Roy Bell (ornithologist)
Encyclopedia
Raoul Sunday Bell (19 February 1882 – 28 March 1966) was a professional New Zealand
and Australia
n natural history
specimen
collector, ornithologist
, naturalist
and photographer
, who spent much time on Lord Howe
and Norfolk Island
s in the Tasman Sea
between Australia and New Zealand.
Bell was born on Raoul Island
in the Kermadec Group
north-east of New Zealand. By 1908 he was working as a specimen collector. From 1912 to 1914 Bell worked for Gregory Mathews
, collecting bird specimens for him on Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands. The information and specimens collected enabled Mathews to publish his book “The Birds of Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands” in 1928.
Bell served in the First World War as a photographer. After the war he collected in Victoria and New South Wales
, Australia.
.
Bell’s work on the island added significantly to our knowledge of the birds there. He discovered Kermadec Petrel
s breeding on Mount Gower
. He also found that the White-bellied Storm-petrel bred on the island and added eight other species to Lord Howe’s bird list.
Bell retired to Norfolk Island, where he died in 1966. His manuscript journals from when he was working and living on Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands are held by the National Library of Australia
.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n natural history
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...
specimen
Specimen
A specimen is a portion/quantity of material for use in testing, examination, or study.BiologyA laboratory specimen is an individual animal, part of an animal, a plant, part of a plant, or a microorganism, used as a representative to study the properties of the whole population of that species or...
collector, ornithologist
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
, 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...
and photographer
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, who spent much time on Lord Howe
Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, directly east of mainland Port Macquarie, and about from Norfolk Island. The island is about 11 km long and between 2.8 km and 0.6 km wide with an area of...
and Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
s in the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
between Australia and New Zealand.
Bell was born on Raoul Island
Raoul Island
Anvil-shaped Raoul Island , the largest and northernmost of the main Kermadec Islands, , has been the source of vigorous volcanic activity during the past several thousand years that was dominated by dacitic explosive eruptions.The area of the island, including fringing islets and rocks...
in the Kermadec Group
Kermadec Islands
The Kermadec Islands are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a similar distance southwest of Tonga...
north-east of New Zealand. By 1908 he was working as a specimen collector. From 1912 to 1914 Bell worked for Gregory Mathews
Gregory Mathews
Gregory Macalister Mathews CBE was an Australian amateur ornithologist.Mathews made his fortune in mining shares, and moved to England around 1900....
, collecting bird specimens for him on Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands. The information and specimens collected enabled Mathews to publish his book “The Birds of Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands” in 1928.
Bell served in the First World War as a photographer. After the war he collected in Victoria and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia.
Lord Howe Island
Bell settled in Norfolk Island in 1910, but he also spent two years on Lord Howe Island collecting birds and other specimens during and following his employment with Mathews. He had a permit from the Lord Howe Island Board to collect certain birds. Because of opposition from some islanders his permit was temporarily revoked, then restored after he had gained favour with some influential islander families by providing them with special albums of photographs he had taken. Despite the restrictions on the permit Bell collected large numbers of all species, including 80 specimens of the Lord Howe WoodhenLord Howe Woodhen
The Lord Howe Woodhen, Gallirallus sylvestris, also known as the Lord Howe Island Woodhen or Lord Howe Rail, is a flightless bird of the rail family . It is endemic to Lord Howe Island off the Australian coast. It is a small olive brown bird, with a short tail and a downcurved bill...
.
Bell’s work on the island added significantly to our knowledge of the birds there. He discovered Kermadec Petrel
Kermadec Petrel
The Kermadec Petrel is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family.-Distribution:It is found in Australia, Chile, Japan, Mexico, Micronesia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Pitcairn, and the United States....
s breeding on Mount Gower
Mount Gower
Mount Gower dominates the southern tip of Lord Howe Island and has its peak at 875 metres .Average climbing time to Mount Gower's summit is 8 – 10 hours. The path is rope-assisted and rated as one of the world's best one-day hikes...
. He also found that the White-bellied Storm-petrel bred on the island and added eight other species to Lord Howe’s bird list.
Bell retired to Norfolk Island, where he died in 1966. His manuscript journals from when he was working and living on Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands are held by the National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
.