Biographical dictionary

The Biographical Dictionary of British Coleopterists is compiled and maintained by Michael Darby. The Dictionary can be accessed below, and see also the additional information provide by Michael:

Michael would be pleased to hear from anyone wishing to make corrections or alterations to the Dictionary, which will be fully acknowledged. Email Michael Darby or write to Michael at 33 Bedwin Street, SALISBURY, Wiltshire, SP1 3UT.

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Namesort ascending Dates Biography
TAYLOR, C.B. Gave 202 insects ‘of many orders’ from Jamaica to the HDO in 1902 (Smith (1986) p.153). FESL 1893-1916. (MD 12/04)
TAYLOR, Arthur B. At one time an Assistant Curator in the Belle Vue Museum, Halifax, Yorkshire with a particular interest in Coleoptera. By 1955 he was living in Welwyn Garden City as an artist by profession, and was looking for entomological subjects. FRESL from 1949. (MD 12/04)
TAYLOR, A.P. Published ‘Early appearance of the Cockchaffer’ in Nat.Lond., 2, 1876, p.153. (MD 12/04)
TAYLOR, A.D. Published ‘Our British Beetles’ in Rep. Proc.Croydon Microscopical Club, 5, 1874, pp.36-39. (MD 12/04)
TATUM, T. Published ‘On two new species of Carabus from Asia’ and ‘Descriptions of new species of Coleopterous insects’ in Ann.Mag.Nat.Hist., 20, 1847, pp.14-15 and (2) 8, 1851, pp.49-51. His collection is in the NHM presented by J.C.Bowring (BM 1863-47). It is accompanied by a ms notebook: Catalogue of the Geodephaga Cabinets 1 & 2. FESL 1841-1858 (Council 1846). (MD 12/04)
TAILBY, Trevor William 9 March 1915 – 9 February 1968 Mentioned by Lott (2009) p.28 as a teacher living in Church Langton, formerly Knibworth, in Leicestershire, who had wide ranging interests in natural history including beetles. He incorporated large numbers of museum specimens into his own collection, a practice which Lott believes would have been done with the agreement of the curators at the time. The collection is now in the Leicester Museum (Acc. no. Z245.1968) and is accompanied by his collection notebook. (MD 11/09)
SYME, J. Boswell A collection of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera belonging to Syme was sold after his death by Stevens on 20 May 1890 (Chalmers-Hunt (1976) p.123). (MD 11/04)
SYKES, William Henry 25 January 1790 – 16 June 1872 A Colonel. Published three notes on insects one of which was devoted to the habits of Copris midas in Trans.ESL, 1, 1835, pp.130-32. There is a letter to Hope 1830 and a ms list of Coleoptera from India in the Museum of Col Sykes. 1833 in the HDO (Smith (1986) p.88). (MD 11/04)
SYKES, E. R. 1808 – 1854 Sykes’s collection in two cabinets of 30 and 16 drawers is in the Dorchester Museum. The 16 drawer cabinet also contains 4 drawers of Lepidoptera and is labelled ‘7’ and ‘From E.R.Sykes, Littlemayne, Oct. 1939’. The collection includes material from Tomlin (many specimens); A.Ford (many ) Hamlet Clark and J.C.Melvill (few). (MD 11/04) Sykes is referred to in a ms account of members of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society by R.F.Dalton in the Museum and also in the Proc of the Society, 75, p.32, which I have not seen. (MD 11/04)
SWYNNERTON, G.H. Gave 194 insects of various orders to the HDO in 1935 (Smith (1986) p.153). (MD 11/04)

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