Charles Swinhoe
Encyclopedia
Colonel Charles Swinhoe was an English
naturalist
and lepidopterist
, who served in the British Army
in India
. He was one of the eight founders of the Bombay Natural History Society
and a brother of the famous naturalist Robert Swinhoe
.
Swinhoe was commissioned Ensign
in the 56th Regiment of Foot
without purchase in 1855, serving in the Crimea
and reaching India after the 1857 Mutiny
. He exchanged into a Lieutenant
cy in the 15th Foot without purchase in 1858 and returned to the 56th Foot in 1859, transferring to the Bombay Staff Corps later the same year. He was at Kandahar
with Lord Roberts
in 1880, and collected 341 birds there and on the march back to India. He was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in 1881 and Colonel
in 1885.
He was a keen shikari and had shot 50-60 tigers. He was a member of the British Ornithologists Union. He collected insects, chiefly Lepidoptera from Bombay, Poona, Mhow and Karachi Districts. He contributed papers to The Ibis
on the birds of southern Afghanistan
and central India, and donated 300 bird skins from each country to the British Museum. He also wrote to the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. He had one of the largest collections of Indian lepidoptera
at the time (40,000 specimens of 7000 species and 400 new species described by him), and completed the Lepidoptera indica series after the death of Frederic Moore
in 1907. He also wrote A revision of the genera of the family Liparidae which covered 1130 entries.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
and lepidopterist
Lepidopterist
A lepidopterist is a person who specialises in the study of Lepidoptera, members of an order encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
, who served in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was one of the eight founders of the Bombay Natural History Society
Bombay Natural History Society
The Bombay Natural History Society, founded on 15 September 1883, is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in India engaged in conservation and biodiversity research. It supports many research efforts through grants, and publishes the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. Many...
and a brother of the famous naturalist Robert Swinhoe
Robert Swinhoe
Robert Swinhoe FRS , was an English naturalist who worked as a Consul in Formosa. He discovered many Southeast Asian birds and several, such as Swinhoe's Pheasant, are named after him.-Biography:...
.
Swinhoe was commissioned Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the 56th Regiment of Foot
56th Regiment of Foot
The 56th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment in the British Army, active from 1755 to 1881. It was originally raised in Northumbria as the 58th Regiment, and renumbered the 56th the following year when two senior regiments were disbanded...
without purchase in 1855, serving in the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
and reaching India after the 1857 Mutiny
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
. He exchanged into a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
cy in the 15th Foot without purchase in 1858 and returned to the 56th Foot in 1859, transferring to the Bombay Staff Corps later the same year. He was at Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
with Lord Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
in 1880, and collected 341 birds there and on the march back to India. He was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in 1881 and Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in 1885.
He was a keen shikari and had shot 50-60 tigers. He was a member of the British Ornithologists Union. He collected insects, chiefly Lepidoptera from Bombay, Poona, Mhow and Karachi Districts. He contributed papers to The Ibis
Ibis (journal)
Ibis, subtitled the International Journal of Avian Science, is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the British Ornithologists' Union. Topics covered include ecology, conservation, behaviour, palaeontology, and taxonomy of birds. The editor-in-chief is Paul F. Donald. The journal is published by...
on the birds of southern Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and central India, and donated 300 bird skins from each country to the British Museum. He also wrote to the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. He had one of the largest collections of Indian lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera 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...
at the time (40,000 specimens of 7000 species and 400 new species described by him), and completed the Lepidoptera indica series after the death of Frederic Moore
Frederic Moore
Frederic Moore FZS was a British entomologist. It has been said that Moore was born at 33 Bruton Street but may be incorrect given that this was the address of the menagerie and office of the Zoological Society of London from 1826 to 1836.Moore was appointed an assistant in the East India Company...
in 1907. He also wrote A revision of the genera of the family Liparidae which covered 1130 entries.
External references
- Obituary in The Ibis 1924 pp. 362-3.
- Manuscript Collection