John Gould | |
---|---|
Born | Lyme Regis, England | 14 September 1804
Died | 3 February 1881 London, England | (aged 76)
Resting place | Kensal Green cemetery |
Known for | Illustrated monographs on birds, identification of Darwin's finches |
Spouse | Elizabeth Coxen |
Children | Charles Gould |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Ornithology |
Institutions | Zoological Society of London |
Author abbrev. (zoology) | Gould |
John Gould FRS (/ɡuːld/; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881[1]) was an English ornithologist who published monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, including Edward Lear, Henry Constantine Richter, Joseph Wolf and William Matthew Hart. 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.