Mineralogist who lived at Penrith. Published notes on Lepidoptera and Odonata and two notes about beetles: ‘Notes on Cumberland and Westmorland Coleoptera’ in EMM., 97, 1961, pp.15-21 and ‘Necrophorus interruptus Steph. in Cumberland’, ibid., p.264. The former runs to more than a hundred and twenty specimens. In it he mentions collecting with Harry Britten shortly before his death and with the late W.A.North. Help in identification was provided by F.H.Day (see below). Eric Gowing Scopes has sent me a photocopy of part of a letter from Davidson in his possession which gives more information about his activities: ‘My role was a very menial one, though I did add several species to the County list. I was fortunate in finding Leistus montanus at three localities of much lower elevation than the original ‘summit of Skiddaw’. Two of these were on mine wash heaps which I was disturbing when seeking minerals.’ ‘This was due to the coincidence of a mineralogist being interested in entomology. I think it proves that many things are overlooked in the sphere of entomological recording! One of the localities for L. montanus was at about six hundred feet above sea level and in the Penrith Sandstone area of the Cumbrian plain.’ ‘Half of my collection of beetles was given to the Hancock Museum at Newcastle and the remainder to Liverpool Museum, where the existing collections were destroyed by war time bombing’. Hancock and Pettit (1981) note that the Hancock Museum acquired the specimens in exchange for fossils on 20 December 1963, and that they occupied 27 store boxes. Davidson's material was amalgamated into the general collection by Elsie Miller. Simon Hayhow tells me that there are also specimens collected by Davidson in the Oldham Museum. Davidson was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. (MD 5/02) A forthcoming book by Michael P. Cooper, Robbing the Sparry Garniture. A History of British Mineral Dealers, 1750-1950, contains information about his mineral dealing activities partly based on conversations which the author had with Davidson before his death. (MD 10/03)