Norman H. Joy
Encyclopedia
Norman Humbert Joy was a British
ornithologist and coleopterist.
He is best known for his two-volume work A Practical Handbook of British Beetles
, first published by H. F. & G. Witherby in January 1932, a publication which remained the standard work on the identification of British beetles into the 21st century. He also wrote two other titles: How to Know British Birds, published by Witherby in 1936 and British Beetles, their Homes and Habits. Joy's beetle collection is held at the British Entomological and Natural History Society
headquarters at Dinton Pastures Country Park
, Berkshire. Some beetle specimens collected by Joy from the Berskhire area are held at the Museum of Reading
.
An obituary was published on page 213 of volume 89 of the Entomologists Monthly Magazine. The rove beetles Gyrophaena joyi and Gyrophaena joyioides were named after him.
The latridiid beetle
Enicmus histrio and the rove beetle Bisnius scoticus were described jointly with John Tomlin
in 1910 and 1913 respectively.
In addition to his work on Coleoptera, Joy also discovered the Brown Ant Lasius brunneus (then unknown in Britain) at Theale
in Berkshire
on 21 January 1923 (Donisthorpe 1927). The Berkshire Birds website credits him as discovering the ornithological potential of Reading Sewage Farm.
football match for West Hertfordshire, the team that later became Watford Football Club.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
ornithologist and coleopterist.
He is best known for his two-volume work A Practical Handbook of British Beetles
A Practical Handbook of British Beetles
A Practical Handbook of British Beetles ISBN 0-900848-91-X is a two-volume work on the British beetle fauna, by Norman H. Joy, first published by H. F. & G. Witherby in January 1932. Volume one consists of the text...
, first published by H. F. & G. Witherby in January 1932, a publication which remained the standard work on the identification of British beetles into the 21st century. He also wrote two other titles: How to Know British Birds, published by Witherby in 1936 and British Beetles, their Homes and Habits. Joy's beetle collection is held at the British Entomological and Natural History Society
British Entomological and Natural History Society
The British Entomological and Natural History Society or BENHS is a British entomological society. It is based at Dinton Pastures Country Park in Reading.-History:BENHS was founded in 1872 as the South London Entomological and Natural History Society....
headquarters at Dinton Pastures Country Park
Dinton Pastures Country Park
Dinton Pastures Country Park is a country park in the civil parish of St Nicholas Hurst, in the borough of Wokingham, near Reading in the English county of Berkshire.It is in size. The River Loddon flows through the park...
, Berkshire. Some beetle specimens collected by Joy from the Berskhire area are held at the Museum of Reading
Museum of Reading
The Museum of Reading is a museum of the history of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire, and the surrounding area...
.
An obituary was published on page 213 of volume 89 of the Entomologists Monthly Magazine. The rove beetles Gyrophaena joyi and Gyrophaena joyioides were named after him.
Discoveries
Joy described a number of beetles as new to science. In chronological order these were:- the hydraenid beetleHydraenidaeHydraenidae is a family of very small aquatic beetles with a worldwide distribution. These beetles are generally 1-3 mm in length with clubbed antennae. They do not swim well and are generally found crawling in marginal vegetation...
Hydraena britteni in 1907 - the rove beetleRove beetleThe rove beetles are a large family of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra that leave more than half of their abdomens exposed. With over 46,000 species in thousands of genera, the group is the second largest family of beetles after the Curculionidae...
Astenus lyonessius in 1908 - the rove beetle Thinobius bicolor in 1911
- the ground beetleGround beetleGround beetles are a large, cosmopolitan family of beetles, Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, approximately 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe.-Description and ecology:...
Bradycellus sharpi and the rove beetleRove beetleThe rove beetles are a large family of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra that leave more than half of their abdomens exposed. With over 46,000 species in thousands of genera, the group is the second largest family of beetles after the Curculionidae...
Bledius fergussoni in 1912 - the rove beetles Gabrius suffragani, G. subnigritulus, G. toxotes, Philhygra malleus, P. obtusangula and P. britteni in 1913
- the rove beetle Atheta nannion in 1931
The latridiid beetle
Latridiidae
Latridiidae is a family of tiny, little-known beetles commonly called minute brown scavenger beetles. The number of described species currently stands at around 1050 in 29 genera but the number of species is undoubtedly much higher.-References:*...
Enicmus histrio and the rove beetle Bisnius scoticus were described jointly with John Tomlin
John Read le Brockton Tomlin
John Read le Brockton Tomlin was a British malacologist. He was one of the founders of the Malacological Society of London and was president of the Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland on two separate occasions....
in 1910 and 1913 respectively.
In addition to his work on Coleoptera, Joy also discovered the Brown Ant Lasius brunneus (then unknown in Britain) at Theale
Theale, Berkshire
Theale is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. The village has many of the attributes of a small town, with a high street lined with shops, pubs and restaurants.- Location :...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
on 21 January 1923 (Donisthorpe 1927). The Berkshire Birds website credits him as discovering the ornithological potential of Reading Sewage Farm.
Sport
In 1896, Joy played at right half in a Southern LeagueSouthern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
football match for West Hertfordshire, the team that later became Watford Football Club.