Irish naturalist (1805?1852)
William Thompson
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Born
| (
1805-12-02
)
2 December 1805
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Died
| 17 February 1852
(1852-02-17)
(aged 46)
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Known for
| Ornithologist
,
marine biologist
, and author
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William Thompson
(2 December 1805 ? 17 February 1852) 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 four-volume
The Natural History of Ireland
, and were much used by contemporary and later authors such as
Francis Orpen Morris
.
[1]
Early years
[
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]
Thompson was born in the booming maritime city of
Belfast
, 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 cousin George Langtry, a
Fortwilliam
, Belfast shipowner.
[2]
They starting in the
Netherlands
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
.
[3]
[4]
[5]
Personal life
[
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]
William Thompson was a man of regular habits. For four hours after breakfast he was engaged in scientific research, preparation for the press and correspondence. Exercise for two or three hours followed. The interval between dinner and tea was given to the literature of the day and when the claims of local societies left him free he would retire to the study for two or three additional hours of scientific work. With spring came a visit to London where he enlarged his taste for literature, history, biography and the fine arts as well as science. He also visited most of the scenic parts of England and Scotland. In the summer the seaside with family and then in the Autumn tours with friends, attendance at meetings of the British Association and to shooting quarters in Scotland.
[6]
Research
[
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]
Thompson contributed up-to-date information on the birds of Ireland to
Selby
'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 four volumes between 1849 and 1851.
Birds
[
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]
Thompson either owned or had access to a very comprehensive ornithological library exemplared by the
Ornithological Dictionary
,
Le Regne Animal
,
Selby
's
Illustrations of British Ornithology
,
Coenraad Jacob Temminck
's
Manuel d'ornithologie ou Tableau systematique des oiseaux qui se trouvent en Europe
(Sepps & Dufour, Amsterdam, Paris 1815?40),
William Edward Parry
, 1821
Journal of a Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific; Performed in the years 1819?'20, in His Majecty's Ships Hecla and Griper ... with an Appendix Containing the Scientific and Other Observations
London (1821),
William John Swainson
and
John Richardson
, 1831.
Fauna boreali-Americana: part second, the birds
,
Charles Lucien Bonaparte
's
Synopsis of the Birds of the United States
,
Peter Simon Pallas
'
Zoographia Russo-Asiatica
.
His other tool was his own and other private
bird collections
and those of the museums in Belfast and Dublin.
The major bird publications are the 1841
Report on the fauna of Ireland (Vertebrata)
for the British Association for the Advancement of Science which is an early
biogeographic
work contrasting the vertebrates of Britain and Ireland. Thompson notes that with a few exceptions the native birds of Britain as then accepted by
Jardine
and
Selby
are all found in Ireland.
[7]
and
The Natural History of Ireland
is, in the section on birds, a
Monograph
with a literary style, sometimes anecdotal giving information on anatomy, plumage, behaviour, nesting and breeding, seasonality and distribution.
Thompson documented many rare in Ireland bird species, variously collected by his network of correspondents. Among birds these included the first Irish occurrences of
Bonaparte's Gull
and
American Bittern
.He was a sceptical observer writing on the Red Kite 'The name of "Kite" appears commonly in the catalogues of birds given in the Statistical Surveys of the Irish counties, and elsewhere; but, as the larger species of the falconidae are in some places called Kite and Glead, as well as Goshawk or Goose-hawk, there can be no doubt that the buzzard, or some common species, was meant.
[8]
Marine biology
[
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]
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
,
John Gwyn Jeffreys
, the Yoxford, Suffolk shell collector
George Barlee
(1794-1861) 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
commanded by
Thomas Graves
and 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.
[9]
Thompson focused on the depth range of algae, his main collection of which is in the
Ulster Museum
herbarium
and consists of five large albums
[nb 1]
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."
[10]
George Dickie
's
Flora of Ulster
contains records of Thompson's frequent botanical contributions and his
Hortus Siccus
and he is mentioned in
William Baird
's
Natural History of British
Entomostraca
.
Later years
[
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]
Thompson corresponded extensively on all aspects of natural history with naturalists in both Britain and Ireland, including with zoologist
Thomas Bell
who was at the heart of the English scientific establishment and two of the "
Grandees
" of the
Zoological Society
,
Nicholas Aylward Vigors
,
William Ogilby
.
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
[11]
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
. He died unmarried.
Excerpts from Thompson's letters and his notes were edited and published as the fourth volume of
The Natural History of Ireland
, which focused on invertebrates and non-avian vertebrates, by
George Dickie
,
James Ramsey Garrett
and
Robert Patterson
in 1856, four years after his death.
Works
[
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]
Partial list from over eighty. A complete list is found in
The Natural History of Ireland
(see External Links).
- 1837 On the Pollan (
Coregonus pollan
Thompson) of
Lough Neagh
Magazine of zoology and botany
1:247-251
online
- "Abstract of paper on Irish Algae, read before the Natural History Society of Belfast on January 20. 1836".
The Magazine of Natural History
.
9
: 147?151. 1836.
- 1833 on an immature specimen of the Long-tailed Manis (
Manis tetradactyla
, Linn.) from Sierra Leone.
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London
II 28.
online
- 1833 On the Occurrence of the Young of the
Arctic Tern
(
Sterna Arctica
, Temm.) in the North of Ireland
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London
II:33
online
- 1833 On the Occurrence of the
Black-headed Gull
(
Larus capistratus
, Temm.) in the North of Ireland
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London
II:33
online
- 1834 Notice of the cuckoo (
Cuculus canorus
Linn.)
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London
II:29
online
- 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.
Transactions of the Linnean Society of London
Minute Book Linnean Society 1834 published 1837
online
See also
The London and Edinburgh philosophical magazine and journal of science.
5: 298
online
.
- 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 [Catalogue of] Birds, fishes etc. new to the British and Irish Fauna
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London
3: 77?84.
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London
II:77
online
- 1837 [On Vertebratae new to Science to Britain to Ireland etc] 52-63
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London
1837:52-63
online
- 1838 III Contributions to the Natural History of Ireland No 5 On the Birds of the Order Insessores
Annals of natural history
1:12-26
online
- 1838 On the
Snowy Owl
(
Surnia nyctea
Dum.)
Annals of natural history
1:241-245
online
- 1838 On fishes new to Ireland
Annals of natural history
1:348-359
online
- 1839 On a new Sub?genus of Fishes, allied to
Ophidium
Transactions of the Zoological Society of London
1839:207-212 Plate XXXVIII
online
- 1839 with Robert Patterson On some Snow Crystals observed on 14 January , 1838
Magazine of Natural History
3:107-122
online
- 1839 On fishes new to Ireland
Annals of natural history
2:14-28
online
- 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.
Annals of natural history
4, 375?381.
online
- 1839 On fishes; containing a notice of one species new to the British fauna and of others to the Irish fauna
Annals of natural history
2:266-273
online
- 1839 On the breeding of the
Woodcock
(
Scolopax rusticola
in Ireland
Annals of natural history
2:337-448
online
- 1839 Observations on several British Fishes including the Description of a new Species
Annals of natural history
2:402-423
online
- 1840 Additions to the fauna of Ireland.
Annals of natural history
5, 6?14.
online
- 1840 Additions to the fauna of Ireland.
Annals of natural history
5: 245?257.
online
- with Goodsir, J. 1840 Description of Limneus involutus Harvey MS. with an account of the anatomy of the animal.
Annals of natural history
5: 22?25.
online
- 1840 On the Mollusca of Ireland [Species Unica].
Annals of natural history
5:84
online
- 1840 Contributions towards a knowledge of the Mollusca Nudibranchia and Mollusca Tunicata of Ireland, with descriptions of apparently some new species of invertebrata.
Annals of natural history
5: 84?102 Plate 2.
online
- 1840 On a
new genus of fishes
from India.
Annals of natural history
, 4 (6), 184?187.
online
- 1841 Report on the fauna of Ireland (Vertebrata)
Report of the
British Association for the Advancement of Science
1841
online
- 1840 On a minute alga which colours Ballydrain Lake, in the county of Antrim.
Annals and Magazine of Natural History
5: 75-84, figs 1-3.
online
- 1841 Catalogue of the land and freshwater Mollusca of Ireland.
Annals & Magazine of Natural History
6: 16?34
online
- 1841 Catalogue of the land and freshwater Mollusca of Ireland.
Annals & Magazine of Natural History
6: 109?126
online
- 1841 Catalogue of the land andfreshwater Mollusca of Ireland.
Annals & Magazine of Natural History
6: 194?208
online
- 1841 Additions to the fauna of Ireland.
Annals & Magazine of Natural History
7: 477?481
online
- 1841 Notes on British
Char
, Salmo Umbla, Linn., S. Salvelinus, Don.
Annals & Magazine of Natural History
6: 444 ?
online
- 1842 Cycostoma elegans Lam. an Irish shell.
Annals & Magazine of Natural History
8: 228.
online
- 1842 Results of deep dredging off the
Mull of Galloway
, by
Capt. Beechey
, R.N..
Annals & Magazine of Natural History
10: 21?24.
online
- 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.
online
- 1844 Additions to the fauna of Ireland.
Annals & Magazine of Natural History
13: 430?440.
online
- 1845 Additions to the fauna of Ireland, including descriptions of some apparently new species of Invertebrata.
Annals & Magazine of Natural History
15: 308?322.
online
- 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.
online
- 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.
online
- 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.
online
- 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.
online
- 1847 Additions to the fauna of Ireland.
Annals & Magazine of Natural History
20: 169?176.
online
- 1848 Additions to the fauna of Ireland.
Annals & Magazine of Natural History
1: 62?65.
online
- 1849 Additions to the fauna of Ireland.
Annals & Magazine of Natural History
3: 351?357.
online
- 1851 Time of spawning of British Crustacea.
Annals & Magazine of Natural History
7: 501?502.
online
- 1853
Supplementary report on the fauna of Ireland
. Report for the British Association for the Advancement of Science : 286?290.
online
- The Natural History of Ireland
. Reeve, Benham and Reeve. 1849?1851.
Also published by Boehn, London.
Note. The pages
Proceedings of the Zoological 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
.
Thompson was a Member of the
Zoological Society of London
and a Corresponding
Member of The
Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences
and the
Boston Society of Natural History
.
Species names honouring William Thompson
[
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]
- Lepeophtheirus thompsoni
Baird, 1850
- Acipenser thompsoni
Ball
(in Thompson), 1856,4: 245.
synonym
of
Acipenser sturio
(Linnaeus, 1758)
- Bulimus thompsoni
(
Pfeiffer
, 1845) in Pfeiffer, L. 1845. Descriptions of twenty-two new species of land-shells, belonging to the collection of
Mr. H. Cuming
.
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London
13: 63-68
- Lepeophtheirus thompsoni
Baird
, 1850
- Thaumantias thompsoni
Forbes , 1841 ,
Ann. Nat. Hist
.
- Meloscira thompsoni
Harvey
synononym of
Lyngbya thompsonii
(Harvey) in
Hassall, A.H.
(1845).
A history of the British freshwater algae, including descriptions of the Desmideae and Diatomaceae. With upwards of one hundred plates, illustrating the various species
. Vol. I. pp. [i]-viii, [i]-462, [ i , err.]. London, Edinburgh, Paris & Leipzig: S. Highley, H. Bailliere; Sunderland & Knox; J.B. Bailliere; T.O. Weigel.
pdf
- Spirillum thompsoni
Hassall, A.H., 1845
A history of the British freshwater algae
:278
- Dolichospermum thompsoni
Ralfs
- Pterinea thompsoni
Portlock
, 1843 in
Report on the geology of the county of Londonderry, and of parts of Tyrone and Fermanagh
. Dublin, A. Milliken 1843.
- Hypoplita thompsoni
and
Pagurus thompsoni
Bell
in
A History of the British Stalk-eyed Crustacea
. Paternoster Row, London: John Van Voorst. 1844?1853
Notes
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]
- ^
Algae collection. Ulster Museum (BEL) catalogue numbers: F7953 ? F8151, F8182 ? F8393, F8394 ? F8595, F8580 ? F8847 and F8848 ? F8937.
References
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]
- ^
"The Blue Tit mouse, BirdCheck.co.uk"
.
- ^
Andrew O'Brien, Linde Lunney (2009). Thompson, William.
In James McGuire, James Quinn (ed.), Dictionary of Irish Biography.
Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
(
http://dib.cambridge.org/viewReadPage.do?articleId=a8529
)
- ^
Ross, H.C.G. (1985) William Thompson, naturalist 1805-1852. In Molian, R. C., Davis, W. and Finucane, B. (eds).
Some people and places in Irish science and technology
: 38-39. Royal Irish Academy, Dublin.
- ^
Wyse Jackson, Patrick 2010 William Thompson (1805-1852): zoologist and biogeographer
Irish Naturalists Journal
30:119-122
- ^
Ross, H. C. G. and Nash, R. (1985) The development of natural history in early nineteenth century Ireland. In Wheeler, A. and Price, J. H. (eds).
From Linnaeus to Darwin: commentaries on the history of biologyand geology
: 13-27. Special Publication 3.Society for the History of Natural History,
London.
- ^
Memoir of the Late_William Thompson, Esq., President of the Natural and Philosophical Society of Belfast
- ^
Jardine, W. and Selby J.
Illustrations of Ornithology
1825 to 1843
- ^
The Natural History of Ireland
- ^
Forbes E. (1844). Report on the Mollusca and Radiata of the Aegean sea, and on their distribution, considered as bearing on geology.
Reports of the British Association for the Advancement of Science
for 1843. 130-193.
online
- ^
Gifford, I.
1853.
The Marine Botanist; an Introduction to the Study of the British Sea-weeds;...
Third edition. Brighton, London.
- ^
Fairley, J.S.
1975.
An Irish Beast Book. A Natural History of Ireland's Furred Wildlife.
Blackstaff Press, Belfast
Further reading
[
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]
- Foster, J. W.; Chesney, H. C. G, eds. (1997).
Nature in Ireland: A Scientific and Cultural History
. Lilliput Press.
ISBN
0-7735-1817-7
.
- Rea, M. W. (1934). "The Wm. Thompson collection of British marine algae".
Irish Naturalists' Journal
.
5
(4): 81?83.
- Morton, O. 1980. Three algal collections in the Ulster Museum Herbarium.
Irish Nataturalists' Journal.
20
: 33 ? 37
- Jackson, P.N.W. 2010. William Thompson (1805?1852): zoologist and biogeographer.
Ir. Nat. J.
:
30
119 ? 122.
- 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.
- Robert Patterson, 1856 Memoir of the Late William Thompson, Esq. President of the Natural and Philosophical Society of Belfast in
The Natural History of Ireland Volume 4: Mammalia, reptiles and fishes. Also, invertebrata
online here at WikiSource
s:Memoir of the Late William Thompson, Esq., President of the Natural and Philosophical Society of Belfast
*Fairley, J . 1975.
An Irish Beast Book.
Blackstaff Press, Belfast.SBN 85640 090 4
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