Colin M. Selbie

Colin Mackenzie Selbie
Born 24 February 1889
Birsay, Scotland
Died 14 July 1916(1916-07-14) (aged 27)
Somme
Nationality Scottish
Fields Zoology
Institutions National Museum of Ireland
Known for work on Irish Crustacea
Influences Robert Lloyd Praeger, Robert Francis Scharff,
James Nathaniel Halbert

Colin Mackenzie Selbie was a Scottish zoologist who worked in the Natural History Museum Dublin and took part in the Clare Island Survey.[1] Though he had a short career, his impact on the Irish study of crustacea and myriapoda was noted by those he worked with.[2]

Early life

Selbie was born in Birsay on the 24 February 1889 to John and Margaret Selbie (née Mackenzie),[3] though his year of birth is often cited as 1890.[2][4] His father, John Alexander Selbie, was a minister in the Free Church and later went on to be a professor at Aberdeen United Free College.[3] Selbie was third child of four, having an older brother William Philip, an older sister Jane, and a younger sister Eleanor.[3] He held a B.Sc. degree from the University of Aberdeen, graduating in 1910.[2]

Zoological career

Selbie took up the position of Assistant Naturalist in the Dublin Museum of Science and Art in 1911.[4] Under the guidance of Robert Francis Scharff, Selbie worked on crustacea and myriapoda, most notably on the specimens from the Fisheries cruiser the Helga and the Clare Island Survey.[4] His ability to illustrate his monographs was a talent that was noted by his contemporaries.[2]

He named one crustacea, Palinurus thomsoni, in honour of his former Professor John Arthur Thomson.[2]

Military career

Selbie enlisted into the 15th Royal Scots Regiment on the outbreak of World War I as a private on 4 November 1914.[3] On the recommendation of his C.O. he received a commission into the Scottish Rifles where he attained the rank of Second Lieutenant in January 1915.[2][3] He died on the Somme in July 1916.[1][5] Selbie is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, and on the Birsay War Memorial.[3]

Works

References

  1. 1 2 O'Riordan, C.E. (1983). The Natural History Museum, Dublin. Dublin: Stationery Office.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Halbert, J. N. (1916). "Colin M. Selbie". The Irish Naturalist. 25 (9): 137–138. JSTOR 25524528.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Royal British Legion Scotland. "BIRSAY - Colin Selbie". The Royal British Legion Scotland Kirkwall Branch. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Praeger, R. Lloyd. "Some Irish Naturalists: A Biographical Note". National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  5. The Aberdeen University Review. "Obituary - Colin Mackenzie Selbie". Forgotten Books. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/10/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.