Early Life
Born in London in 1810 Father died shortly after, leaving Edward to take care of family
Never attended a formal university Studied chemistry under Mr. Keating
Pharmacist, author, and editor Never made substantial amount of money
1841- Curator at Asiatic Society of Bengal
Father of Indian ornithology
Ornithology
Study of birds
Concentrated research in India while working for the museum
Proceedings of the Zoological Society (1837-1840)
Species of birds in India and Europe
Field Naturalist (1840) Genus Ovis (sheep species)
Catalogue of the Birds of the Asiatic Society (1849)
Blyth vs. Darwin
Lived during same time period, though Blyth did not necessarily believe in evolution
Darwin stole ideas from Blyth? 1835 and 1837- Blyth expands on ideas presented
by Charles Lyell concerning natural and sexual selection in The Magazine of Natural History
While on the Beagle, Darwin had access to The Magazine of Natural History
1837- Darwin began first notebook concerning species
Blyth’s last notebook mysteriously belongs to Darwin without being published
Blyth vs. Darwin(cont’d)
Darwin stole ideas from Blyth? (cont’d)
Similar word choice between Blyth’s papers and Darwin’s Origin of Species “inosculate”
Blyth’s views of natural selection Did not believe in the idea of a common ancestor Man is a creation of God and different from all other
animals
Magazine of Natural History
(1835)
Four varieties of animals: Simple variations Acquired variations Breeds True variety
Racial color is a fixed trait
Changes in traits are made by “Providence”
Left his ideas open for interpretation
Later Years
Returned back to London to recover from illness
Fell into debt
Attempted to help write a book, Birds of India, but suffered from a mental breakdown Led to becoming an alcoholic Convicted of assault
Died from heart disease in 1873
Never truly recognized for the inspiration he gave Darwin
Still seen as huge contributor to ornithology
Major Works
Magazine of Natural History (1835 and 1837)
Proceedings of the Zoological Society (1837-1840)
Field Naturalist (1840)
Animal Kingdom (edited section on Mammalia, Birds and Reptiles in 1840)
Catalogue of the Birds of the Asiatic Society (1849)
Catalogue of the Mammals and Birds of Burma (1875)
Summary
Father of Indian ornithology Spent years studying birds in India as the curator of
the Asiatic Society of Bengal
Wrote about ideas that were possibly stolen by Darwin
Theorized about variations of animals Inspiration for “survival of the fittest” theory
Sadly forgotten and never truly advanced himself during his lifetime
http://www.thedarwinpapers.com/oldsite/Number2/Darwin2Html.htm
http://www.wku.edu/~smithch/biogeog/BLYT1835.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Blyth
Eiseley, Loren. Darwin and the Mysterious Mr. X. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1979.
References