Joseph Frederick Whiteaves
Encyclopedia
Joseph Frederick Whiteaves (December 26, 1835 – August 8, 1909), was a British
palaeontologist.
Born in Oxford
, Whiteaves was educated at private schools, and afterwards worked under John Phillips
at Oxford (1858–1861); he was led to study the Oolitic
rocks, and added largely to our knowledge of the fossils of the Great Oolite series, Cornbrash and Corallian.
In 1861 he visited Canada
and made acquaintance with the geology of Quebec
and Montreal
, and in 1863 he was appointed curator of the museum and secretary of the Natural History Society of Montreal, posts which he occupied until 1875. He studied the land and freshwater mollusca
of Lower Canada, and the marine invertebrata
of the coasts; and also carried on researches among the older Silurian
(or Ordovician
) fossil
s of the neighbourhood of Montreal.
In 1875 he joined the palaeontological branch of the Geological Survey of Canada at Montreal; in the following year he became palaeontologist, and in 1877 he was further appointed zoologist and assistant director of the survey.
In 1881 the offices of the survey were removed to Ottawa
. His publications on Canadian zoology and palaeontology are numerous and important. Dr Whiteaves was one of the original fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
, and contributed to its Transactions, as well as to the Canadian Naturalist and other journals. He received the honorary degree of LL.D in 1900 from McGill University
, Montreal. He was a Fellow of the Geological Society of London
and the Royal Society of Canada.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
palaeontologist.
Born in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, Whiteaves was educated at private schools, and afterwards worked under John Phillips
John Phillips (geologist)
John Phillips FRS was an English geologist.- Life and work :Philips was born at Marden in Wiltshire...
at Oxford (1858–1861); he was led to study the Oolitic
Oolitic
Oolitic may refer to:* Oolite, a sedimentary rock consisting of ooids* Oolitic, Indiana, a town whose name came from the underlying limestone...
rocks, and added largely to our knowledge of the fossils of the Great Oolite series, Cornbrash and Corallian.
In 1861 he visited Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and made acquaintance with the geology of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, and in 1863 he was appointed curator of the museum and secretary of the Natural History Society of Montreal, posts which he occupied until 1875. He studied the land and freshwater mollusca
Mollusca
The Mollusca , common name molluscs or mollusksSpelled mollusks in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling mollusc see the reasons given by , is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. Mollusca is the largest...
of Lower Canada, and the marine invertebrata
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
of the coasts; and also carried on researches among the older Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
(or Ordovician
Ordovician
The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
) fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s of the neighbourhood of Montreal.
In 1875 he joined the palaeontological branch of the Geological Survey of Canada at Montreal; in the following year he became palaeontologist, and in 1877 he was further appointed zoologist and assistant director of the survey.
In 1881 the offices of the survey were removed to Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. His publications on Canadian zoology and palaeontology are numerous and important. Dr Whiteaves was one of the original fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
, and contributed to its Transactions, as well as to the Canadian Naturalist and other journals. He received the honorary degree of LL.D in 1900 from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, Montreal. He was a Fellow of the Geological Society of London
Geological Society of London
The Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
and the Royal Society of Canada.