Edwin Felix Thomas Atkinson, (6 September 1840 – 15 September 1890) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

lawyer in the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million ...

who contributed in his spare time collecting insects and contributing to

entomology Entomology () is the science, scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such ...

Life and career

He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, studied at

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

and sat the Indian Civil Service Examinations in 1861. He joined the Indian Civil Service in 1862 and served in

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

and the

North-Western Provinces The North-Western Provinces was an administrative region in British India. The North-Western Provinces were established in 1836, through merging the administrative divisions of the Ceded and Conquered Provinces. In 1858, the nawab-ruled kingdom ...

. Atkinson was a lawyer specialising in Indian law, and successively worked as Judge in a Small Cause Court, Deputy Commissioner of Paper Currency in Allahabad, and Accountant General of the North West Provinces. He was commissioned to produce a

Gazetteer A gazetteer is a geographical index or directory used in conjunction with a map or atlas.Aurousseau, 61. It typically contains information concerning the geographical makeup, social statistics and physical features of a country, region, or co ...

of Northwestern India and also wrote several books. He was a Fellow of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

and a member of the

Entomological Society of London The Royal Entomological Society is devoted to the study of insects. Its aims are to disseminate information about insects and improving communication between entomologists. The society was founded in 1833 as the Entomological Society of Londo ...

. As an entomologist he had a particular interest in Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and was credited with identifying several new specimens both in Britain and in India. He was President of

The Asiatic Society The Asiatic Society is a government of India organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of "Oriental research", in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions. It was founded by the p ...

(of Bengal) for 1886-87 and awarded the title of

Companion of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appo ...

(CIE). He died in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

in 1890 from

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied b ...

. He had married Caroline, the daughter of Major Nicholettes of the Bengal Native Infantry, with whom he had a son, Francis.

Works

*187
''Descriptive and Historical Account of the Aligarh District''
Oxford University Press *1881 ''Gazetteer of the Himalayan Districts of the North-Western Provinces'' (3 volumes) *188
Notes_on_Indian_Rhynchota;_

Notes_on_Indian_Rhynchota;_Heteroptera
._No._4.">Heteroptera">Notes_on_Indian_Rhynchota;_Heteroptera
._No._4.''J._Asiat._Soc._Beng''._57:_118-184 *1886_Notes_on_Indian_Rhynchota;_Heteroptera._No._5._''J._Asiat._Soc._Beng''._58:_20-109 *1890_Catalogue_of_the_Insecta._Order_Rhynchota._Suborder_Hemiptera-Heteroptera._Family_Capsidae._''J._Asiat._Soc._Beng.''_(Nat._Sci._Suppl.)_58:_25-200

_Collections

Heteroptera_collection__Natural_History_Museum,_London.html" "title="Heteroptera
._No._4..html" ;"title="Heteroptera">Notes on Indian Rhynchota; Heteroptera
. No. 4.">Heteroptera">Notes on Indian Rhynchota; Heteroptera
. No. 4.''J. Asiat. Soc. Beng''. 57: 118-184 *1886 Notes on Indian Rhynchota; Heteroptera. No. 5. ''J. Asiat. Soc. Beng''. 58: 20-109 *1890 Catalogue of the Insecta. Order Rhynchota. Suborder Hemiptera-Heteroptera. Family Capsidae. ''J. Asiat. Soc. Beng.'' (Nat. Sci. Suppl.) 58: 25-200

Collections

Heteroptera collection Natural History Museum, London">Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...

BMNH and Dresden (via Staudinger & Otto Bang-Haas).

References

Sources

Poggi and Conci (1996) for biographical information.

External links

* 1840 births 1890 deaths People from County Tipperary Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Indian civil servants Irish entomologists Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Presidents of The Asiatic Society British people in colonial India {{Entomologist-stub