John Gould Quotes

John Gould was born in Lyme Regis, Dorset, England. He was an English ornithologist whose large, lavishly illustrated volumes on birds commanded ever-mounting prices among bibliophiles. He has been considered the father of bird study in Australia and the Gould League in Australia is named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Gould's work is referenced in Charles Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species. He wrote several books include: The Birds of Australia, John Gould's Hummingbirds, Birds of Asia, The birds of Great Britain, and The Mammals of Australia (novel). He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1843. His many scientific papers, mostly devoted to descriptions of new species, established his professional reputation, but he is best known today for his folios.