George Montagu (zoologist)
George Montagu (* 1753 in Lackham House near Chippenham , Wiltshire , † June 20, 1815 in Kingsbridge , Devon ) was a British zoologist (including ornithologist , malacologist ). He is best known for his Ornithological Dictionary .
Montagu was a full-time soldier from 1770, was a captain in the British Army, with which he fought in North America, and later made it up to colonel in the Wiltshire Militia. In 1773 he married Ann Courtenay, a niece of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, and lived with her at Alderton House in Wiltshire. In 1798 he left his wife and moved to Kingsbridge. He died of tetanus after stepping on a nail.
His Ornithological Dictionary helped popularize bird watching and ornithology in Great Britain, alongside A history of British Birds (2 volumes, 1797, 1804) by Thomas Bewick . In addition to birds, he also dealt with mollusks (with initial descriptions such as Crenella decussata ), crustaceans, fish and mammals.
The Harrier is in English Montagu's Harrier called. His collection of birds went to the British Museum. His mollusc collection came to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter, Devon through his son Henry D'Orville.
Montagu was one of the earliest members of the Linnean Society.
Fonts
- Ornithological Dictionary; or Alphabetical Synopsis of British Birds, 2 volumes, London: J. White 1802, Archives
- Testacea Britannica, a History of British Marine, Land and Freshwater Shells, 1803, Supplement 1808
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Montagu, George |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British zoologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1753 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lackham House at Chippenham , Wiltshire |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 20, 1815 |
| Place of death | Kingsbridge , Devon |