British Entomology
Encyclopedia
British Entomology is a classic work of entomology
by John Curtis
, F.L.S.
Described as British Entomology, being illustrations and descriptions of the genera of insects found in Great Britain and Ireland; containing coloured figures from nature of the most rare and beautiful species, and in many instances of the plants upon which they are found, this, often 8 but sometimes 16 volume (each consisting of 12 parts) masterwork (initially issued to 103 folios), amounting to 770 coloured plates each 8 by 5.1/2 inches. Published in London
by the author, it commenced in 1824, with the final part appearing in 1839. A second edition to a further 90 folios was published from 1829-1840.
It was a masterpiece of the engraver's and colourist's art, described by the eminent French naturalist Georges Cuvier
as the "paragon of perfection". It was, unsystematically, produced in monthly parts though these are usually bound in systematic, not date order. Each plate is dated, so this introduces no problems of name priority
. Every plate was engraved by Curtis himself. The final issue of the first edition included comprehensive indexes to all volumes plus a complete list of subscribers for each volume and detailed instructions for binding the work into 8 volumes in the correct sequence of orders (see below). The original 778 drawings (some drawings were combined to produce a single plate) were purchased by Lord Rothschild and later bequeathed to the Natural History Museum
, London.
Aside from its noted illustrations, British Entomology is a work of taxonomy introducing many new species. This is especially true of the folios on Diptera
and Hymenoptera
where much of the text and probably many of the dissection figures were the work of Alexander Henry Haliday
.
The volumes are most commonly bound as
Complete, correcly bound copies are held at The British Library and the Natural History Museum
, London.
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
by John Curtis
John Curtis (entomologist)
John Curtis was an English entomologist and illustrator.-Biography:Curtis was born in Norwich and learned his engraving skills in the workshop of his father, Charles Morgan Curtis...
, F.L.S.
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...
by the author, it commenced in 1824, with the final part appearing in 1839. A second edition to a further 90 folios was published from 1829-1840.
It was a masterpiece of the engraver's and colourist's art, described by the eminent French naturalist Georges Cuvier
Georges Cuvier
Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
as the "paragon of perfection". It was, unsystematically, produced in monthly parts though these are usually bound in systematic, not date order. Each plate is dated, so this introduces no problems of name priority
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals...
. Every plate was engraved by Curtis himself. The final issue of the first edition included comprehensive indexes to all volumes plus a complete list of subscribers for each volume and detailed instructions for binding the work into 8 volumes in the correct sequence of orders (see below). The original 778 drawings (some drawings were combined to produce a single plate) were purchased by Lord Rothschild and later bequeathed to the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, London.
Aside from its noted illustrations, British Entomology is a work of taxonomy introducing many new species. This is especially true of the folios on Diptera
Diptera
Diptera , or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. It is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species, although under half...
and Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera is one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees and ants. There are over 130,000 recognized species, with many more remaining to be described. The name refers to the heavy wings of the insects, and is derived from the Ancient Greek ὑμήν : membrane and...
where much of the text and probably many of the dissection figures were the work of Alexander Henry Haliday
Alexander Henry Haliday
Alexander Henry Haliday, also known as Enrico Alessandro Haliday and Alexis Heinrich Haliday sometimes Halliday , was an Irish entomologist. He is primarily known for his work on Hymenoptera, Diptera and Thysanoptera, but Haliday worked on all insect orders and on many aspects of entomology.Haliday...
.
The volumes are most commonly bound as
- Volume 1 Coleoptera (Part 1) dedicated to William Kirby and Alexander MacleayAlexander MacleayHon. Alexander Macleay MLC FLS FRS was a leading member of the Linnean Society and a fellow of the Royal Society.Macleay was born on Ross-shire, Scotland, eldest son of William Macleay, provost of Wick...
- Volume 2 Coleoptera (Part2) dedicated to William Jackson HookerWilliam Jackson HookerSir William Jackson Hooker, FRS was an English systematic botanist and organiser. He held the post of Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University, and was the first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He enjoyed the friendship and support of Sir Joseph Banks for his exploring,...
and John Stevens HenslowJohn Stevens HenslowJohn Stevens Henslow was an English clergyman, botanist and geologist. He is best remembered as friend and mentor to his pupil Charles Darwin.- Early life :... - Volume 3 Dermaptera, DictyopteraDictyopteraDictyoptera includes three groups of polyneopterous insects - cockroaches , termites and mantids...
, OrthopteraOrthopteraOrthoptera is an order of insects with paurometabolous or incomplete metamorphosis, including the grasshoppers, crickets and locusts.Many insects in this order produce sound by rubbing their wings against each other or their legs, the wings or legs containing rows of corrugated bumps...
, StrepsipteraStrepsipteraThe Strepsiptera are an order of insects with ten families making up about 600 species...
, HymenopteraHymenopteraHymenoptera is one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees and ants. There are over 130,000 recognized species, with many more remaining to be described. The name refers to the heavy wings of the insects, and is derived from the Ancient Greek ὑμήν : membrane and...
(Part1) dedicated to John LindleyJohn LindleyJohn Lindley FRS was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.-Early years:Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley was a nurseryman and pomologist and ran a commercial nursery garden...
and Charles LyellCharles LyellSir Charles Lyell, 1st Baronet, Kt FRS was a British lawyer and the foremost geologist of his day. He is best known as the author of Principles of Geology, which popularised James Hutton's concepts of uniformitarianism – the idea that the earth was shaped by slow-moving forces still in operation... - Volume 4 Hymenoptera (Part 2) dedicated to Pierre André LatreillePierre André LatreillePierre André Latreille was a French zoologist, specialising in arthropods. Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained his freedom after recognising a rare species he found in the prison, Necrobia ruficollis...
and William Sharp MacleayWilliam Sharp MacLeayWilliam Sharp Macleay was a British civil servant and entomologist.-Early life:Macleay was born in London, eldest son of Alexander Macleay who named him for his then business partner, fellow wine merchant William Sharp. He attended Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge graduating with... - Volume 5 LepidopteraLepidopteraLepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
(Part1) dedicated to James Charles DaleJames Charles DaleJames Charles Dale was a wealthy English naturalist who devoted almost all of his adult life to entomology.James Dale was the son of wealthy landowners. He received his education at Cambridge University receiving his MA in 1818...
and Charles DaubenyCharles DaubenyCharles Giles Bridle Daubeny was an English chemist, botanist and geologist.Daubeny was born at Stratton near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, the son of the Rev. James Daubeny. He studied at Magdalen College, Oxford under Dr. John Kidd... - Volume 6 Lepidoptera (Part 2) dedicated to Charles A. Harris and William SpenceWilliam Spence (entomologist)William Spence was a British economist and entomologist.Spence was born in Bishop Burton in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the oldest of four children of farmer Robert Spence. He was apprenticed to Russian merchants and shipowners Carhill, Greenwood & Co...
- Volume 7 HomopteraHomopteraHomoptera is a deprecated suborder of order Hemiptera; recent morphological studies and DNA analysis strongly suggests that the order is paraphyletic. It was therefore split into the suborders Sternorrhyncha, Auchenorrhyncha, and Coleorrhyncha....
, HemipteraHemipteraHemiptera is an order of insects most often known as the true bugs , comprising around 50,000–80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others...
, Aphaniptera dedicated to Alexander Henry HalidayAlexander Henry HalidayAlexander Henry Haliday, also known as Enrico Alessandro Haliday and Alexis Heinrich Haliday sometimes Halliday , was an Irish entomologist. He is primarily known for his work on Hymenoptera, Diptera and Thysanoptera, but Haliday worked on all insect orders and on many aspects of entomology.Haliday...
, Henry WalkerFrancis Walker (entomologist)Francis Walker was an English entomologist. He was one of the most prolific authors in entomology, and stirred controversy during his later life as his publications resulted in a huge number of junior synonyms....
and Francis WalkerFrancis Walker (entomologist)Francis Walker was an English entomologist. He was one of the most prolific authors in entomology, and stirred controversy during his later life as his publications resulted in a huge number of junior synonyms.... - Volume 8 DipteraDipteraDiptera , or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. It is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species, although under half...
, Omaloptera, dedicated to Henry BrownHenry BrownHenry Brown may refer to:* Henry "Box" Brown , American slave who had himself mailed in a box to freedom* Henry Billings Brown , U.S. Supreme Court Justice, 1891–1906* Henry E. Brown, Jr. , U.S...
, Henry Nesbitt and the Earl of MalmesburyJames Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of MalmesburyJames Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury GCB, PC , styled Viscount FitzHarris from 1820 to 1841, was a British statesman of the Victorian era.-Background and education:...
Complete, correcly bound copies are held at The British Library and the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, London.
External links
- Full description including high quality scans of all the plates
- List of the insects figured with updated names
- Plates (NHM Library)
- British Entomology at Google Books
- BHL Scans Volumes 3-8 High quality. Downloads.