached inside the lid of the box or cover, the risk of injury to the specimens, by examination at the Custom-house, would in great measure be avoided". Also "Should it even happen that the specimens be already possessed by the Society, still duplicates are desirable, since such as are not possessed by the Museum can be readily exchanged for others that may be wanted".
Although the focus of the collections was primarily on zoology, botany and geology substantial archaeological
, ethnographic
and antiquarian
acquisitions were made and in 1835 the Society gained an Egyptian mummy, Takabuti
.
Whilst the members of the Society were middle class
the museum was open to the working classes, at a small charge on Easter Mondays. Recorded figures for Easter Mondays 1845-1853 are:
1845-1,200 persons: 1846-1,700 persons: 1847-2000 persons;1848 -2,600 persons; -1849- 3,500 persons; 1850- 4,400 persons :1851 - 4,350 persons ; 1852- 4,200 persons ;1853 – 5,950 persons
of which the development of learned societies was a part. One of the most important developments that the Enlightenment era brought to the discipline of science was its popularization. An increasingly literate population seeking knowledge and education in both the arts and the sciences drove the expansion of print culture and the dissemination of scientific learning. Popularization was generally part of an overarching Enlightenment ideal that endeavoured “to make information available to the greatest number of people.” As public interest in natural philosophy grew during the 18th century, public lecture courses and the publication of popular texts opened up new roads to money and fame for amateurs and scientists who remained on the periphery of universities and academies. Books owned by the Belfast Natural History Society reflect such changes, although some of the more expensive works were the gift of Thomas Fortescue
and Arthur Hill
.
They included:Georges Cuvier, 1829 Regne Animalium, in English, The Animal Kingdom, published by Chez Deterville at Paris;1832 Class Insecta Whitaker, London;Justin Pierre Marie Macquart, 1834-1835. Histoire naturelle des insectes. Dipteres Paris : Roret.;Pierre André LatreilleGenera crustaceorum et insectorum, secundum ordinem naturalem ut familias disposita (4 vols., 1806 1807 1807 1809);Peter Simon Pallas Zoographia Rosso-asiatica:Friedrich Wilhelm Martini Neues systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet; Emanuel Mendez da Costa A Natural History of Fossils (1757), Elements of Conchology, or An Introduction to the Knowledge of Shells (1776), British Conchology (1778); Gilbert White
The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne
(1789); Thomas Pennant History of Quadrupeds; Johannes Allart, Afbeeldingen der fraaiste, meest uitheemsche boomen en heesters. Amsterdam, Johannes Allart, 1802 [-1808];William Smith Strata by Organized Fossils (1815);Louis Agassiz Recherches sur les poissons fossiles (1833-1843);Philipp Franz von Siebold Fauna Japonica: Birds or Aves, 1844-1850 12 vol.; Fish or Pisces1842-1850 16 vol.;Crustaceans or Crustacea1833-1850 8 vol.;Mammals or Mammalia 1842-1844 4 vol.;Pierre Barrère Ornithologiae Specimen Novum, sive Series Avium in Ruscinone, Pyrenaeis Montibus, atque in Galliâ Aequinoctiali Observatarum, in Classes, genera & species, novâ methodo, digesta (1745);Julius Theodor Christian Ratzeburg Die Waldverderber und ihre Feinde, Berlin, 1841
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s, plants, fossils, rocks
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
and minerals.
The Society was founded by George Crawford Hyndman
George Crawford Hyndman
George Crawford Hyndman was an Irish auctioneer and amateur biologistHyndman from Belfast was mainly interested in marine zoology and marine botany...
, James Lawson Drummond
James Lawson Drummond
James Lawson Drummond was an Irish physician, naturalist and botanist.Drummond was educated at the Belfast Academy. He received a surgical training at the Belfast Academical Institution and was an apprentice surgeon in the Royal Navy...
, James Grimshaw
James Grimshaw
James Grimshaw was an Irish naturalist in the early 19th century.Born in County Antrim, Grimshaw worked in his family's linen business. He married Mary Templeton, a daughter of the Irish botanist John Templeton....
, James McAdam
James McAdam
James MacAdam was an Irish naturalist and geologist.Mcadam was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, and then at Trinity College, Dublin.He had a private geological museum, which included specimens collected during excavations made during the construction of the Irish railways...
, Robert Patterson
Robert Patterson (Belfast)
Robert Patterson, FRS was an Irish businessman and naturalist born in Belfast, Ireland.-Biography:The eldest son of Robert Patterson , owner of a mill-furnishing business in Belfast established in 1786, Robert Patterson was born into a wealthy family. He was educated first at the Belfast Academy...
, Robert Simms
Robert Simms
Robert Simms was an Irish radical.He was the owner of a papermill in Ballyclare and ,with his brother William Simms, the proprietor of the Northern Star newspaper...
, Francis Archer
Francis Archer
Francis Archer 1803 – 1875) was an Irish physician and naturalistHe was one of the founder members of the Belfast Natural History Society and later President of the Liverpool Natural History Society....
, the Thomas Dix Hincks
Thomas Dix Hincks
Thomas Dix Hincks was an Irish orientalist and naturalist.Hincks was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. He was ordained a Presbysterian minister and worked at the Old Presbyterian Church on Princes Street in Cork. After teaching in the Cork Institution, which he founded, he taught in Fermoy,...
, Edward Hincks
Edward Hincks
The Reverend Edward Hincks was an Irish clergyman, best remembered as an Assyriologist and one of the decipherers of Mesopotamian cuneiform....
and Edmund Getty
Edmund Getty
Edmund Getty was an Irish antiquarian and naturalist.Getty was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. He became Ballast Master of the Belfast Ballast Board and, later, Secretary of the Belfast Harbour Board. He was responsible for the reclamation of the slob-lands on the County Down...
. Five years later in 1826 Alexander Henry Haliday
Alexander Henry Haliday
Alexander Henry Haliday, also known as Enrico Alessandro Haliday and Alexis Heinrich Haliday sometimes Halliday , was an Irish entomologist. He is primarily known for his work on Hymenoptera, Diptera and Thysanoptera, but Haliday worked on all insect orders and on many aspects of entomology.Haliday...
and William Thompson
William Thompson (naturalist)
William Thompson was an Irish naturalist celebrated for his founding studies of the natural history of Ireland, especially in ornithology and marine biology. Thompson published numerous notes on the distribution, breeding, eggs, habitat, song, plumage, behaviour, nesting and food of birds...
both joined. In 1823, the Society’s collection and the small collection begun in 1788 in the rooms of the Belfast Reading Society
Linen Hall Library
The Linen Hall Library is located at 17 Donegall Square North, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the oldest library in Belfast and the last subscribing library in Northern Ireland. The Library is physically in the centre of Belfast, and more generally at the centre of the cultural and creative life...
and that of the Belfast Literary Society
Belfast Literary Society
The Belfast Literary Society was founded in 1801 and survives as the second oldest learned society in Belfast . Its first meeting was held in the long demolished Exchange Rooms in Belfast on 23 October. Among the 12 founding members were , , , John Templeton, S.M. Stephenson, S.S...
were moved to Belfast Academical Institution
Royal Belfast Academical Institution
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution, is a Grammar School in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Locally referred to as Inst, the school educates boys from ages 11–18...
where James Bryce
James Bryce (Belfast)
James Bryce was an Irish naturalist and geologist.In 1826 Bryce was appointed Master of the Mathematical and Commercial Department of Belfast Academical Institution.He was Secretary of the Belfast Natural History Society from its foundation.-Works:Partial List*1831 Tables of simple minerals,...
was centralising Belfast’s rapidly expanding natural history holdings.A new building opened at No 7 College Square North in 1831.
How big the first collections were is not known but the 1831 figure of 300 insects given when the Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society Museum opened to non-members must refer to specimens on display. The research material would have been very much more numerous and expanded rapidly during the next decade. Specimens from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the West Indies, Lapland, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, New Holland
New Holland (Australia)
New Holland is a historic name for the island continent of Australia. The name was first applied to Australia in 1644 by the Dutch seafarer Abel Tasman as Nova Hollandia, naming it after the Dutch province of Holland, and remained in use for 180 years....
, Java, Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Ceylon, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Recife
Recife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
were acquired by gift. The Society maintained an excellent library and received many journals from corresponding members of English and continental natural history societies. Notable contributors were John Obadiah Westwood
John Obadiah Westwood
John Obadiah Westwood was an English entomologist and archaeologist also noted for his artistic talents.Born in Sheffield, he studied to be a lawyer but abandoned that for his scientific interests....
, Francis Walker
Francis Walker (entomologist)
Francis Walker was an English entomologist. He was one of the most prolific authors in entomology, and stirred controversy during his later life as his publications resulted in a huge number of junior synonyms....
, Carl August Dohrn
Carl August Dohrn
Carl August Dohrn was a German entomologist.-Biography:Born at Stettin Carl August was the son of Heinrich Dohrn, who was a wine and spice merchant, and had made the family fortune by trading in sugar...
), Maximilian Spinola
Maximilian Spinola
-Background:Spinola was born in Pézenas, Hérault, France. The family of Spinola was of very long standing and had great wealth and power in Genoa. Maximilian Spinola was a descendant of the famous Spanish General Ambrogio Spinola, marqués de los Balbases and much of his wealth derived from land...
and John Gould
John Gould
John Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
and Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
. Many of the collections and some of the books were transferred to the Trinity College Museum
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, Dublin in 1843 after the society became the Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society in 1842 when lectures in chemistry, physics, engineering and were allowed. Specimens remaining in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
are kept in the Ulster Museum
Ulster Museum
The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasures from the Spanish Armada, local history, numismatics, industrial...
where they bear the tag BNHPS collection.The formerly central role of natural history and archaeology diminished from this year on and in 1863 the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club
Belfast Naturalists' Field Club
The Belfast Naturalists' Field Club is a club of naturalists based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1863, the club was an important part of the education system for Victorian naturalists and worked largely through first-hand field studies...
was founded. The fragmentary BNHS minute books (pre 1842) and few letters are in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is situated in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a division within the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure ....
, in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. The Society still exists today retaining ownership of the Old Museum Building, publishing occasional books, and running a lecture series out of the Linen Hall Library.
The museum
MUSEI BELFASTIANIFundamenta Prima PraesentibusSocietatis Historiae Naturalis apud BelfastamSociis, aliisque multis scientiae faventibusqui ad hoc opus pecuniam contulerant:Locavit Vir Honoratissimus Georgius Augustus Chichester
George Chichester, 2nd Marquess of Donegall
George Augustus Chichester, 2nd Marquess of Donegall, KP, PC , styled Viscount Chichester until 1799, was an Irish nobleman and politician....
Marchio de DonegallIV. Non Maias MDCCCXXX.Rege Augustissimo Georgio IV.Annum Regni XI.Agente.Thomas J Duff, J. Jackson, Architectis; J. Johnston, Redemptore.
The museum was the first erected in Ireland by public subscription.From its inception in 1831 and for 47 years the Museum employed a curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
taxidermist named William Darragh (1813 - 1892). In the first report of the society he wrote an account entitled "Directions for preserving subjects in natural history" This covered Birds, Tortoises etc., Lizards and Serpents, Fish, Shells, Corals, Seafans etc., Crabs, Lobsters etc.., Asterias or Starfish, Insects, Botanical specimens, Seeds, Minerals and Fossil. He notes , correctly anticipating foreign specimens "As there is now no vexatious delay or trouble experienced by Custom-house regulations, specimens of natural history being admitted free of duty, it is recommended that all packages may be entered in the ship’s papers, and if a list of all the contents of each package could, with convenience, be attached inside the lid of the box or cover, the risk of injury to the specimens, by examination at the Custom-house, would in great measure be avoided". Also "Should it even happen that the specimens be already possessed by the Society, still duplicates are desirable, since such as are not possessed by the Museum can be readily exchanged for others that may be wanted".
Although the focus of the collections was primarily on zoology, botany and geology substantial archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, ethnographic
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
and antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
acquisitions were made and in 1835 the Society gained an Egyptian mummy, Takabuti
Takabuti
Takabuti was a married woman who reached an age of between twenty and thirty years. She lived in the Egyptian city of Thebes at the end of the Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt. Her mummified body and mummy case are in the Ulster Museum Belfast. The coffin was opened and the mummy unrolled on 27...
.
Whilst the members of the Society were middle class
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
the museum was open to the working classes, at a small charge on Easter Mondays. Recorded figures for Easter Mondays 1845-1853 are:
1845-1,200 persons: 1846-1,700 persons: 1847-2000 persons;1848 -2,600 persons; -1849- 3,500 persons; 1850- 4,400 persons :1851 - 4,350 persons ; 1852- 4,200 persons ;1853 – 5,950 persons
The library
With the tumultuous years of 1789-1815, European culture was transformed by revolution, war and disruption. By ending many of the social and cultural props of the previous century, the stage was set for dramatic economic, political and social change of the Late EnlightenmentAge of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
of which the development of learned societies was a part. One of the most important developments that the Enlightenment era brought to the discipline of science was its popularization. An increasingly literate population seeking knowledge and education in both the arts and the sciences drove the expansion of print culture and the dissemination of scientific learning. Popularization was generally part of an overarching Enlightenment ideal that endeavoured “to make information available to the greatest number of people.” As public interest in natural philosophy grew during the 18th century, public lecture courses and the publication of popular texts opened up new roads to money and fame for amateurs and scientists who remained on the periphery of universities and academies. Books owned by the Belfast Natural History Society reflect such changes, although some of the more expensive works were the gift of Thomas Fortescue
Thomas Fortescue, 1st Baron Clermont
Thomas Fortescue, 1st Baron Clermont , was an Irish Whig politician.-Background and education:Fortescue was the son of Chichester Fortescue, of Dromisken, County Louth, by Martha Angel, daughter of Samuel Meade Hobson, a barrister, of Muchridge House, County Cork. Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue,...
and Arthur Hill
Arthur Hill, 4th Marquess of Downshire
Arthur Wills Blundell Sandys Trumbull Windsor Hill, 4th Marquess of Downshire KP was an Irish peer, styled Earl of Hillsborough until 1845....
.
They included:Georges Cuvier, 1829 Regne Animalium, in English, The Animal Kingdom, published by Chez Deterville at Paris;1832 Class Insecta Whitaker, London;Justin Pierre Marie Macquart, 1834-1835. Histoire naturelle des insectes. Dipteres Paris : Roret.;Pierre André LatreilleGenera crustaceorum et insectorum, secundum ordinem naturalem ut familias disposita (4 vols., 1806 1807 1807 1809);Peter Simon Pallas Zoographia Rosso-asiatica:Friedrich Wilhelm Martini Neues systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet; Emanuel Mendez da Costa A Natural History of Fossils (1757), Elements of Conchology, or An Introduction to the Knowledge of Shells (1776), British Conchology (1778); Gilbert White
Gilbert White
Gilbert White FRS was a pioneering English naturalist and ornithologist.-Life:White was born in his grandfather's vicarage at Selborne in Hampshire. He was educated at the Holy Ghost School and by a private tutor in Basingstoke before going to Oriel College, Oxford...
The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne
The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne
The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, or just The Natural History of Selborne is a book by pioneering English naturalist and ornithologist Gilbert White first published in 1789...
(1789); Thomas Pennant History of Quadrupeds; Johannes Allart, Afbeeldingen der fraaiste, meest uitheemsche boomen en heesters. Amsterdam, Johannes Allart, 1802 [-1808];William Smith Strata by Organized Fossils (1815);Louis Agassiz Recherches sur les poissons fossiles (1833-1843);Philipp Franz von Siebold Fauna Japonica: Birds or Aves, 1844-1850 12 vol.; Fish or Pisces1842-1850 16 vol.;Crustaceans or Crustacea1833-1850 8 vol.;Mammals or Mammalia 1842-1844 4 vol.;Pierre Barrère Ornithologiae Specimen Novum, sive Series Avium in Ruscinone, Pyrenaeis Montibus, atque in Galliâ Aequinoctiali Observatarum, in Classes, genera & species, novâ methodo, digesta (1745);Julius Theodor Christian Ratzeburg Die Waldverderber und ihre Feinde, Berlin, 1841
Notable Members
- John TempletonJohn Templeton (botanist)John Templeton was an early Irish naturalist and botanist. He is often referred to as the "Father of Irish Botany". He was the father of naturalist, artist and entomologist Robert Templeton.-Biography:...
- Robert TempletonRobert TempletonRobert Templeton was a Naturalist, artist, and entomologist, and was born at Cranmore House, Belfast, Ireland.-Life and work:...
- Charles Wyville ThomsonCharles Wyville ThomsonSir Charles Wyville Thomson was a Scottish zoologist and chief scientist on the Challenger expedition.-Career:...
- Ralph TateRalph TateRalph Tate was a British-born botanist and geologist, who was later active in Australia.-Early life:Tate was born at Alnwick in Northumberland, the son of Thomas Turner Tate , a teacher of mathematics and science, and his wife Frances...
- James BryceJames Bryce (Belfast)James Bryce was an Irish naturalist and geologist.In 1826 Bryce was appointed Master of the Mathematical and Commercial Department of Belfast Academical Institution.He was Secretary of the Belfast Natural History Society from its foundation.-Works:Partial List*1831 Tables of simple minerals,...
- Thomas AndrewsThomas Andrews (scientist)Thomas Andrews FRS was an Irish chemist and physicist who did important work on phase transitions between gases and liquids.-Life:Andrews was born in Belfast, Ireland where his father was a linen merchant...
- Thomas WorkmanThomas WorkmanThomas Workman was an Irish entomologist and arachnologist who travelled widely collecting butterflies and studying spiders. He is best known for his book Malaysian Spiders, published in 1896, in which he described several new species....
- John GraingerJohn GraingerJohn Grainger was an Irish cleric and antiquarian.Grainger was educated at Belfast Academy and Trinity College, Dublin. After gaining a Doctorate of Divinity he became Rector of Broughshane, County Antrim...
- James Emerson TennentJames Emerson TennentSir James Emerson Tennent, 1st Baronet FRS , born James Emerson, was an Irish politician and traveller. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 5 June 1862....
See also
- William Bullock A companion to Mr. Bullock's London Museum and Pantherion 1812 http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/92074 gives a notion of an early 19th century museum, though not a scientific one.
- Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne
- Leskean CabinetLeskean CabinetThe Leskean Cabinet is an 18th century mineral and natural history collection conserved in the Natural History Museum in Dublin.-Purchase:Early in 1792 a committee of the Royal Dublin Society was appointed to bid for the purchase of the cabinet of mineralogy...
- Dublin University Zoological AssociationDublin University Zoological AssociationThe Dublin University Zoological Association was founded in 1853 to promote zoological studies in Ireland. Dublin University is now Trinity College, Dublin.It commenced proceedings in the Natural History Review in 1854.-Notable members:*Robert Ball...
- Cuvierian Society of Cork
External Links
- BHL Digitised Report of the Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society
- Library Ireland Dublin Penny JournalDublin Penny JournalThe Dublin Penny Journal was a weekly newspaper, and later series of published volumes, originating from Dublin, Ireland, between 1832 and 1836. Published each Saturday, by J. S...
account