Lionel de Nicéville
Encyclopedia
Charles Lionel Augustus de Nicéville (1852 in Bristol
– 3 December 1901 in Calcutta from malaria
) was a curator at the Indian Museum
in Calcutta (now Kolkata
). He studied the butterflies
of South Asia and wrote a three volume monograph on the butterflies of India, Pakistan
, Burma and Sri Lanka
.
Born in a noble Huguenot
family, his father was a physician. He was educated at St. John's College at Hurstpierpoint
near Brighton. Leaving England for India in 1870, de Nicéville became a clerk in a government office (Calcutta Small Cause Court) but from at least 1881, devoted all of his spare time to entomology. He worked with most 'Indian' entomologists of the day but especially with Henry John Elwes
, Taylor, Wood–Mason
, Martin and Marshall
. At this time, he made several trips to Sikkim
. In 1887 he made a trip to the Baltistan glaciers along with John Henry Leech
. He made collections on these trips and wrote a series of papers in the Journal of Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal (1881, 1882, 1883 and 1885) and in 1890 the results were summarised in the Gazetteer of Sikhim (1890) in which G. A Gammie and De Niceville recorded about 631 species of butterflies found in Sikkim. Also included were butterflies found in Darjeeling, Buxa and Bhutan
, areas contiguous with Sikkim state
1899 was a year of great famine coinciding with George Nathaniel Curzon's appointment as Viceroy of India. Curzon was hugely energetic and supportive of government efforts to help agriculture. "Our real reform has been to endeavour for the first time to apply science on a large scale to the study and practice of Indian agriculture." he wrote in 1901. Curzon began in 1901 by elevating the Bombay director of agriculture to the new position of inspector-general of agriculture. Curzon also undertook the expansion of provincial research, linked to districts by experiment as well as demonstration farms. In 1901 he appointed an imperial mycologist
and an imperial entomologist; two years later, he appointed an imperial agriculturalist and an imperial economic botanist. The entomologist was de Nicéville, who whilst a lepidopterist was able to co-ordinate work on other insect orders.
He was a Corresponding Member of the Zoological Society of London
and a Fellow of the Entomological Society
.
.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
– 3 December 1901 in Calcutta from malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
) was a curator at the Indian Museum
Indian Museum
The Indian Museum is the largest museum in India and has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings...
in Calcutta (now Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
). He studied the butterflies
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of South Asia and wrote a three volume monograph on the butterflies of India, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Burma and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
Born in a noble Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
family, his father was a physician. He was educated at St. John's College at Hurstpierpoint
Hurstpierpoint
Hurstpierpoint is a village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. Together with Sayers Common it forms one of the Mid Sussex civil parishes, with an area of 2029.88 ha and a population of 6,264 persons....
near Brighton. Leaving England for India in 1870, de Nicéville became a clerk in a government office (Calcutta Small Cause Court) but from at least 1881, devoted all of his spare time to entomology. He worked with most 'Indian' entomologists of the day but especially with Henry John Elwes
Henry John Elwes
Henry John Elwes, FRS was a British botanist, entomologist, author, lepidopterist, naturalist, collector and traveller who became renowned for collecting specimens of lilies during trips to the Himalayas and Korea. He was the first person to receive the Victoria Medal of the Royal Horticultural...
, Taylor, Wood–Mason
James Wood-Mason
James Wood-Mason was a Scottish zoologist who worked in the Indian Museum at Calcutta from 1877 succeeding Prof. John Anderson. He made many collections of marine animals and lepidoptera.-Publications:...
, Martin and Marshall
George Frederick Leycester Marshall
George Frederick Leycester Marshall was a Colonel in the Indian Army and brother of C. H. T. Marshall and uncle of Guy Anstruther Knox Marshall. He was a naturalist interested in the birds and butterflies of India...
. At this time, he made several trips to Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
. In 1887 he made a trip to the Baltistan glaciers along with John Henry Leech
John Henry Leech
John Henry Leech John Henry Leech John Henry Leech (5 December 1862- 29 December 1900, Salisbury was an English entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera.His collections from China , Japan and Kashmir are in the Natural History Museum , London.These contain also insects from...
. He made collections on these trips and wrote a series of papers in the Journal of Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal (1881, 1882, 1883 and 1885) and in 1890 the results were summarised in the Gazetteer of Sikhim (1890) in which G. A Gammie and De Niceville recorded about 631 species of butterflies found in Sikkim. Also included were butterflies found in Darjeeling, Buxa and Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, areas contiguous with Sikkim state
Mycology
Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans as a source for tinder, medicinals , food and entheogens, as well as their dangers, such as poisoning or...
and an imperial entomologist; two years later, he appointed an imperial agriculturalist and an imperial economic botanist. The entomologist was de Nicéville, who whilst a lepidopterist was able to co-ordinate work on other insect orders.
He was a Corresponding Member of the Zoological Society of London
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
and a Fellow of the Entomological Society
Royal Entomological Society of London
The Royal Entomological Society of London is devoted to insect study. It has a major national and international role in disseminating information about insects and improving communication between entomologists....
.
Works
Partial list- 1883 with G.F.L.MarshallGeorge Frederick Leycester MarshallGeorge Frederick Leycester Marshall was a Colonel in the Indian Army and brother of C. H. T. Marshall and uncle of Guy Anstruther Knox Marshall. He was a naturalist interested in the birds and butterflies of India...
. Butterflies of India, Burmah and Ceylon. Vol. I, Repr.1979, New Delhi, 327 pp. - 1886. The Butterflies of India, Burmah and Ceylon. Vol.2. Repr. 1979, New Delhi, 332 pp.
- 1890. The butterflies of India, Burmah and Ceylon. Vol. 3. Repr. 1979, New Delhi, 503 pp.
- 1894 "On new and little-known butterflies from the Indo-Malayan region" J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal (II) 63 (1): 1-59, pls. 1-5
- 1898 "On new and little-known butterflies from the Indo-Malayan, Austro-Malayan and Australian Regions" J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 12 (1): 131-161, 4 pls.
- 1900 "On new and little-known Lepidoptera from the Oriental region". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 13, 157-176, 3 pl. (174).
Collection
Part of de Nicéville's butterfly collection was given to the Asiatic Society, Calcutta in 1880. Other parts were given, in 1902 to the Indian Museum in Calcutta and to the Peter Redpath Museum in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.