William Monad Crawford
Encyclopedia
William Monad Crawford was an Irish
colonial civil servant in India
and entomologist.
William Monad Crawford's father was a wealthy linen
manufacturer. He was born in Paris
, living there until he was sixteen when the family returned to Ireland
. He served in the Indian Civil Service from 1895 to 1919,in which year he returned to Ireland in 1919 to live in Belfast
. After 1919 he undertook various contracts for the Dunlop Rubber Company mainly in Burma. During his years in India and Burma Crawford collected Lepidoptera
.
Between 1921 and his death, Crawford was a prolific author of notes on Irish insects. His main interests were Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. Many of his notes concerned migrant moths and butterflies and he documented the occurrences of several rare hawkmoths including the only N. Ireland record of the Hippotion celerio
also known as Silver-Striped Hawk-Moth. He discovered the Small Eggar in Fermanagh in 1928. He also amassed a large collection of Irish Coleoptera. He specialised in the Dytiscidae
His extensive collection of butterflies from the Indian sub-continent is in the Ulster Museum
, Belfast. His beetle collection, merged with that of William Frederick Johnson
is in the same repository.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
colonial civil servant 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...
and entomologist.
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
manufacturer. He was born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, living there until he was sixteen when the family returned to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He served in the Indian Civil Service from 1895 to 1919,in which year he returned to Ireland in 1919 to live in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. After 1919 he undertook various contracts for the Dunlop Rubber Company mainly in Burma. During his years in India and Burma Crawford collected 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...
.
Between 1921 and his death, Crawford was a prolific author of notes on Irish insects. His main interests were Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. Many of his notes concerned migrant moths and butterflies and he documented the occurrences of several rare hawkmoths including the only N. Ireland record of the Hippotion celerio
Hippotion celerio
Hippotion celerio, known as the Vine Hawk-Moth or Silver-striped Hawk-Moth, is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found in Africa, Southern Europe, Central and Southern Asia and Australia. It can be found further north, because of its migratory nature.-Colouring and marks :The body and forewing...
also known as Silver-Striped Hawk-Moth. He discovered the Small Eggar in Fermanagh in 1928. He also amassed a large collection of Irish Coleoptera. He specialised in the Dytiscidae
Dytiscidae
Dytiscidae – based on the Greek dytikos , "able to dive" – are the predaceous diving beetles, a family of water beetles. They are about 25 mm long on average, though there is much variation between species. Dytiscus latissimus, the largest, can grow up to 45 mm long...
His extensive collection of butterflies from the Indian sub-continent is in the Ulster Museum
Ulster Museum
The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasures from the Spanish Armada, local history, numismatics, industrial...
, Belfast. His beetle collection, merged with that of William Frederick Johnson
William Frederick Johnson
William Frederick Johnson was an Irish naturalist primarily interested in Entomology.-Biography:He was born in Travancore, India, where he spent his youth. A genial and kindly clergyman,he published over 100 papers each on Lepidoptera, sixty or so on Hymenoptera and smaller numbers on each of ten...
is in the same repository.