Francis Bain (February 25, 1842 – November 20, 1894) was an

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...

and

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

from North River,

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

. In 1865, in his time away from managing his family farm, he began a career as an amateur naturalist, collecting and cataloging the flora, fauna, and seashells of the island. He was especially interested in

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

, and became an expert on the bedrock and fossils of PEI. In an 1882 study, he proposed that it would be possible to dig a tunnel under the Northumberland Strait, which would have enabled the federal government to honour its commitment made when PEI entered

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

, that constant communication with the mainland be provided. He would later be hired by the federal government to do a more in-depth investigation of the idea, although it was never carried out. Following Sir William Dawson's geological report of 1871, Bain continued the quest to explore the Island's rocks for fossils. Bain added to the record of fossil plants in particular. One of his discoveries was named by Sir William in his honour: ''Tylodendron baini''. Bain wrote enthusiastically on natural history in a column in the ''Daily Examiner'', as well as publishing many papers in scholarly journals. He authored two books ''The natural history of Prince Edward Island'' (1890) and ''Birds of Prince Edward Island'' (1891). A monument in his honour is located in Queens Square in

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...

, incorporating a

glacial erratic A glacial erratic is glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundred ...

hauled to the site.

External links

*
Biography at ''the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
*
''Birds of Prince Edward Island : their habits and characteristics'' (1891) at ''Internet Archive''
*
''The natural history of Prince Edward Island'' at ''Internet Archive''
1842 births 1894 deaths Canadian naturalists People from Queens County, Prince Edward Island 19th-century Canadian scientists Scientists from Prince Edward Island {{Canada-writer-stub