William Thompson (2 December 1805 – 17 February 1852) was an Irish naturalist celebrated for his founding studies of the natural history of Ireland, especially in

ornithology Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

and

marine biology Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies s ...

. Thompson published numerous notes on the distribution, breeding, eggs, habitat, song, plumage, behaviour, nesting and food of birds. These formed the basis of his four-volume '' The Natural History of Ireland'', and were much used by contemporary and later authors such as Francis Orpen Morris.

Early years

Thompson was born in the booming maritime city of

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, Ireland, the eldest son of a

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

merchant, whose wealth would later permit Thompson to fund his own research without an academic affiliation. Thompson attended the newly formed Royal Belfast Academical Institution, where he got a degree in Biological Science. Founded by, amongst others, John Templeton, the school had a strong natural history section that produced a cohort of prominent naturalists. In 1826 he went on a

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

accompanied by cousin George Langtry, a

Fortwilliam Castle is one of the ten district electoral areas in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Located in the north of the city, the district elects six members to Belfast City Council and contains the wards of Bellevue, Cavehill, Chichester Park, Duncairn, ...

, Belfast shipowner. They starting in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

then travelled through

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

down the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and on to Rome and

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. They returned via

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, Geneva and Paris. Egeriacaffarella

Thompson's first scientific paper, ''The Birds of the Copeland Islands'', was published in 1827 shortly after he joined the Belfast Natural History Society. In these years he became a member of the

Belfast Literary Society The Belfast Literary Society was founded in 1801 and survives as the second oldest learned society in Belfast (the Belfast Reading Society, now the Linen Hall Library, predates it by just over a decade). Its first meeting was held in the long dem ...

Personal life

William Thompson was a man of regular habits. For four hours after breakfast he was engaged in scientific research, preparation for the press and correspondence. Exercise for two or three hours followed. The interval between dinner and tea was given to the literature of the day and when the claims of local societies left him free he would retire to the study for two or three additional hours of scientific work. With spring came a visit to London where he enlarged his taste for literature, history, biography and the fine arts as well as science. He also visited most of the scenic parts of England and Scotland. In the summer the seaside with family and then in the Autumn tours with friends, attendance at meetings of the British Association and to shooting quarters in Scotland.

Research

Thompson contributed up-to-date information on the birds of Ireland to Selby's ''The Magazine of Zoology and Botany'', ''The Annals of Natural History'', ''The Magazine of Natural History'', and the ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'', and prepared the first comprehensive list of Ireland's birds for the 1840 meeting of the

British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. Other work, primarily about birds, was published in the ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' and the ''London and Edinburgh Philosophical Journal''. These papers formed the basis of his seminal work—''The Natural History of Ireland''—published in four volumes between 1849 and 1851.

Birds

Thompson either owned or had access to a very comprehensive ornithological library exemplared by the

Ornithological Dictionary The ''Ornithological Dictionary; or Alphabetical Synopsis of British Birds'' was written by the English naturalist and army officer George Montagu, and first published by J. White of Fleet Street, London in 1802. It was one of the texts, al ...

, Le Règne Animal, Selby's ''Illustrations of British Ornithology'',

Coenraad Jacob Temminck Coenraad Jacob Temminck (; 31 March 1778 – 30 January 1858) was a Dutch people, Dutch Aristocracy (class), aristocrat, Zoology, zoologist and museum director. Biography Coenraad Jacob Temminck was born on 31 March 1778 in Amsterdam in the Dut ...

's ''Manuel d'ornithologie ou Tableau systématique des oiseaux qui se trouvent en Europe'' (Sepps & Dufour, Amsterdam, Paris 1815–40),

William Edward Parry Sir William Edward Parry (19 December 1790 – 8 July 1855) was an Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for his 1819–1820 expedition through the Parry Channel, probably the most successful in the long quest for the Northwest Pass ...

, 1821 ''Journal of a Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific; Performed in the years 1819–'20, in His Majecty's Ships Hecla and Griper ... with an Appendix Containing the Scientific and Other Observations'' London (1821),

William John Swainson William John Swainson FLS, FRS (8 October 1789 – 6 December 1855), was an English ornithologist, malacologist, conchologist, entomologist and artist. Life Swainson was born in Dover Place, St Mary Newington, London, the eldest son of ...

and John Richardson, 1831. ''Fauna boreali-Americana: part second, the birds'',

Charles Lucien Bonaparte Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano (24 May 1803 – 29 July 1857), was a French naturalist and ornithologist. Lucien and his wife had twelve children, including Cardinal Lucien Bonaparte. Life and career ...

's ''Synopsis of the Birds of the United States'',

Peter Simon Pallas Peter Simon Pallas Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS FRSE (22 September 1741 – 8 September 1811) was a Prussian zoologist and botanist who worked in Russia between 1767 and 1810. Life and work Peter Simon Pallas was born in Berlin, the son ...

' ''Zoographia Russo-Asiatica''. His other tool was his own and other private

bird collections Bird collections are curated repositories of scientific specimens consisting of birds and their parts. They are a research resource for ornithology, the science of birds, and for other scientific disciplines in which information about birds is u ...

and those of the museums in Belfast and Dublin. The major bird publications are the 1841 ''Report on the fauna of Ireland (Vertebrata)'' for the British Association for the Advancement of Science which is an early biogeographic work contrasting the vertebrates of Britain and Ireland. Thompson notes that with a few exceptions the native birds of Britain as then accepted by

Jardine Jardine is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Al Jardine (born 1942), member of the Beach Boys * Alexander Jardine (Medal of Honor) (1874–1949), American Medal of Honor recipient * Antonio Jardine (born 1988), NCAA college bas ...

and Selby are all found in Ireland. and ''The Natural History of Ireland'' is, in the section on birds, a

Monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...

with a literary style, sometimes anecdotal giving information on anatomy, plumage, behaviour, nesting and breeding, seasonality and distribution. Thompson documented many rare in Ireland bird species, variously collected by his network of correspondents. Among birds these included the first Irish occurrences of Bonaparte's Gull and American Bittern.He was a sceptical observer writing on the Red Kite 'The name of "Kite" appears commonly in the catalogues of birds given in the Statistical Surveys of the Irish counties, and elsewhere; but, as the larger species of the falconidae are in some places called Kite and Glead, as well as Goshawk or Goose-hawk, there can be no doubt that the buzzard, or some common species, was meant.

Marine biology

In 1834 Thompson began studying the distribution of marine animals in space (depth range) and time (seasonality). His first research was with

Edward Forbes Edward Forbes FRS, FGS (12 February 1815 – 18 November 1854) was a Manx naturalist. In 1846, he proposed that the distributions of montane plants and animals had been compressed downslope, and some oceanic islands connected to the mainlan ...

conducting

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

in the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...

. Other participants were Robert MacAndrew, John Gwyn Jeffreys, the Yoxford, Suffolk shell collector George Barlee (1794-1861) and his fellow Irishmen Robert Ball,

Edmund Getty Edmund Getty MRIA (1799 in Belfast – 1857 in London) was an Irish antiquarian and naturalist. Getty was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. He became Ballast Master of the Belfast Ballast Board and, later, Secretary of the ...

and

George Crawford Hyndman George Crawford Hyndman (1796–1867) was an Irish auctioneer and amateur biologist. He was the son of Cherry Crawford Hyndman (1766-1845) and James Hyndman (1761?–1825), a Belfast Woollen merchant. Both parents, in the 1790s, were active in ...

. In 1835 he travelled in France, Switzerland and Germany with Forbes. Then in 1841 he joined Forbes and

Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt (11 May 181112 March 1888) was an English vice-admiral, hydrographer, and geologist. Life Thomas Spratt was born at Woodway House, East Teignmouth, the eldest son of Commander James Spratt, RN, who was a hero of ...

on the ''Beacon'' commanded by Thomas Graves and working in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

and Aegean. The expedition lasted eighteen months and conducted more than one hundred dredging operations at depths varying from 1 to 130 fathoms, as well as shore-based studies.Forbes E. (1844). Report on the Mollusca and Radiata of the Aegean sea, and on their distribution, considered as bearing on geology. ''Reports of the British Association for the Advancement of Science'' for 1843. 130-193
online
/ref> Thompson focused on the depth range of algae, his main collection of which is in the

Ulster Museum The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres (90,000 sq. ft.) of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasure ...

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...

and consists of five large albumsAlgae collection. Ulster Museum (BEL) catalogue numbers: F7953 — F8151, F8182 — F8393, F8394 — F8595, F8580 — F8847 and F8848 — F8937. containing specimens collected by Thompson himself, William Henry Harvey, Moon, D. Landsborough, Robert Ball,

Thomas Coulter Thomas Coulter (1793–1843), of Dundalk, was an Irish physician, botanist and explorer. He was a member of the Royal Irish Academy, a fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, and founder of that college's herbarium. After completing a medical degree ...

, George Crawford Hyndman,

William McCalla William McCalla (1814–1849) was an Irish naturalist. McCalla lived in Roundstone, Co.Galway where he was a schoolmaster. He is associated with many areas of natural history and had a private museum. His bird records are frequently mentione ...

and many others. His records are also reported by others such as Gifford (1853):- ''Griffithsia simplicifilum'' from "...Isle of Wight, in August, 1841, by Messers. R.Ball. and W. Thompson." Gifford, I. 1853. ''The Marine Botanist; an Introduction to the Study of the British Sea-weeds;...'' Third edition. Brighton, London. George Dickie's ''Flora of Ulster'' contains records of Thompson's frequent botanical contributions and his

Hortus Siccus A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant biological specimen, specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sh ...

and he is mentioned in William Baird's ''Natural History of British

Entomostraca Entomostraca is a historical subclass of crustaceans, no longer in technical use. It was originally considered one of the two major lineages of crustaceans (the other being the class Malacostraca), combining all other classes—Branchiopoda, Cepha ...

''.

Later years

Thompson corresponded extensively on all aspects of natural history with naturalists in both Britain and Ireland, including with zoologist Thomas Bell who was at the heart of the English scientific establishment and two of the "

Grandee Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neith ...

s" of the Zoological Society,

Nicholas Aylward Vigors Nicholas Aylward Vigors (1785 – 26 October 1840) was an Ireland, Irish zoologist and politician. He popularized the classification of birds on the basis of the quinarian system. Early life Vigors was born at Old Leighlin, County Carlow on 17 ...

William Ogilby William Ogilby (1805–1873) was an Irish-born zoologist who was at the forefront of classification and naming of animal species in the 1830s and served as Secretary of the Zoological Society of London from 1839 to 1847. He removed to Ireland ...

. As Thompson's reputation spread, information was passed to him by interested observers all over Ireland. However his health became poor around 1847 or 1848, when he was 42, and he suffered from heart trouble from 1847. In 1852 Thompson died of a heart attack in LondonFairley, J.S. 1975. ''An Irish Beast Book. A Natural History of Ireland's Furred Wildlife.'' Blackstaff Press, Belfast where he had been tended by his friends William Yarrell, author of ''British Birds'',

, Edwin Lankester, of the

Ray Society The Ray Society is a scientific text publication society that publishes works devoted principally to British flora and fauna. As of 2019, it had published 181 volumes. Its publications are predominantly academic works of interest to naturalists, zo ...

and

George Busk George Busk FRS FRAI (12 August 1807 – 10 August 1886) was a British naval surgeon, zoologist and palaeontologist. Early life, family and education Busk was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was the son of the merchant Robert Busk and his ...

. He died unmarried. Excerpts from Thompson's letters and his notes were edited and published as the fourth volume of ''The Natural History of Ireland'', which focused on invertebrates and non-avian vertebrates, by George Dickie, James Ramsey Garrett and

Robert Patterson Robert Patterson (January 12, 1792 – August 7, 1881) was an Irish-born United States major general during the American Civil War, chiefly remembered for inflicting an early defeat on Stonewall Jackson, but crucially failing to stop Confede ...

in 1856, four years after his death.

Works

Partial list from over eighty. A complete list is found in ''The Natural History of Ireland'' (see External Links). *1837 On the Pollan (''

Coregonus pollan The pollan or Irish pollan (''Coregonus pollan'' or ''Coregonus autumnalis''
IFI Inland Fisheries Ireland (accessed 1 ...

'' Thompson) of

Lough Neagh Lough Neagh ( ) is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland and is the largest lake in the island of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. It has a surface area of and supplies 40% of Northern Ireland's water. Its main inflows come ...

''Magazine of zoology and botany'' 1:247-25
online
* *1833 on an immature specimen of the Long-tailed Manis (''

Manis tetradactyla The long-tailed pangolin (''Phataginus tetradactyla''), also called the African black-bellied pangolin, or ''ipi'', is a diurnal, arboreal pangolin species belonging to the family Manidae, in the order Pholidota. They feed on ants rather than te ...

'', Linn.) from Sierra Leone. '' Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' II 2
online
*1833 On the Occurrence of the Young of the

Arctic Tern The Arctic tern (''Sterna paradisaea'') is a tern in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe (as far south as Brittany), Asia, and North America (as far south a ...

(''Sterna Arctica'', Temm.) in the North of Ireland '' Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' II:33
online
*1833 On the Occurrence of the

Black-headed Gull The black-headed gull (''Chroicocephalus ridibundus'') is a small gull that breeds in much of the Palearctic including Europe and also in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory and winters further south, but some birds res ...

(''Larus capistratus'', Temm.) in the North of Ireland '' Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' II:33
online
*1834 Notice of the cuckoo (''

Cuculus canorus The common cuckoo (''Cuculus canorus'') is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals. This species is a widespread summer migrant to Europe and Asia, and winters in Africa. I ...

'' Linn.) '' Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' II:29
online
*1834 Observations of some of native Mammalia, birds and fishes, including additions to the British fauna. List of land and freshwater Mollusca new to Ireland.''Transactions of the Linnean Society of London'' Minute Book Linnean Society 1834 published 183
online
See also ''The London and Edinburgh philosophical magazine and journal of science.'' 5: 29
online
*1835 on the Teredo navalis and Limnoria terebrans, as at present existing in certain localities on the coasts of the British Islands. ''Edinb. New Phil. J.'' 18: 121–130. *1835 atalogue ofBirds, fishes etc. new to the British and Irish Fauna ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 3: 77–84. '' Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' II:7
online
*1837 n Vertebratae new to Science to Britain to Ireland etc52-63 ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 1837:52-6
online
*1838 III Contributions to the Natural History of Ireland No 5 On the Birds of the Order Insessores ''Annals of natural history'' 1:12-2
online
*1838 On the Snowy Owl (''Surnia nyctea'' Dum.) ''Annals of natural history'' 1:241-24
online
*1838 On fishes new to Ireland ''Annals of natural history'' 1:348-35
online
*1839 On a new Sub‐genus of Fishes, allied to '' Ophidium'' ''Transactions of the Zoological Society of London'' 1839:207-212 Plate XXXVII
online
*1839 with Robert Patterson On some Snow Crystals observed on the 14th of January , 1838 ''Magazine of Natural History'' 3:107-12
online
*1839 On fishes new to Ireland ''Annals of natural history'' 2:14-2
online
*1840 Note on the occurrence at various times of the

bottle-nosed whale ''Hyperoodon'' (or ''Hyperoödon'') is a genus of beaked whale, containing just two species: the Northern and Southern bottlenose whales. While not in the genus ''Hyperoodon'', Longman's beaked whale The tropical bottlenose whale (''Indopac ...

(''Hyperoodon butzkoph'', Lancep.) on the coast of Ireland; and its nearly simultaneous appearance on different parts of the British coast in the autumn of 1839. '' Annals of natural history'' 4, 375–38
online
*1839 On fishes; containing a notice of one species new to the British fauna and of others to the Irish fauna ''Annals of natural history'' 2:266-27
online
*1839 On the breeding of the

Woodcock The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus ''Scolopax''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name ...

(''Scolopax rusticola'' in Ireland ''Annals of natural history'' 2:337-44
online
*1839 Observations on several British Fishes including the Description of a new Species ''Annals of natural history'' 2:402-42
online
*1840 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. ''Annals of natural history'' 5, 6–14
online
*1840 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. ''Annals of natural history'' 5: 245–25
online
*with Goodsir, J. 1840 Description of Limneus involutus Harvey MS. with an account of the anatomy of the animal. ''Annals of natural history'' 5: 22–25
online
*1840 On the Mollusca of Ireland pecies Unica ''Annals of natural history'' 5:8
online
*1840 Contributions towards a knowledge of the Mollusca Nudibranchia and Mollusca Tunicata of Ireland, with descriptions of apparently some new species of invertebrata. ''Annals of natural history'' 5: 84–102 Plate
online
*1840 On a new genus of fishes from India. ''Annals of natural history'', 4 (6), 184-18
online
*1841 Report on the fauna of Ireland (Vertebrata) ''Report of the

'' 184
online
*1840 On a minute alga which colours Ballydrain Lake, in the county of Antrim. ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'' 5: 75-84, figs 1-3
online
*1841 Catalogue of the land and freshwater Mollusca of Ireland. '' Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 6: 16–3
online
*1841 Catalogue of the land and freshwater Mollusca of Ireland. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 6: 109–12
online
*1841 Catalogue of the land andfreshwater Mollusca of Ireland. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 6: 194–20
online
*1841 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 7: 477–48
online
*1841 Notes on British

Char Char may refer to: People *Char Fontane, American actress *Char Margolis, American spiritualist * René Char (1907–1988), French poet *The Char family of Colombia: ** Fuad Char, Colombian senator ** Alejandro Char Chaljub, mayor of Barranquilla ...

, Salmo Umbla, Linn., S. Salvelinus, Don. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 6: 444 �
online
*1842 Cycostoma elegans Lam. an Irish shell. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 8: 22
online
*1842 Results of deep dredging off the Mull of Galloway, by Capt. Beechey, R.N.. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 10: 21–2
online
*1843 ''Report on the fauna of Ireland: div. Invertebrata. Drawn up, at the request of the British Association''. Rep. Meet. Br. Assoc. Advancem. Science London, 13: 245–29
online
*1844 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 13: 430–44
online
*1845 Additions to the fauna of Ireland, including descriptions of some apparently new species of Invertebrata. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 15: 308–322
online
*1846 Notice of a bottle-nosed whale Hyperoodon butzkoph, Lancep. obtained in Belfast Bay in October 1845. ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History''. 17, 150–15
online
*1846 Additions to the fauna of Ireland, including species new to that of Britain; with notes on rare species. ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History''. 18, 310–315
online
*1846 Additions to the fauna of Ireland, including a few species unrecorded in that of Britain; with the description of an apparently new ''Glossiphonia''. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 18: 383–39
online
*1847 Note on the ''Teredo norvegica'' (''T. navalis'', Turton, not Linn), ''Xylophaga dorsalis'', ''Limnoria terebrans'' and ''Chelura terebrans'', combined in destroying the submerged wood-work at the harbour of Ardrossan on the coast of Ayrshire. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 20: 157–16
online
*1847 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 20: 169–17
online
*1848 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 1: 62–6
online
*1849 Additions to the fauna of Ireland. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 3: 351–35
online
*1851 Time of spawning of British Crustacea. ''Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' 7: 501–50
online
*1853 ''Supplementary report on the fauna of Ireland''. Report for the British Association for the Advancement of Science : 286–29
online
* Also published by Boehn, London. Note. The pages '' Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'', ''

The Magazine of Natural History The ''Journal of Natural History'' is a scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis focusing on entomology and zoology. The journal was established in 1841 under the name ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'' (''Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist.'') an ...

'' and '' Annals & Magazine of Natural History'' all link to digitised versions of these works provided by

Biodiversity Heritage Library The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is the world’s largest open access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives. BHL operates as worldwide consortiumof natural history, botanical, research, and national libraries working toge ...

. Thompson was a Member of the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

and a Corresponding Member of The Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and the

Boston Society of Natural History The Boston Society of Natural History (1830–1948) in Boston, Massachusetts, was an organization dedicated to the study and promotion of natural history. It published a scholarly journal and established a museum. In its first few decades, the s ...

Species names honouring William Thompson

*'' Lepeophtheirus thompsoni'' Baird, 1850 *''Acipenser thompsoni''

Ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

(in Thompson), 1856,4: 245.

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

of ''

Acipenser sturio The European sea sturgeon (''Acipenser sturio''), also known as the Atlantic sturgeon or common sturgeon, is a species of sturgeon native to Europe. It was formerly abundant, being found in coastal habitats all over Europe. It is anadromous and b ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) *'' Bulimus thompsoni'' ( Pfeiffer, 1845) in Pfeiffer, L. 1845. Descriptions of twenty-two new species of land-shells, belonging to the collection of Mr. H. Cuming. ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 13: 63-68 *'' Lepeophtheirus thompsoni''

Baird Baird may refer to: Places United States * Baird, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Baird, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Baird, Texas, a city * Baird, Washington, a community * Baird Mountains, Alaska * Baird Inlet, Alaska ...

, 1850 *''Thaumantias thompsoni'' Forbes , 1841 , ''Ann. Nat. Hist''. *''Meloscira thompsoni''

Harvey Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

synononym of ''Lyngbya thompsonii'' (Harvey) in Hassall, A.H. (1845). ''A history of the British freshwater algae, including descriptions of the Desmideae and Diatomaceae. With upwards of one hundred plates, illustrating the various species''. Vol. I. pp. viii, 462, i , err. London, Edinburgh, Paris & Leipzig: S. Highley, H. Baillière; Sunderland & Knox; J.B. Baillière; T.O. Weige
pdf
*''Spirillum thompsoni'' Hassall, A.H., 1845 ''A history of the British freshwater algae'':278 *''Dolichospermum thompsoni''

Ralfs John Ralfs (13 September 1807 – 14 July 1890) was an English botanist. Born in Millbrook, near Southampton, he was the second son of Samuel Ralfs, a yeoman of an old family in Hampshire. He has been commemorated in the names of many plant gro ...

*'' Pterinea thompsoni''

Portlock Portlock is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Jenice Dena Portlock (born 1987), also known as Sabi, is an American pop singer, songwriter, dancer and actress *Joseph Ellison Portlock (1794–1864), British geologist and soldier ...

, 1843 in ''Report on the geology of the county of Londonderry, and of parts of Tyrone and Fermanagh''. Dublin, A. Milliken 1843. *''Hypoplita thompsoni'' and '' Pagurus thompsoni'' Bell in ''A History of the British Stalk-eyed Crustacea''. Paternoster Row, London: John Van Voorst. 1844–1853

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External links

About Ireland
pdfs of ''The Natural History of Ireland''
National Portrait GalleryGoogle Books
Digitised ''The Natural History of Ireland'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, William 1805 births 1852 deaths Irish ornithologists 19th-century Irish botanists Scientists from Belfast Irish naturalists