Mr Thomas Bolton's Natural History Discoveries

by Thomas Bolton

Mr. Thomas Bolton's Natural History Discoveries

I only became aware on Saturday evening last, the 15th inst., of the paragraph kindly inserted by Prof. E. Ray Lankester, F.R.S., as editor, in the Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science for October, in reference to my studio and agency for the supply of microscopic organisms. Of course I have to thank him most sincerely for calling the attention of naturalists to my efforts, and so strongly calling on them to support me, but he has given me credit in some directions which is due to other naturalists to whom I am under considerable obligations. I wish to correct this view at once by writing to your periodical in preference to waiting till the next number of the Quarterly can appear. Prof. Lankester's language may lead those who have not seen other reports to put down the actual first finding of several organisms new to the British fauna to me, whereas several of them were first picked up by others.

The Leptodora was found at Olton during a visit made by a party of the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society on July 26. Whilst the president, Mr. Graham, the curators, Messrs. Levick and Lloyd, some other members, and myself, were searching the pool from a boat, Mr. Levick's unusually sharp eyes first called the attention of the others to some lively organism in his bottle, which he at first thought to be a larva, and Mr. Graham was, I believe, the first to suggest that it was probably a larval form of an Entomostracan. After this they were collected in large numbers with the net. As soon as possible I asked my friend Mr. Forrest to make a drawing, which I had printed, and drew up a short account of it for my subscribers, describing it as a larval form of one of the Entomostraca; but before I had finished writing this I found one carrying four large eggs in the second segment of the body, which fact I added to my description, and which I pointed out would lead to the supposition that it was no larva, but a mature animal. I sent the specimens out on August 1, and the earliest notice I had from my subscribers was from Sir John Lubbock, F.R.S., who wrote by return to say he was much interested in the curious crustacean which he believed to be new to this country, and on August 6 Prof. Lankester wrote to say the crustacean I had sent was the Leptodora hyalina. In looking over the water in which we had taken the Leptodora, I found another Entomostracan which was new to me, and I called Mr. Forrest's attention to it, and gave him some specimens which he took home and studied, and finding no trace of them in Baird's "Entomostraca," he made a drawing of it and drew up a description of it for the Midland Naturalist of September, under the name of Daphnia bairdi. With permission of the editor I distributed copies of this plate and description, with living specimens, to my subscribers on August 8, and on the 13th Prof. Lankester wrote me to say "the beautiful Daphnia bairdii of Mr. Forrest is the already described Hyalodaphnia kahlbergensis of Schödler" (see Mr. Forrest's further remarks, Mid. Nat., November, page 281). In looking over Prof. Lankester's remarks, I was surprised to see his account of the new Protozoon, which reminded me that on April 30 he had written to me saying that the Amoebæ gathering was very interesting, and asking me to send him a good lot more, as he thought he had found something new, but I could only send him a small tube more, as this, together with the large Amoeba to which he refers, came from a small beaker aquarium in the study of my friend Mr. Levick.

I must apologise for having taken up so much of your space, but in fairness to Mr. Levick and Mr. Forrest, I could not well let the report pass without comment, giving them full credit of first finding the objects; but at the same time I cannot help thinking that the discoveries (if ever published) would have been much longer before they had been brought before the scientific world, had it not been for the distribution of the specimens through my agency. As it is, however, my wish not to take more credit than is due, I shall always be glad to point out the first finders of organisms which may be entrusted to me for distribution, and which may afterwards turn out to be of any special interest.

In furtherance of Prof. Lankester's kind appeal to naturalists for the pecuniary support of my agency, I must really ask them to act upon it, as, so far, my studio is not sufficiently remunerative to induce me to persevere with it much longer, as my receipts for the last year have barely covered my office rent, collecting, and incidental expenses.

Thomas Bolton

17, Ann Street, Birmingham, November 19

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