CAPTAIN  MATTHEW  FLINDERS    1774-­‐1814  

Bewick

Northener, hundreds of wood engravings.Birds.

OLIVER RACKEM

Rackem is held in high esteem as an authority on the British countryside, espe-cially trees, woodlands and wood pasture. The author of many well-known books, covering topics such as the history of the British countryside as well as the ecology of Crete, Greece. Rackem was awarded an OBE in 1998 for “Services to Nature Conservation” and was appointed the role of Honorary Professor of Historical Ecol-ogy in the Department of Plant Sciences at Cambridge University.

Sir  Joseph  Banks    1743  –  182    English  naturalist,  botanist  and  patron  of  the  natural  sciences.    He  took  part  in  Captain  James  Cook's  first  great  voyage  (1768–1771).    Banks  is  credited  with  the  introduction  to  the  Western  world  of  eucalyptus,  acacia,  mimosa,  and  the  genus  named  after  him,  Banksia.  Approximately  80  species  of  plants  bear  Banks's  name.    Banks  was  also  the  leading  founder  of  the  African  Association,  a  British  organization  dedicated  to  the  exploration  of  Africa,  and  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Dilettanti,  which  helped  to  establish  the  Royal  Academy.    Banks's  was  a  major  supporter  of  the  internationalist  nature  of  science,  being  actively  involved  both  in  keeping  open  the  lines  of  communication  with  continental  scientists  during  the  Napoleonic  Wars,  and  in  introducing  the  British  people  to  the  wonders  of  the  wider  world.  As  befits  someone  with  such  a  role  in  opening  the  South  Pacific  to  Europe,  his  name  dots  the  map  of  the  region:  Banks  Peninsula  on  South  Island,  New  Zealand;  the  Banks  Islands  in  modern-­‐day  Vanuatu;  and  Banks  Island  in  the  Northwest  Territories,  Canada.  

Henry  Walter  Bates  1825  –  1892    English  naturalist  and  explorer  who  gave  the  first  scientific  account  of  mimicry  in  animals.    He  was  most  famous  for  his  expedition  to  the  Amazon  with  Alfred  Russel  Wallace  in  1848.  Wallace  returned  in  1852,  but  lost  his  collection  in  a  shipwreck.  When  Bates  arrived  home  in  1859  after  a  full  eleven  years,  he  had  sent  back  over  14,000  species  (mostly  of  insects)  of  which  8,000  were  new  to  science.    experienced  amateur  entomologist  His  written  account  of  a  trip,  The  Naturalist  on  the  River  Amazons,  is  widely  regarded  as  one  of  the  finest  reports  of  natural  history  travels    Henry  Bates  was  one  of  a  group  of  outstanding  naturalist-­‐explorers  who  were  supporters  of  the  theory  of  evolution  by  natural  selection  (Charles  Darwin  and  Alfred  Russel  Wallace  1858)  Bates'  original  work  was  done  on  a  group  of  conspicuous  butterflies  which  he  knew  as  the  family  Heliconiidae.[17]  He  divided  this  assemblage  into  two  groups,  the  Danaoids,  having  affinities  with  the  great  family  Danaidae;  and  Acraeoids  related  to  the  Acraeinae.  

James Cook

Charles  Darwin  

1809  –  1882  

English  naturalist.  He  established  that  all  species  of  life  have  descended  over  time  from  common  ancestry,  and  proposed  

the  scientific  theory  that  this  branching  pattern  of  evolution  resulted  from  a  process  that  he  called  natural  selection.  

He  published  his  theory  with  compelling  evidence  for  evolution  in  his  1859  book  On  the  Origin  of  Species.  The  scientific  

community  and  much  of  the  general  public  came  to  accept  evolution  as  a  fact  of  life.  

By  the1950s  a  broad  consensus  developed  that  natural  selection  was  the  basic  mechanism  of  evolution.  In  modified  form,  

Darwin's  scientific  discovery  is  the  unifying  theory  of  the  life  sciences,  explaining  the  diversity  of  life  

His  five-­‐year  voyage  on  HMS  Beagle  established  him  as  an  eminent  geologist  whose  observations  and  theories  

supported  Charles  Lyell's  uniformitarian  ideas,  and  publication  of  his  journal  of  the  voyage  made  him  famous  as  a  

popular  author.  Darwin  explored  remote  regions  and  marvelled  at  a  world  so  different  from  the  one  he  knew.  He  

encountered  birds  with  bright  blue  feet,  sharks  with  T-­‐shaped  heads  and  oversized  tortoises.  

Everywhere  he  went,  Darwin  amassed  plants,  animals  and  fossils,  and  took  copious  notes.  These  collections  and  records  

were  to  provide  the  clues  he  needed  to  develop  his  remarkable  theory  

 

Puzzled  by  the  geographical  distribution  of  wildlife  and  fossils  he  collected  on  the  voyage,  Darwin  investigated  the  transmutation  of  species  and  conceived  his  theory  of  natural  selection  in  1838      

Although  Darwin’s  theory  has  been  modified  over  time,  it  remains  fundamental  to  the  study  of  life  sciences.  But  the  

controversy  still  exists.      

There  are  some  who  don't  agree  with  Darwin's  theory  being  taught  in  school  biology  classes.    However  the  theory  

of  evolution  is  accepted  by  the  scientific  community  as  the  best,  evidence-­‐based  explanation  for  the  diversity  and  

complexity  of  life  on  Earth.  

Darwin  changed  not  only  the  way  we  see  plants  and  animals,  but  also  the  way  we  see  ourselves.    

John  James  Audubon    1785-­‐1851      For  half  a  century  he  was  the  Americas  dominant  wildlife  artist.  His  seminal  Birds  of  America,  a  collection  of  435  life-­‐size  prints,  quickly  eclipsed  Wilson’s  work  and  is  still  a  standard  against  which  20th  and  21st  century  bird  artists,  such  as  Roger  Tory  Peterson  and  David  Sibley,  are  measured.      Audubon  spent  more  than  a  decade  in  business,  eventually  traveling  down  the  Ohio  River  to  western  Kentucky  –  then  the  frontier  –  and  setting  up  a  dry-­‐goods  store  in  Henderson.  He  continued  to  draw  birds  as  a  hobby,  amassing  an  impressive  portfolio.  While  in  Kentucky,  Lucy  gave  birth  to  two  sons,  Victor  Gifford  and  John  Woodhouse,  as  well  as  a  daughter  who  died  in  infancy.  Audubon  was  quite  successful  in  business  for  a  while,  but  hard  times  hit,  and  in  1819  he  was  briefly  jailed  for  bankruptcy.  udubon  set  off  on  his  epic  quest  to  depict  America’s  avifauna,  with  nothing  but  his  gun,  artist’s  materials,  and  a  young  assistant.  Floating  down  the  Mississippi,  he  lived  a  rugged  hand-­‐to-­‐mouth  existence  in  the  South  while  Lucy  earned  money  as  a  tutor  to  wealthy  plantation  families.  In  1826  he  sailed  with  his  partly  finished  collection  to  England.  "The  American  Woodsman"  was  literally  an  overnight  success.  His  life-­‐size,  highly  dramatic  bird  portraits,  along  with  his  embellished  descriptions  of  wilderness  life,  hit  just  the  right  note  at  the  height  of  the  Continent’s  Romantic  era.  Audubon  found  a  printer  for  the  Birds  of  America,  first  in  Edinburgh,  then  London,  and  later  collaborated  with  the  Scottish  ornithologist  William  MacGillivray  on  the  Ornithological  Biographies  –  life  histories  of  each  of  the  species  in  the  work.      

Audubon's influence on ornithology and natural history was far reaching. Nearly all later ornithological

works were inspired by his artistry and high standards. Charles Darwin quoted Audubon three times in

On the Origin of Species and also in later works.[62] Despite some errors in field observations,

Audubon's field notes comprised a significant contribution to the understanding of bird anatomy and

behavior. Birds of America is still considered one of the greatest examples of book art. Among his

accomplishments, Audubon discovered twenty-five new species and twelve new subspecies.

Bent into shape to fit the frame

Ferdinand Bauer

Sir  Peter  Markham  Scott,    1909  1989    British  ornithologist,  conservationist,  painter,  naval  officer  and  sportsman.    Scott  was  knighted  in  1973  for  his  contribution  to  the  conservation  of  wild  animals.  He  had  been  a  founder  of  the  World  Wildlife  Fund,  a  founder  of  several  wetlands  bird  sanctuaries  in  Britain,  and  an  influence  on  international  conservation.  He  received  the  WWF  Gold  Medal  and  the  J.  Paul  Getty  Prize  for  his  work  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  World  Wide  Fund  for  Nature  (formerly  called  the  World  Wildlife  Fund),  and  designed  its  panda  logo.  His  pioneering  work  in  conservation  also  contributed  greatly  to  the  shift  in  policy  of  the  International  Whaling  Commission  and  signing  of  the  Antarctic  Treaty,  the  latter  inspired  by  his  visit  to  his  father's  base  on  Ross  Island  in  Antarctica.  Peter  Scott  was  a  conservation  colossus.  David  Bellamy  described  him  as  "the  father  of  conservation".  David  Attenborough  said  he  was  conservation's  "patron  saint".  Peter  was  probably  the  most  influential  conservationist  of  the  20th  century,  and  the  first  to  be  knighted  (in  1973).    Peter  Scott  was  the  son  of  Robert  Falcon  Scott  (the  famous  'Scott  of  the  Antarctic')  and  Kathleen  Scott,  the  sculptor.  Peter's  dying  father  left  a  letter  saying,  "make  the  boy  interested  in  natural  history  if  you  can.  It  is  better  than  games...".  Needless  to  say,  Peter  exceeded  expectations.    "Bringing  people  and  wildlife  together  for  the  benefit  of  both"  was  Peter's  vision  when  he  founded  the  Severn  Wildfowl  Trust  (later  Wildfowl  &  Wetlands  Trust  -­‐  WWT)  in  1946.  The  nine  UK  WWT  centres  and  associated  wetland  conservation  work  worldwide  are  a  major  part  of  his  legacy  which  also  includes  saving  the  Hawaiian  Goose  from  extinction.  

Running with birds.

Gerald  "Gerry"  Malcolm  Durrell  1925  –1995    naturalist,  zookeeper,  conservationist,  author,  and  television  presenter.    He  founded  what  is  now  called  the  Durrell  Wildlife  Conservation  Trust  and  the  Jersey  Zoo  (now  renamed  Durrell  Wildlife)  on  the  Channel  Island  of  Jersey  in  1958,  but  is  perhaps  best  remembered  for  writing  a  number  of  books  based  on  his  life  as  an  animal  collector  and  enthusiast.  He  was  the  brother  of  the  novelist  Lawrence  Durrell.  Gerald  Durrell  was  born  in,  India  after    the  death  of  his  father  the  family  moved  back  to  the  UK,  soon  moved  to  the  island  of  Corfu.  Here  Gerald  Durrell’s  interest  in  animals  and  all  things  living  blossomed,  fuelled  by  a  friendship  with  Dr  Theodore  Stephanides,  whose  fascination  with  the  animal  world  inspired  the  10-­‐year-­‐old  Gerald.  In  1939,  the  Durrell  family  moved  back  to  the  UK.    After  the  war,  he  became  a  student  keeper  at  the  Zoological  Society  of  London’s  Whipsnade  Park  to  gain  experience  with  a  wider  variety  of  animals.  At  the  age  of  21  he  inherited  £3,000  with  which  he  financed,  organised  and  led  his  first  animal  collecting  expedition  –  to  the  British  Cameroons.  For  the  next  ten  years  he  travelled  to  many  lesser  known  parts  of  the  world,  acquiring  animals  for  the  major  British  zoological  gardens.    During  brief  interludes  between  expeditions,  Gerry  launched  his  second  career.  He  began  writing  stories  of  his  animal  escapades  for  magazines  and  radio  broadcasts,  publishing  his  first  book,  The  Overloaded  Ark,  in  1953.  He  eventually  wrote  33  books.    Gerry’s  unique  insight  into  the  animal  kingdom  and  the  engaging  humour  with  which  he  described  his  adventures  made  him  one  of  the  most  widely  read  authors  of  animal  stories.  Gerry  also  hosted  seven  television  series  as  well  as  making  numerous  appearances  on  television  and  radio  programmes.  His  early  years  of  collecting  expeditions  were  filmed  by  the  BBC  Natural  History  Unit.  Later  series,  including  The  Amateur  Naturalist  and  Durrell  in  Russia,  were  filmed  by  independent  producers  for  Channel  4  and  subsequently  sold  to  networks  and  satellite  stations  in  over  40  countries,  reaching  150  million  viewers.  Cook    1753-­‐1828    At  the  age  of  fourteen  apprenticed  to  Ralph  Beilby,  the  owner  of  an  engraving  business  in  Newcastle.  During  his  seven–year  apprenticeship,  Bewick  was  instructed  in  all  the  skills  necessary  to  excel  in  the  engraving  business,  but  Beilby  was  soon  to  recognise  his  young  protégé’s  obvious  talent  for  woodcut  engraving.  He  was  set  to  work  on  a  number  of  book  illustrations,  including  children’s  books  such  as  Tommy  Trip’s  History  of  Beasts  and  Birds,  Fables  by  the  late  Mr  Gay  and  Select  Fables  for  Thomas  Saint,  a  Newcastle  printer.  After  the  completion  of  his  apprenticeship,  Bewick  set  out  alone  on  foot  on  a  five  hundred-­‐mile  tour  of  Scotland.  On  his  return  to  Newcastle  he  immediately  took  a  passage  on  a  collier  bound  for  London  to  try  his  luck  in  the  ‘great  city’.  Bewick  disliked  London,  and  he  returned  home  to  Newcastle  as  soon  as  he  was  able,  resuming  his  association  with  Ralph  Beilby  in  1777  as  his  partner.  Beilby  and  Bewick  set  out  on  an  ambitious  project  to  produce  a  General  History  of  Quadrupeds.  With  high  motives,  this  volume,  intended  to  encourage  the  youth  of  the  day  into  the  study  of  natural  history,  was  published  in  1790  and  was  exceptionally  well  received,  due  in  the  most  part  to  the  freshness  and  accuracy  with  which  many  of  the  animals  were  portrayed.  Two  volumes  of  the  History  of  British  Birds  were  published,  Land  Birds  in  1797  and  Water  Birds  in  1804.  It  is  here  we  see  Bewick  at  his  best  as  a  keen  observer  of  wildlife,  drawing  in  most  part  from  his  own  experience  or  from  fresh  specimens  sent  to  him  by  his  many  friends  and  admirers.  Bewick  went  on  to  work    alone,  his  business  included  a  full  range  of  engraving  work  of  other  kinds,  such  as  engraving  on  glass  and  on  silver,  as  well  as  copper  engraving.  There  was  a  large  volume  of  commercial  jobbing  work  of  these  kinds  in  addition  to  commissions  for  wood-­‐engraved  illustration,  He  turned  his  attention  in  1812  to  a  new,  but  long-­‐cherished  wood-­‐engraving  venture,  The  Fables  of  Aesop  and  Others,  eventually  published  in  1818.  Fables  and  moral  tales  had  formed  a  greater  part  of  his  boyhood  reading  and  the  interest  had  continued  into  his  adult  life,  inspiring  many  of  his  vignettes  or  ‘tale-­‐pieces’  as  he  called  them.    

Richard  Fitter      1913-­‐  2005      British  naturalist  and  author.  Throughout  his  life,  Richard  was  active  in  working  for  wildlife  conservation.  He  was  an  expert  on  wild  flowers  and  the  author  of  several  guides  for  amateur  naturalists.    With  his  son,  he  authored  a  paper  in  Science  analysing  the  changing  phenology  of  plant  flowering  times  due  to  global  warming.  He  was  also  one  of  the  leading  figures  in  the  international  wildlife  conservation  movement,  and  for  many  years  the  Honorary  Secretary  of  the  Fauna  Preservation  Society.        He  was  also  involved  in  the  search  for  the  Loch  Ness  Monster,  being  a  director  of  the  Loch  Ness  Investigation  Bureau.    Richard  was  born  in  London:  his  first  memory  was  of  sitting  in  a  pram,  watching  ducks  on  the  pond  at  Tooting  Bec.  Shortly  afterwards,  a  glimpse  of  a  song  thrush's  nest  with  eggs  set  him  on  an  inevitable  course.  He  developed  his  knowledge  of  birds  while  at  Eastbourne  College,  and  became  involved  in  London's  natural  history  while  studying  at  the  London  School  of  Economics,  making  contact  with  other  wildlife  enthusiasts      

Richard  South  (1846  -­‐  1932)    English  entomologist  who  specialised  in  Lepidopter    He  wrote  A  list  of  butterflies  collected  by  Captain  F.  M.  Bailey  in  western  China,  South-­‐Eastern  Tibet,  and  the  Mishmi  Hills,  1911.J.  Bomb.  nat.  Hist.  Soc  22  (3):  598-­‐615  (1913)  ,  The  Butterflies  of  the  British  Isles  Warne,  London  (1906)  and  The  Moths  of  the  British  Isles  Warne,  London  (1907)  and  many  short  scientific  papers  on  LepidopteraThe  Order  Lepidoptera  comprises  over  160,000  species  of  butterflies  and  moths,  with  most  of  these  being  moths.  Only  the  Coleoptera  (Beetles)  form  a  larger  order  of  any  animal.    The  Lepidoptera  are  probably  the  most  widely  studied  order  of  invertebrates,  and  have  been  for  more  than  400  years.  More  books  have  been  written  about  them  than  on  any  other  group  of  invertebrates.  Indeed,  the  long  history  of  their  study  by  Lepidopterists  has  itself  been  the  subject  of  a  few  books,  and  is  a  fascinating  study  on  its  own!  

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

Madagascar- favourite country- exstinct, native el-ephant bird& egg.

Banks introduced acacia, mimosa and banksia to the western world.