S

Edward Blyth1810-1873

Early Life

Born in London in 1810 Father died shortly after, leaving Edward to take care of family

Never attended a formal university Studied chemistry under Mr. Keating

Pharmacist, author, and editor Never made substantial amount of money

1841- Curator at Asiatic Society of Bengal Father of Indian ornithology

Ornithology

Study of birds Concentrated research in India while working for

the museum Proceedings of the Zoological Society (1837-1840) Species of birds in India and Europe Field Naturalist (1840)

Genus Ovis (sheep species) Catalogue of the Birds of the Asiatic Society

(1849)

Blyth vs. Darwin

Lived during same time period, though Blyth did not necessarily believe in evolution

Darwin stole ideas from Blyth? 1835 and 1837- Blyth expands on ideas presented

by Charles Lyell concerning natural and sexual selection in The Magazine of Natural History

While on the Beagle, Darwin had access to The Magazine of Natural History

1837- Darwin began first notebook concerning species

Blyth’s last notebook mysteriously belongs to Darwin without being published

Blyth vs. Darwin(cont’d)

Darwin stole ideas from Blyth? (cont’d) Similar word choice between Blyth’s papers and

Darwin’s Origin of Species “inosculate”

Blyth’s views of natural selection Did not believe in the idea of a common ancestor Man is a creation of God and different from all other

animals

Magazine of Natural History

(1835)

Four varieties of animals: Simple variations Acquired variations Breeds True variety

Racial color is a fixed trait Changes in traits are made by “Providence” Left his ideas open for interpretation

Later Years

Returned back to London to recover from illness Fell into debt Attempted to help write a book, Birds of India, but

suffered from a mental breakdown Led to becoming an alcoholic Convicted of assault

Died from heart disease in 1873 Never truly recognized for the inspiration he gave Darwin Still seen as huge contributor to ornithology

Major Works

Magazine of Natural History (1835 and 1837) Proceedings of the Zoological Society (1837-1840) Field Naturalist (1840) Animal Kingdom (edited section on Mammalia,

Birds and Reptiles in 1840) Catalogue of the Birds of the Asiatic Society

(1849) Catalogue of the Mammals and Birds of Burma

(1875)

Summary

Father of Indian ornithology Spent years studying birds in India as the curator of

the Asiatic Society of Bengal Wrote about ideas that were possibly stolen by

Darwin Theorized about variations of animals

Inspiration for “survival of the fittest” theory Sadly forgotten and never truly advanced himself

during his lifetime

http://www.thedarwinpapers.com/oldsite/Number2/Darwin2Html.htm

http://www.wku.edu/~smithch/biogeog/BLYT1835.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Blyth

Eiseley, Loren. Darwin and the Mysterious Mr. X. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1979.

References