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| John Gould (1804–1881) | ||||||||||
| John Gould, F.R.S, an ornithologist, was born in Lyme, Dorsetshire. From 1818 to 1824, he worked as a gardener at the Royal Gardens, Windsor, where he developed a deep knowledge of birds in their natural habitat and began practising taxidermy, quickly mastering the craft. In 1827, he became a taxidermist for zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors, working on the collection of the newly established Zoological Society of London. In 1830, he acquired an exceptional collection of birds from the Himalayas, a largely unexplored region at the time, and the following year published A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains. His subsequent works, including the monumental Birds of Europe in 1837, further cemented his reputation. In 1838, Gould visited Australia to study its native wildlife, which resulted in The Birds of Australia, a seven-volume work illustrating over six hundred species. He also published A Handbook to the Birds of Australia in 1865. Other significant works included The Birds of Great Britain and The Mammals of Australia, though his studies on the Birds of Asia and Birds of New Guinea remained unfinished at the time of his death. Gould had a particular interest in hummingbirds, amassing an unparalleled collection, which he exhibited at the Zoological Society’s Gardens in 1851. These specimens, along with others he had expertly preserved, were purchased by the British Museum in 1882. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1843 and contributed extensively to its proceedings and various scientific journals. He died in London. | ||||||||||
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