W. H. Evans
Encyclopedia
Brigadier William Harry Evans C.S.L, C.I.E., D.S.O. (born 22 July 1876 in Shillong
- died 13 November 1956 , Church Whitfield
) was a lepidopterist
and army officer who worked in India
. He documented the butterfly fauna of India
, Burma and Ceylon in a series of articles in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society
. Brigadier Evans was especially interested in the taxonomy and systematics of the butterfly families Lycaenidae
and Hesperiidae an example being his A revision of the Arhopala
group of Oriental Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) Bull. British Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Ent., vol. 5: pp. 85–141 (1957).
. He was sent on duty with the Somaliland Expedition (1902–04), and he injured his knee. He served in France from 1914 to 1918 and was awarded the D.S.O. and a brevet. Exposure to poison gas, however, caused permanent chest problems. He returned to India in 1919 with his final post in the Western Command at Quetta as a Chief Engineer.
He retired in 1931 and travelled to London via Australia. His home was close to the Natural History Museum and he continued to work on Military service and was attached with the Non-Intervention Committee during the Spanish Civil War and later took up work as an Air Raid Warden. He was at a window in the Natural History Museum
, facing South on to Cromwell Road when a German VI rocket bomb burst on the road 100 yards (91.4 m) away. He was injured and his hearing was permanently impaired.
His wife lived in Bournemouth during the air raids (and died there in 1945). Evans, however, stayed in London in order to complete his Revision of the Hesperiidae of the world, as he stated "before he died".
Evans collected butterflies throughout his career in India and was very knowledgeable on distribution patterns. His favourite collection areas included Kodaikanal, Jabalpur, Simla, Murree, Darjeeling, Chitral and Baluchistan. He travelled to Australia to collect Trapetizinae which were endemic there. He did not set and preserve specimens in cabinets, however. They were mostly in paper covers.
From 1923 he published keys to the identification of Indian butterflies in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society
. Evans examined over half a million specimens of Hesperiidae in the museum.
Evans was influenced by the works of Karl Rensch, Ernst Mayr
and Thomas Huxley
, but he was not comfortable with the ideas of phylogenetic classification.
His only son, Dr. J. W. Evans, continued in Entomology as a Directory of the Australian Museum, Sydney. His collection is in the Natural History Museum
, London
.
Shillong
-Connectivity:Although well connected by road, Shillong has no rail connection and a proper air connection. Umroi Airport exists but has only limited flights.-Roadways:Shillong is well connected by roads with all major north eastern states...
- died 13 November 1956 , Church Whitfield
Church Whitfield
Church Whitfield is a village just north of Dover in Kent, England. It is virtually part of the larger area of Whitfield and, like it, part of the town area of Dover. Part of the village is called Pineham....
) was a lepidopterist
Lepidopterist
A lepidopterist is a person who specialises in the study of Lepidoptera, members of an order encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
and army officer who worked in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He documented the butterfly fauna of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Burma and Ceylon in a series of articles in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society
Bombay Natural History Society
The Bombay Natural History Society, founded on 15 September 1883, is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in India engaged in conservation and biodiversity research. It supports many research efforts through grants, and publishes the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. Many...
. Brigadier Evans was especially interested in the taxonomy and systematics of the butterfly families Lycaenidae
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
and Hesperiidae an example being his A revision of the Arhopala
Arhopala
Arhopala is a very large genus of gossamer-winged butterflies . They are the type genus of the tribe Arhopalini. In the relatively wide circumscription used here, it contains over 200 species collectively known as oakblues. They occur from Japan throughout temperate to tropical Asia south and east...
group of Oriental Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) Bull. British Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Ent., vol. 5: pp. 85–141 (1957).
Life and work
Evans was the third son of Sir Horace Moule Evans and Elizabeth Anne, daughter of Surgeon General J. T. Tressider. His mother kindled an interest in nature and, when he was sent to King's School, Canterbury, he was already interested in butterflies and moths. He joined the army at the age of 18 and was posted with the Royal Engineers. In 1898 he began collecting butterflies in ChitralChitral
Chitral or Chetrar , translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River , in Pakistan. The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, high...
. He was sent on duty with the Somaliland Expedition (1902–04), and he injured his knee. He served in France from 1914 to 1918 and was awarded the D.S.O. and a brevet. Exposure to poison gas, however, caused permanent chest problems. He returned to India in 1919 with his final post in the Western Command at Quetta as a Chief Engineer.
He retired in 1931 and travelled to London via Australia. His home was close to the Natural History Museum and he continued to work on Military service and was attached with the Non-Intervention Committee during the Spanish Civil War and later took up work as an Air Raid Warden. He was at a window in the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, facing South on to Cromwell Road when a German VI rocket bomb burst on the road 100 yards (91.4 m) away. He was injured and his hearing was permanently impaired.
His wife lived in Bournemouth during the air raids (and died there in 1945). Evans, however, stayed in London in order to complete his Revision of the Hesperiidae of the world, as he stated "before he died".
Evans collected butterflies throughout his career in India and was very knowledgeable on distribution patterns. His favourite collection areas included Kodaikanal, Jabalpur, Simla, Murree, Darjeeling, Chitral and Baluchistan. He travelled to Australia to collect Trapetizinae which were endemic there. He did not set and preserve specimens in cabinets, however. They were mostly in paper covers.
From 1923 he published keys to the identification of Indian butterflies in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society
Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society
The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society is a natural history journal published several times a year by the Bombay Natural History Society...
. Evans examined over half a million specimens of Hesperiidae in the museum.
Evans was influenced by the works of Karl Rensch, Ernst Mayr
Ernst Mayr
Ernst Walter Mayr was one of the 20th century's leading evolutionary biologists. He was also a renowned taxonomist, tropical explorer, ornithologist, historian of science, and naturalist...
and Thomas Huxley
Thomas Huxley
Thomas Henry Huxley PC FRS was an English biologist, known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution....
, but he was not comfortable with the ideas of phylogenetic classification.
His only son, Dr. J. W. Evans, continued in Entomology as a Directory of the Australian Museum, Sydney. His collection is in the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Publications
- 1937. A Catalogue of the African Hesperiidae. British Museum (Natural History), London.
- 1949. A Catalogue of the Hesperiidae From Europe, Asia, and Australia in the British Museum (Natural History).
- 1951. A Catalogue of the American Hesperiidae Indicating the Classification and Nomenclature Adopted in the British Museum (Natural History). Part I. Pyrrhophyginae. British Museum, London.
- 1952. A Catalogue of the American Hesperiidae Indicating the Classification and Nomenclature Adopted in the British Museum (Natural History). Part II. Pyrginae. Section I. British Museum, London.
- 1953. A Catalogue of the American Hesperiidae Indicating the Classification and Nomenclature Adopted in the British Museum (Natural History). Part III. Pyrginae. Section II. British Museum, London.
- 1955. A Catalogue of the American Hesperiidae Indicating the Classification and Nomenclature Adopted in the British Museum (Natural History). Part IV. Hesperiinae and Megathyminae. British Museum, London.
- 1932. The Identification of Indian Butterflies.