William Alexander Forbes
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William Alexander Forbes (25 June 1855 – 14 January 1883) was an English
zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...
. He was the son of James Staats Forbes (1823–1904). Forbes studied natural sciences at St John's College, Cambridge, and later taught at
Rhodes College Rhodes College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee. Historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), it is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Sout ...
(then known as Stewart College). In 1879 he was appointed prosector to 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 ...
on the death of the previous incumbent,
Alfred Henry Garrod Alfred Henry Garrod FRS (May 18, 1846 – October 17, 1879) was an English vertebrate zoologist. Garrod was born in London, the eldest son of Sir Alfred Baring Garrod (1819–1907), a physician at King's College Hospital, who discovere ...
, who was Forbes's friend and whose literary executor Forbes became. Forbes lectured on comparative anatomy at Charing Cross Hospital Medical School. As an anatomist, he wrote valuable papers on the muscular structure and voice organs of birds. On 8 February 1878, Forbes was elected
Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...
of the Cambridge Natural History Society. He also edited the book compiling the late Alfred Henry Garrod's
scientific paper : ''For a broader class of literature, see Academic publishing.'' Scientific literature comprises scholarly publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the natural and social sciences. Within an academic field, scienti ...
s; the book was published in 1881 along with a memoir of Garrod written by Forbes. In 1880 Forbes visited the forests of
Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it List of Brazilian states by population, sev ...
, Brazil, and published an account of his trip in ''
The Ibis ''Ibis'' (formerly ''The Ibis''), subtitled ''the International Journal of Avian Science'', is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the British Ornithologists' Union. It was established in 1859. Topics covered include ecology, conservation, be ...
'' in 1881. In 1882 he travelled to west Africa to study the native fauna, starting from the mouth of the
Niger delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitic ...
. He was taken ill shortly after Christmas and died in Shonga.Forbes, William Alexander (1855-1883), zoologist
by G. T. Bettany, rev. Yolanda Foote in Dictionary of National Biography online (accessed 31 January 2021)
Forbes is commemorated in the names of the
Forbes's blackbird Forbes's blackbird (''Anumara forbesi'') is an endangered species of New World blackbird that is endemic to the Atlantic forest in South America. This species was named for the British zoologist William Alexander Forbes. Identification Forbes' ...
''Anumara forbesi'', white-collared kite ''Leptodon forbesi'' and the
Forbes's plover Forbes's plover (''Charadrius forbesi'') or Forbes's banded plover, is a small wader. This plover is resident in much of west Africa, mainly on inland rivers, pools and lakes. Its nest is a scrape lined with small pebbles in rocky uplands. After ...
''Charadrius forbesi''.


Further reading


"The Cambridge Natural History Society"
by Charles E Raven. *Forbes, William Alexander and Beddard, F.E. ed. (1885) '' The Collected Scientific Papers of the late William Alexander Forbes''. London, ngland R.H. Porter. 496 pages


Footnotes

English zoologists 1855 births 1883 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge People educated at the Kensington School {{UK-zoologist-stub