John Blackwall
Encyclopedia
John Blackwall was a British
naturalist
.
Blackwall lived at Hendre House near Llanrwst
in north Wales
from 1833 until his death. He was interested in nature from an early age, first in bird
s and then spider
s, on which he published his first article in 1827.
He published A History of the Spiders of Great Britain and Ireland (2 vols., 1861-1864, Ray Society
), which included accounts of 304 species and gave the first adequate descriptions of British spiders. Ten of the plates included were by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge
and twelve were by the Irish naturalist Robert Templeton
.
, dated 12 February 1868, 18 February 1868, 10 August 1869 and 8 September 1869. They survive in the Darwin Archive at Cambridge University Library
. The first, second, and third letters are in direct response to communications from Darwin, though the whereabouts of these letters, presumably kept by Blackwall, are unknown. Their subject matter is, broadly, variation among spiders.
The first letter begins "I wish it were in my power to give satisfactory answers to the questions contained in your letter of the 10th instant. Adult spiders of the same species differ so remarkably in size and colour, and that independently to all appearance of the situations in which they are found, that I am unable to assign an adequate cause for this extraordinary fact..."
. He was one of the first to be interested in spiders of very small sizes, in particular those belonging to the kinds Neriene
and Walckenaera.
A number of spider species are named after Blackwall, including Idiops blackwallii, Salticus blackwallii
, Scotophaeus blackwalli, Theriodion blackwalli and the Harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
.
Blackwall lived at Hendre House near Llanrwst
Llanrwst
Llanrwst is a small town and community on the A470 road and the River Conwy in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It takes its name from the 5th century to 6th century Saint Grwst, and the original parish church in Cae Llan was replaced by the 12th-century church....
in north Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
from 1833 until his death. He was interested in nature from an early age, first in bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s and then spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s, on which he published his first article in 1827.
He published A History of the Spiders of Great Britain and Ireland (2 vols., 1861-1864, Ray Society
Ray Society
The Ray Society was instituted in 1844 and named after John Ray, the 17th century naturalist, as a scientific publishing organization whose activities are devoted mainly to the British flora and fauna. So far the Ray Society has published 169 volumes...
), which included accounts of 304 species and gave the first adequate descriptions of British spiders. Ten of the plates included were by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge
Octavius Pickard-Cambridge
The Reverend Octavius Pickard-Cambridge FRS was an English clergyman and zoologist.Pickard-Cambridge was born in Bloxworth rectory, Dorset, the fifth son of Revd George Pickard, rector and squire of Bloxworth: the family changed their name to Pickard-Cambridge in 1848...
and twelve were by the Irish naturalist Robert Templeton
Robert Templeton
Robert Templeton was a Naturalist, artist, and entomologist, and was born at Cranmore House, Belfast, Ireland.-Life and work:...
.
Correspondence with Charles Darwin
Blackwall wrote four letters on the subject of spiders to Charles DarwinCharles 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...
, dated 12 February 1868, 18 February 1868, 10 August 1869 and 8 September 1869. They survive in the Darwin Archive at Cambridge University Library
Cambridge University Library
The Cambridge University Library is the centrally-administered library of Cambridge University in England. It comprises five separate libraries:* the University Library main building * the Medical Library...
. The first, second, and third letters are in direct response to communications from Darwin, though the whereabouts of these letters, presumably kept by Blackwall, are unknown. Their subject matter is, broadly, variation among spiders.
The first letter begins "I wish it were in my power to give satisfactory answers to the questions contained in your letter of the 10th instant. Adult spiders of the same species differ so remarkably in size and colour, and that independently to all appearance of the situations in which they are found, that I am unable to assign an adequate cause for this extraordinary fact..."
Legacy
Blackwall's work constituted a significant stage in the emergence of arachnologyArachnology
Arachnology is the scientific study of spiders and related animals such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, collectively called arachnids. However, the study of ticks and mites is sometimes not included in arachnology, but is called Acarology...
. He was one of the first to be interested in spiders of very small sizes, in particular those belonging to the kinds Neriene
Neriene
Neriene is a genus of spiders of the family Linyphiidae.-Species:* Neriene albolimbata * Neriene amiculata * Neriene angulifera * Neriene aquilirostralis Chen & Zhu, 1989...
and Walckenaera.
A number of spider species are named after Blackwall, including Idiops blackwallii, Salticus blackwallii
Salticus
Salticus is a spider genus of the Salticidae family .-Description:Salticus species are typically marked with a black and white pattern, with some featuring transverse stripes, often gaining them the popular name "zebra spiders". Mature males have very long chelicerae on which they rest their long,...
, Scotophaeus blackwalli, Theriodion blackwalli and the Harvestman Leiobunum blackwalli.