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William Thompson (naturalist)
Encyclopedia
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. These formed the basis of his three-volume The Natural History of Ireland, and were much used by contemporary and later authors such as Francis Orpen Morris
.
, Ireland, the eldest son of a linen
merchant, whose wealth would later permit Thompson to fund his own research without an academic affiliation. Thompson attended the newly formed Royal Belfast Academical Institution
, where he got a degree in Biological Science. Founded by, amongst others, John Templeton
, the school had a strong natural history section that produced a cohort of prominent naturalists. In 1826 he went on a Grand Tour
accompanied by George Langtry, a Fortwilliam Belfast shipowner. They starting in Holland then travelled through Belgium
down the Rhine to Switzerland
and on to Rome
and Naples
. They returned via Florence
, Geneva
and Paris
. Thompson's first scientific paper, The Birds of the Copeland Islands
, was published in 1827 shortly after he joined the Belfast Natural History Society
. In these years he became a member of the Belfast Literary Society
.
’s The Magazine of Zoology and Botany, The Annals of Natural History, The Magazine of Natural History, and the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, and prepared the first comprehensive list of Ireland's birds for the 1840 meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science
at Glasgow
. Other work, primarily about birds, was published in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London and the London and Edinburgh Philosophical Journal. These papers formed the basis of his seminal work—The Natural History of Ireland—published in three volumes between 1849 and 1851.
He collected many rare species, including Bonaparte's gull
and American bittern
, that he kept in an extensive private bird museum. He observed, but did not collect, other rare birds such as the red kite
.
In 1834 Thompson began studying the distribution of marine animals in space (depth range) and time (seasonality). His first research was with Edward Forbes
conducting dredging in the Irish Sea
. Other participants were Robert MacAndrew, George Barlee, John Gwyn Jeffreys
and his fellow Irishmen Robert Ball, Edmund Getty
and George Crawford Hyndman
. In 1835 he travelled in France
, Switzerland
and Germany
with Forbes. Then in 1841 he joined Forbes and Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt
on the Beacon working in the Mediterranean and Aegean
. The expedition lasted eighteen months and conducted more than one hundred dredging operations at depths varying from 1 to 130 fathoms, as well as shore-based studies. Thompson focused on the depth range of algae, his main collection of which is in the Ulster Museum
herbarium
and consists of five large albumsAlgae collection. Ulster Museum (BEL) catalogue numbers: F7953 — F8151, F8182 — F8393, F8394 — F8595, F8580 — F8847 and F8848 — F8937. containing specimens collected by Thompson himself, William Henry Harvey
, Moon, D. Landsborough, Robert Ball, Thomas Coulter
, George Crawford Hyndman, William McCalla
and many others. His records are also reported by others such as Gifford (1853):- Griffithsia simplicifilum from "...Isle of Wight, in August, 1841, by Messers. R.Ball. and W. Thompson."
George Dickie
's Flora of Ulster contains records of Thompson's frequent botanical contributions and he is mentioned in William Baird
's Natural History of British Entomostraca
.
who was at the heart of the English scientific establishment.
As Thompson's reputation spread, information was passed to him by interested observers all over Ireland. However his health became poor around 1847 or 1848, when he was 42, and he suffered from heart trouble from 1847. In 1852 Thompson died of a heart attack
in London
where he had been tended by his friends William Yarrell
, author of British Birds, Edward Forbes, Edwin Lankester
, of the Ray Society
and George Busk
. A planned fourth volume of his The Natural History of Ireland, focusing on invertebrates and non-avian vertebrates was left incomplete on his death. He died unmarried.
Excerpts from Thompson's letters and his notes were edited and published by James Ramsey Garrett s:Notes and papers relating to Belfast Natural History Society and Robert Patterson
in 1856, four years after his death.
The Sea louse Lepeophtheirus thompsoni Baird, 1850 honours his name.
Note.The pages Proceedings of the Zooloogical Society of London
, The Magazine of Natural History
and Annals & Magazine of Natural History
all link to digitised versions of these works provided by Biodiversity Heritage Library
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
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...
celebrated for his founding studies of the natural history of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, especially in ornithology
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...
and marine biology
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
. Thompson published numerous notes on the distribution, breeding, eggs, habitat, song, plumage, behaviour, nesting and food of birds. These formed the basis of his three-volume The Natural History of Ireland, and were much used by contemporary and later authors such as Francis Orpen Morris
Francis Orpen Morris
Rev. Francis Orpen Morris , Irish ornithologist and entomologist, was notable as the author of many children's books and books on natural history and heritage buildings...
.
Early years
Thompson was born in the booming maritime city of BelfastBelfast
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...
, Ireland, the eldest son of a linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
merchant, whose wealth would later permit Thompson to fund his own research without an academic affiliation. Thompson attended the newly formed Royal 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 he got a degree in Biological Science. Founded by, amongst others, John Templeton
John 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:...
, the school had a strong natural history section that produced a cohort of prominent naturalists. In 1826 he went on a Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
accompanied by George Langtry, a Fortwilliam Belfast shipowner. They starting in Holland then travelled through Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
down the Rhine to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and on to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. They returned via Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Thompson's first scientific paper, The Birds of the Copeland Islands
Copeland Islands
The Copeland Islands is a group of three islands in the north Irish Sea, north of Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland consisting of Lighthouse, Mew and Copeland Island.-Area of Special Scientific Interest :...
, was published in 1827 shortly after he joined the Belfast Natural History Society
Belfast Natural History Society
The Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society was founded in 1821 to promote the scientific study of animals, plants, fossils, rocks and minerals....
. In these years he became a member 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...
.
Research
Thompson contributed up-to-date information on the birds of Ireland to SelbyPrideaux John Selby
Prideaux John Selby was an English ornithologist, botanist and artist and landowner.Selby is best known for his Illustrations of British Ornithology , the first set of life-sized illustrations of British birds...
’s The Magazine of Zoology and Botany, The Annals of Natural History, The Magazine of Natural History, and the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, and prepared the first comprehensive list of Ireland's birds for the 1840 meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science
British Association for the Advancement of Science
frame|right|"The BA" logoThe British Association for the Advancement of Science or the British Science Association, formerly known as the BA, is a learned society with the object of promoting science, directing general attention to scientific matters, and facilitating interaction between...
at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Other work, primarily about birds, was published in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London and the London and Edinburgh Philosophical Journal. These papers formed the basis of his seminal work—The Natural History of Ireland—published in three volumes between 1849 and 1851.
He collected many rare species, including Bonaparte's gull
Bonaparte's Gull
The Bonaparte's Gull is a small gull.The Bonaparte's Gull is a small species, larger only than the Little Gull and the Saunders's Gull among all gull species. Adults are long with a wingspan and a body mass of . They have a black hood and a short thin dark bill. The body is mainly white with...
and American bittern
American Bittern
The American Bittern is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae. New evidence has led the American Ornithologists' Union to move the heron family into the order Pelecaniformes .-Description:...
, that he kept in an extensive private bird museum. He observed, but did not collect, other rare birds such as the red kite
Red Kite
The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just...
.
In 1834 Thompson began studying the distribution of marine animals in space (depth range) and time (seasonality). His first research was with Edward Forbes
Edward Forbes
Professor Edward Forbes FRS, FGS was a Manx naturalist.-Early years:Forbes was born at Douglas, in the Isle of Man. While still a child, when not engaged in reading, or in the writing of verses and drawing of caricatures, he occupied himself with the collecting of insects, shells, minerals,...
conducting dredging in the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
. Other participants were Robert MacAndrew, George Barlee, John Gwyn Jeffreys
John Gwyn Jeffreys
John Gwyn Jeffreys was a British conchologist and malacologist.He was born in Swansea into a propertied Welsh family and educated at Swansea Grammar School. He went to London to qualify as a barrister, which he did. His greater passion however was for conchology...
and his fellow Irishmen Robert Ball, 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...
and 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...
. In 1835 he travelled in 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...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with Forbes. Then in 1841 he joined Forbes and Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt
Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt
Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt was an English vice-admiral, hydrographer and geologist.He was born at Woodway House, East Teignmouth, the eldest surviving son of Commander James Spratt, RN, a hero of Trafalgar. He entered the navy in 1827 and was attached to the surveying branch on "HMS Victory"...
on the Beacon working in the Mediterranean and Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
. The expedition lasted eighteen months and conducted more than one hundred dredging operations at depths varying from 1 to 130 fathoms, as well as shore-based studies. Thompson focused on the depth range of algae, his main collection of which is 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...
herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
and consists of five large albumsAlgae collection. Ulster Museum (BEL) catalogue numbers: F7953 — F8151, F8182 — F8393, F8394 — F8595, F8580 — F8847 and F8848 — F8937. containing specimens collected by Thompson himself, William Henry Harvey
William Henry Harvey
William Henry Harvey was an Irish botanist who specialised in algae.- Biography :William Henry Harvey was born at Summerville near Limerick, Ireland, in 1811, the youngest of 11 children. His father Joseph Massey Harvey, was a Quaker and prominent merchant...
, Moon, D. Landsborough, Robert Ball, Thomas Coulter
Thomas Coulter
Thomas Coulter , of Dundalk, was an Irish physician, botanist, and explorer. He was a member of the Royal Irish Academy, and a fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, where he founded the college's herbarium....
, George Crawford Hyndman, William McCalla
William McCalla
William McCalla was an Irish botanist. McCalla collected algae and flowering plants, his records are included in Harvey's Phycologia Britannica. His specimens are in the Ulster Museum and Trinity College, Dublin....
and many others. His records are also reported by others such as Gifford (1853):- Griffithsia simplicifilum from "...Isle of Wight, in August, 1841, by Messers. R.Ball. and W. Thompson."
George Dickie
George Dickie (botanist)
George Dickie was a Scottish botanist , who specialsed in algae.He studied arts, then medicine at the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh. He became a lecturer on botany in King's College, Aberdeen, then University Librarian. In 1849 He was appointed the first Professor of Natural History at...
's Flora of Ulster contains records of Thompson's frequent botanical contributions and he is mentioned in William Baird
William Baird (physician)
William Baird was a Scottish physician and zoologist, best known for his 1850 work, Natural History of British Entomostraca.-Biography:...
's Natural History of British Entomostraca
Entomostraca
Entomostraca is a historical subclass of Crustacea, no longer in technical use. It was originally considered one of the two major lineages of crustaceans , combining all other classes – Branchiopoda, Cephalocarida, Ostracoda and Maxillopoda. The Ostracoda have the body enclosed in a bivalve...
.
Later years
Thompson corresponded extensively on all aspects of natural history with naturalists in both Britain and Ireland, including with zoologist Thomas BellThomas Bell (zoologist)
Thomas Bell FRS was an English zoologist, surgeon and writer, born in Poole, Dorset, UK.Bell, like his mother Susan, took a keen interest in natural history which his mother also encouraged in his younger cousin Philip Henry Gosse. Bell left Poole in 1813 for his training as a dental surgeon in...
who was at the heart of the English scientific establishment.
As Thompson's reputation spread, information was passed to him by interested observers all over Ireland. However his health became poor around 1847 or 1848, when he was 42, and he suffered from heart trouble from 1847. In 1852 Thompson died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he had been tended by his friends William Yarrell
William Yarrell
William Yarrell was an English bookseller and naturalist.Yarrell is best known as the author of The History of British Fishes and The History of British Birds . The latter went into several editions and was the standard reference work for a generation of British ornithologists...
, author of British Birds, Edward Forbes, Edwin Lankester
Edwin Lankester
Edwin Lankester MRCS, FRS was an English surgeon and naturalist who made a major contribution to the control of cholera in London: he was the first public analyst in England.- Life :...
, of the 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...
and George Busk
George Busk
George Busk RN FRS was a British Naval surgeon, zoologist and palaeontologist.-Biography:Busk was born in St Petersburg, the son of the merchant Robert Busk and grandson of Sir Wadsworth Busk...
. A planned fourth volume of his The Natural History of Ireland, focusing on invertebrates and non-avian vertebrates was left incomplete on his death. He died unmarried.
Excerpts from Thompson's letters and his notes were edited and published by James Ramsey Garrett s:Notes and papers relating to Belfast Natural History Society and 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...
in 1856, four years after his death.
The Sea louse Lepeophtheirus thompsoni Baird, 1850 honours his name.
Works
Partial list from over eighty. A complete list is found in The Natural History of Ireland (see External Links).- 1833 On an immature specimen of the Long-tailed Manis (Manis tetradactyla, Linn.) from Sierra Leone. Proceedings of the Zooloogical Society of LondonJournal of ZoologyThe Journal of Zoology is a scientific journal concerning zoology, the study of animals. It was founded in 1830 by the Zoological Society of London and is published by Wiley-Blackwell. It carries original research papers, which are targeted towards general readers...
II 28. - 1834 Observations of some of native Mammalia, birds and fishes, including additions to the British fauna. List of land and freshwater Mollusca new to Ireland. Phil. Mag. Lond. & Edin. 5: 298.
- 1835 PollanCoregonus pollanThe pollan or Irish pollan is a freshwater whitefish that is known only from five Irish lakes, Lough Neagh, Lower Lough Erne, Lough Ree, Lough Derg and Lough Allen....
of Lough NeaghLough NeaghLough Neagh, sometimes Loch Neagh, is a large freshwater lake in Northern Ireland. Its name comes .-Geography:With an area of , it is the largest lake in the British Isles and ranks among the forty largest lakes of Europe. Located twenty miles to the west of Belfast, it is approximately twenty...
. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1835, 77. - 1835 On the Teredo navalis and Limnoria terebrans, as at present existing in certain localities on the coasts of the British Islands. Edinb. New Phil. J. 18: 121-130.
- 1835 On some additions to the British fauna. Proceedings of the Zoological Society London 3: 77-84.
- 1840 Note on the occurrence at various times of the bottle-nosed whale (Hyperoodon butzkoph, Lancep.) on the coast of Ireland; and its nearly simultaneous appearance on different parts of the British coast in the autumn of 1839. Magazine of Natural HistoryJournal of Natural HistoryThe Journal of Natural History is a scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis focusing on entomology and zoology. The journal was established in 1841 under the name Annals and Magazine of Natural History and obtained its current title in 1967...
4, 375-381. - 1840 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. Magazine of Natural History 5, 6-14.
- 1840 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. Magazine of Natural History 5: 245-257.
- with Goodsir, J. 1840 Description of Limneus involutus Harvey MS. with an account of the anatomy of the animal. Magazine of Natural History 5: 22-25.
- 1840 Contributions towards a knowledge of the Mollusca Nudibranchia and Mollusca Tunicata of Ireland, with descriptions of apparently some new species of invertebrata. Magazine of Natural History 5: 84-102 Plate 2.Download at http://www.dodoline.it/biosophia/docs/tunicata/tunicata.htm
- 1841 Catalogue of the land and freshwater Mollusca of Ireland. Annals & Magazine of Natural HistoryJournal of Natural HistoryThe Journal of Natural History is a scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis focusing on entomology and zoology. The journal was established in 1841 under the name Annals and Magazine of Natural History and obtained its current title in 1967...
6: 16-34 - 1841 Catalogue of the land and freshwater Mollusca of Ireland. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 6: 109-126
- 1841 Catalogue of the land andfreshwater Mollusca of Ireland. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 6: 194-208
- 1841 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 7: 477-481
- 1842 Results of deep dredging off the Mull of Galloway, by Capt. Beechey, R.N.. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 10: 21-24.
- 1842 Cycostoma elegans Lam. an Irish shell. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 8: 228.
- 1843 Report on the fauna of Ireland: div. Invertebrata. Drawn up, at the request of the British Association. Rep. Meet. Br. Assoc. Advancem. Science London, 13: 245-291.
- 1844 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 13: 430-440.
- 1845 Additions to the fauna of Ireland, including descriptions of some apparently new species of Invertebrata. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 15: 308-322.
- 1846 Notice of a bottle-nosed whale Hyperoodon butzkoph, Lancep. obtained in Belfast Bay in October, 1845. Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 17, 150-153.
- 1846 Additions to the fauna of Ireland, including species new to that of Britain; with notes on rare species. Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 18, 310-315.
- 1846 Additions to the fauna of Ireland, including a few species unrecorded in that of Britain; with the description of an apparently new Glossiphonia. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 18: 383-397.
- 1847 Note on the Teredo norvegica (T. navalis, Turton, not Linn), Xylophaga dorsalis, Limnoria terebrans and Chelura terebrans, combined in destroying the submerged wood-work at the harbour of Ardrossan on the coast of Ayrshire. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 20: 157-164.
- 1847 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 20: 169-176.
- 1848 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 1: 62-65.
- 1849 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 3: 351-357.
- 1851 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 7: 501-502.
- 1853 Supplementary report on the fauna of Ireland. Report for the British Association for the Advancement of Science : 286-290. Also published by Boehn, London.
Note.The pages Proceedings of the Zooloogical Society of London
Journal of Zoology
The Journal of Zoology is a scientific journal concerning zoology, the study of animals. It was founded in 1830 by the Zoological Society of London and is published by Wiley-Blackwell. It carries original research papers, which are targeted towards general readers...
, The Magazine of Natural History
Journal of Natural History
The Journal of Natural History is a scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis focusing on entomology and zoology. The journal was established in 1841 under the name Annals and Magazine of Natural History and obtained its current title in 1967...
and Annals & Magazine of Natural History
Journal of Natural History
The Journal of Natural History is a scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis focusing on entomology and zoology. The journal was established in 1841 under the name Annals and Magazine of Natural History and obtained its current title in 1967...
all link to digitised versions of these works provided by Biodiversity Heritage Library
Biodiversity Heritage Library
The Biodiversity Heritage Library is a project for the digitization of literature on biodiversity. It was founded in 2005 and was initially formed by ten United States and British libraries....
.
Further references
- Morton, O. 1980. Three algal collections in the Ulster Museum Herbarium. Ir. Nat. J. 20: 33 - 37
- Ross, H.C.G. and Nash, R. 1985. The development of natural history in early nineteenth century Ireland. From Linnaeus to Darwin: commentaries on the history of biology and geology. Society for the history of Natural History, London.
- Jackson, P.N.W. 2010. William Thompson (1805–1852): zoologist and biogeographer. Ir. Nat. J.: 30 119 - 122.
External links
- About Ireland pdfs of The Natural History of Ireland
- National Portrait Gallery
- Google Books Digitised The Natural History of Ireland