Robert Swinhoe

Robert Swinhoe is a British Naturaliste , born on September 1st 1836 with Calcutta and dead the October 28th 1877 with London.

He is the consul of his Majesty in China of 1854 with 1873. He plays a considerable part in the discovery of Chinese fauna, particularly of the Oiseau X, still largely unknown.

Biography

Its family is installed since several generations in India. He made his studies with the King' S College of London in 1852 then with the Université of London the following year. The origin of its interest for the Natural history is not known and it does not seem to have received any formation with the Zoologie during its years of university. It engages in 1854 in the British consular body sent in China and is one of the four candidates selected for this station. Before its departure for HongKong, it deposited with the British Museum a small egg collection and nests of Oiseau X.

The first British consuls in this area sincerely were interested in the Chinese Culture and were often pioneers in this field. Taking into account the ignorance of the Occident about China, these diplomats are often geographical operations managers scientist, in particular . So Geologist S and Botaniste S had joined these first Westerners, knowledge in zoology were still very thin. Before the arrival of Robert Swinhoe, the zoological observations had been made randomly without much coordination. Thus, diplomatic being in China opened great prospects as a naturalist to him because it could reach areas hitherto completely unexplored by the Western scientists.

During the nineteen years which its stay lasted, it constituted a very vast collection and described a new species of bird per month. Many birds were described by the work of John Gould, Birds off Asia in 1863. Although its center of principal interest is the Ornithologie, he is also the inventor many others species S of Mammifère S, Poisson S and Insecte S.

During its first year in Asia, which it passes to HongKong, Swinhoe meets William Heine, member of American forwarding Perry with the Japan. This one meets many difficulties to collect birds in China Sea. It advances that the Chinese are responsible for this scarcity because they kill all the birds which it can. But Swinhoe notices in 1862 that it is in fact the natives of Macao and the Portuguese which, young people or old, always with a weapon with the hand, kills each birds that they see.

Swinhoe shows a considerable talent in the training of the Chinese. Also, in 1855, it is transferred to Xiamen, 560 km in the north of HongKong and is named second lieutenant. This area, far from rifles of the European hunters, is an ideal area for the study of fauna. In one year, it gathers a collection of more than one hundred of Espèce S, primarily of the birds but also some Mammifère S. Seven years later, it makes appear in The Ibis , The Ornithology off Amoy , which is worth the praises of the publication director to him, Philip Lutley Sclater (1829-1913). Swinhoe described there 174 species including 17 news for science. It had in particular maintained a correspondence with Edward Blyth (1810-1873), which did a similar work in India. In 1860, it accompanies, as interprets, the armies allied in the north of China, which enables him to make appear two lists of rich species of 183 species including four news.

At the end of 1860, he becomes vice-consul of Taiwan, an island which he had had the occasion to visit a few years before. It in particular contributes to develop to with it the production of The. In 1862, its bad health obliges it to return to London. It presents the new species which it reports at a meeting of the zoological Société of London and John Gould (1804-1881) the illustrations for its Birds off Asia . Its London stay is very filled because it makes many conferences and meets many naturalists interested by Asian fauna. Swinhoe makes appear then a dozen the articles, most important are the lists of the species of Asia, has Catalog Birds off off Clouded (nearly 500 species) and The Ornithology off Formosa gold Taiwan (201 species). Before setting out again to take again its station in Taiwan, he becomes member with life of the zoological Company of London, member of the Royal Geographical Society and of the Ethnological Society off London .

It arrives at Taiwan in 1864 and becomes the following year first consul. He continues to work on Chinese fauna but its reputation enables him to establish a network of collectors. Among them, the father Lazariste Armand David (1826-1900) who arrived to China in 1862. Swinhoe pleads so that Taiwan becomes a British possession.

In 1866, it leaves in Xiamen as consul, while continuing to ensure the load of consul of Taiwan. In 1868, it receives the mission of joining together four specimens of rare the Cerf of the father David, discovered recently. Two specimens die of malnutrition but Swinhoe succeeds in saving the two others and the fact of arriving to London. They are the ancestors of the herd which with license to save the species. In 1869, it takes part in a forwarding to evaluate the navigability of the Yangzi Jiang, which enables him to discover new species.

Swinhoe briefly returns in England while passing by the the United States of America, but it is of return as consul to Ningbo in May 1871. It continues its observations and discovers in particular two new species of Faisan. But its health obliges it definitively to return in its country in 1875 and to take its retirement. It does not give up its research for as much because it continues to receive specimens of its Asian contacts. In 1876, he becomes member of the Royal Society . A few days after the publication of its last article, he dies in only forty and one years.

Swinhoe makes appear more than one hundred twenty geographical or zoological publications. In spite of the praise of Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) which stresses the importance of discovered of Swinhoe, his work is often depreciated by commentators as well Japanese as Western. It makes some errors in the recognition of the species, undoubtedly because of the scarcity of some of them. Swinhoe is also regarded as one of the actors of the Western Impérialisme in this area.

His/her brother is the colonel Charles Swinhoe (1836-1923), one of the founding members of the Société of natural history of Bombay.

Source

Philip B. Hall (1987). Robert Swinhoe (1836-1877), FRS, FRZ, FRGS: In Victorian Naturalist in Treaty Port Clouded. The Geographical Newspaper, 153 (1): 37-47.

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