Biographical dictionary
The Biographical Dictionary of British Coleopterists was compiled by the late Michael Darby. The Dictionary can be accessed below, and see also the additional information provide by Michael:
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| Name | Dates | Biography | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HICKIN, Norman E. | b. 1910 | Born at Aston, Birmingham and educated at King Edward VI school and the Central Technical College graduating in 1936. As an external student at the University of London he did a PhD on the Spider beetles, Ptinidae. Subsequently took up the Anobiidae and, after working for Dunlop during the war, joined the staff of Rentokil Ltd. where he became Scientific Director, a post he held for twenty seven years. Wrote several text books and articles on wood boring insects particularly beetles and termites, and also articles in EMM and elsewhere on other insects, eg. Lepidoptera, and Trichoptera on which he wrote an important work. Several notes cover woodboring beetles in Ireland and his work took him all over the world. To many Coleopterists he is probably best known for his Shire booklet Longhorn Beetles of the British Isles, 1987. His other books, of which he wrote 16, covered a diverse range of subjects from nesting boxes to postcards, Africa and Forests. Many of these were illustrated by his own drawings (more than 3000 published). He also contributed regularly to newspapers from the Kidderminster Shuttle to the Irish Times. There are 9 manuscript diaries and notebooks in the NHM covering the period 1937-1957 and Pedersen (2002) p.126 records correspondence with C.J.Wainwright in the RESL. There is an obituary by Peter Bateman in Antenna, 15(2), 1991, pp. 60- 61, which includes a photograph.,FRES and a founder member of the Society of Wildlife Artists. There is an obituary by Peter Bateman in Antenna, 15(2), 1991, pp.60-61, which includes a photograph. (MD 3/03, 11/09) | |
| HICKSON, S.J. | Smith (1986), p.125, records that the HDO acquired Coleoptera from the Celebes from Hickson in 1885, and other insects in 1887 and 1888. (MD 5/03) | ||
| HIGGINS, Edmund Thomas | d.1880? | Lived at Lord Street, Birkenhead. Published several articles on foreign Coleoptera and other insects between 1869 and 1874. These included 'Description of a new Genus and Species of Prionidae' in Trans.ESL., 1869, pp.11-12. Other species were described for him by other entomologists eg. Newman in Ent., 1842. The types of all the species described up to 1855 were presented to the NHM in 1855/91. Numerous further insects from many other localities were subsequently given to the Museum and are listed in the index to the Accessions Registers 1864-1893. Gilbert (1977) mentions a notice in Bull. Soc. ent. France, (5)10, 1880, xcvii, which I have not seen. (MD 5/03) | |
| HIGGINS, Henry Hugh | 1814 - 1893 | A Reverend. Published ten articles on Coleoptera and Lepidoptera between 1866 and 1893 including 'On the appendages of a rare Coleopterous Insect belonging to the family Dynastidae' in Proc. lit. phil. Soc. Liverpool, 32, 1878, pp.74 - 76. (MD 5/03) | |
| HIGGINS, Mr | Worked for the auctioneers S. Stevens. Smith (1986), p. 125, records that he sold insects of all orders to the HDO between 1866-1876. (MD 5/03) | ||
| HIGLETT, G.A. | Gave eight collections of Coleoptera which he had taken in various parts of the world including Ireland, Australia, W. Africa and Chile to the NHM between 1895 and 1900 amounting to some five hundred specimens (1895/44 and 164; 1897/215, 264, 280; 1898/100 and 235; 1900/123). His address is recorded as 110 Mildmay Road, London, N. (MD 5/03) | ||
| HIGNETT, James | 1882-1952 | Shropshire Coleopterist and Lepidopterist who published a number of notes in EMM. including 'Corymbites angustulus Kies. an Elaterid new to the list of British Coleoptera' (76, 1940, p.14). The insects, which he had taken plentifully on the banks of the River Vyrnwy, were identified for him by Donisthorpe. Hignett’s collection of 7000 specimens, mainly from the Oswestry area, housed in twenty drawers, was given to Manchester Museum via Mrs Marshall on 25 May 1952. It was accompanied by manuscript correspondence. Trevor James tells me that other beetles collected by Hignett are in the collection of North Hertfordshire Museums at Baldock. (MD 5/03) | |
| HILL, Miss | Gave various insects to the NHM in the 1840s including Buprestids (1847\6). Some were from East Africa. Is this perhaps the same Miss Hill who is referred to by Marsham (1802), as living and collecting Coleoptera in Devon (pp.xxiv, 40, 59, 73, 117, 136, 212, 218, 220, 227)? (MD 5/03) | ||
| HILL, Mr | Gave a small collection of Coleoptera from Coblentz and Lausanne to the NHM in 1852 (1852/139). (MD 5/03) | ||
| HILLABY, John Donald Hillaby | Entomologist with a particular interest in beetles. Lived in Hampstead, London. |