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John Jenner Weir
John Jenner Weir, FLS, FZS (9 August 1822 – 23 March 1894) was an English amateur entomologist, ornithologist and British civil servant. He is best known today for being one of the naturalists who corresponded with and provided important data to both Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. He played an important role in the formulation of Wallace's theory of aposematism, providing the first experimental evidence for the effectiveness, and hence the existence, of warning coloration in caterpillars. Life and civil service career Weir was born on 9 August 1822.Obituary in May 1894 Entomologist, Books.google.com at in |
Aviary
An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. Aviaries often contain plants and shrubbery to simulate a natural environment. Various types of aviary Large aviaries are often found in the setting of a zoological garden (for example, the London Zoo, the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and the San Diego Zoo). Walk-in aviaries also exist in bird parks, including the spacious Jurong BirdPark in Singapore, or the smaller Edward Youde Aviary in Hong Kong. Pittsburgh is home to the USA's National Aviary, perhaps the most prominent example in North America of an aviary not set inside a zoo. However, the oldest public aviary not set inside a zoo in North America, the Hamilton Aviary is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Tracy Aviary is an example of a bird park within a public urban ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angina Pectoris
Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina is typically the result of obstruction or spasm of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. The main mechanism of coronary artery obstruction is atherosclerosis as part of coronary artery disease. Other causes of angina include abnormal heart rhythms, heart failure and, less commonly, anemia. The term derives from the Latin ''angere'' ("to strangle") and ''pectus'' ("chest"), and can therefore be translated as "a strangling feeling in the chest". There is a weak relationship between severity of angina and degree of oxygen deprivation in the heart muscle, however, the severity of angina does not always match the degree of oxygen deprivation to the heart or the risk of a myocardial infarction (heart attack). Some people may experience severe pain even thou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darwinism (book)
''Darwinism: An Exposition of the Theory of Natural Selection with Some of Its Applications'' is an 1889 book on evolution by Alfred Russel Wallace, the co-discoverer of evolution by natural selection together with Charles Darwin. This was a book Wallace wrote as a defensive response to the scientific critics of natural selection. Of all Wallace's books, it is cited by scholarly publications the most. Synopsis In ''Darwinism'' fifteen chapters, Alfred Russel Wallace sets out his understanding of the theory of evolution by natural selection. He begins by defining "species", discussing creationism, opinion before Charles Darwin, and Darwin's theory. He then describes the Malthusian struggle for existence, given the ability of organisms to reproduce in a world of finite resources. He explains the importance of variability within species, giving examples. He describes variation in domesticated animals and cultivated plants, and the process of artificial selection by breeders. Wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cucullia Verbasci
The mullein moth (''Cucullia verbasci'') is a noctuid moth with a Palearctic distribution. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Description The forewing is broad (for the genus) and brownish ochreous; the costal streak and those preceding and following the lower part of outer line are a deep red brown; the lunules following the line are white and conspicuous; the space below median paler, becoming almost whitish above the outer dark brown streak; the stigmata are marked by dark brown spots; a row of deep brown streaks from apex to vein 6, and another, more faint, from below the apex to the end of cell. The hindwing of the male is whitish, with dark veins and cellspot, becoming diffusely fuscous along the termen; in the female it is darker throughout. The larva is creamy with black and yellow spots. Similar species ''Cucullia verbasci'' is difficult to certainly distinguish from these congeners. *''Shargacu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diloba Caeruleocephala
''Diloba caeruleocephala'', the figure of eight, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the Palearctic. Distribution ''Diloba caeruleocephala'' is found in most of Europe except northern Scandinavia, the northern part of the British Isles and the North of Russia. In the South, it occurs in North Africa, the Middle East (Lebanon, Israel, Jordan), Asia Minor, Iran and Kazakhstan. It is largely missing in Portugal. Description The wingspan is 30–40 mm. The length of the forewings is 15–19 mm. The heavily combed antennae of the male and the thick, woolly-hairy body of the female is atypical for Noctuidae. The forewings are grey or grey-brown with a purple sheen. The reniform and orbicular stigmata are both in the shape of a figure 8 enclosed in yellowish white. The post median and subterminal lines are black. There is a black tornal streak. The hindwing is an ochreous white. The cilia are greyish brown with a wedge-shaped black tornal mark. The egg is hem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abraxas Grossulariata
''Abraxas grossulariata'' is a moth of the family Geometridae, native to the Palearctic realm and North America. Its distinctive speckled coloration has given it a common name of magpie moth. The caterpillar is similarly coloured to the adult, and may be found feeding on the leaves of shrubs such as gooseberry and blackcurrant. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Description The length of the forewing is 18–25 mm. The strikingly patterned forewings have a white ground colour, with six transverse series of black stains, partly associated with a pale yellow basal cross band and another through the central area of the forewing. The hindwings are paler, and have a few, small dark stains. It is a highly variable species with many different forms. Research using ''Abraxas grossulariata'' led to the discovery of sex-linked characteristics. Caterpillar Abraxas grossulariata 03.jpg, Larva Magpie moth (Abraxas grossul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warning Coloration
Aposematism is the Advertising in biology, advertising by an animal to potential predation, predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defences which make the prey difficult to kill and eat, such as toxicity, venom, foul taste or smell, sharp spines, or aggressive nature. These advertising signals may take the form of conspicuous animal coloration, coloration, sounds, odours, or other perception, perceivable characteristics. Aposematic signals are beneficial for both predator and prey, since both avoid potential harm. The term was coined in 1877 by Edward Bagnall Poulton for Alfred Russel Wallace's concept of warning coloration. Aposematism is exploited in Müllerian mimicry, where species with strong defences evolve to resemble one another. By mimicking similarly coloured species, the warning signal to predators is shared, causing them to learn more quickly at less of a cost. A genuine aposematic signal that a species actually ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Expression Of The Emotions In Man And Animals
''The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals'' is Charles Darwin's third major work of evolutionary theory, following ''On the Origin of Species'' (1859) and ''The Descent of Man'' (1871). Initially intended as a chapter in ''The Descent of Man'', ''The Expression'' grew in length and was published separately in 1872. This book concerns the biological aspects of emotional life, and Darwin explores the animal origins of such human characteristics as the lifting of the eyebrows in moments of surprise and the raising of the upper lip in an aggressive sneer. A German translation of ''The Expression'' appeared in 1872; Dutch and French versions followed in 1873 and 1874. A second edition of the book, with only minor alterations, was published in 1890. Since its first publication, ''The Expression'' has never been out of print, but it has also been described as Darwin's "forgotten masterpiece". Before Darwin, human emotional life had posed problems to the western philosophic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Variation Of Animals And Plants Under Domestication
''The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication'' is a book by Charles Darwin that was first published in January 1868. A large proportion of the book contains detailed information on the domestication of animals and plants but it also contains in Chapter XXVII a description of Darwin's theory of heredity which he called pangenesis. Background Darwin had been working for two years writing his "big book", provisionally titled ''Natural Selection'', when on 18 June 1858 he received a parcel from Alfred Wallace, who was then living in Borneo. It enclosed a twenty pages manuscript describing an evolutionary mechanism that was similar to Darwin's own theory. Under pressure to publish his ideas, Darwin started work on an "abstract" summary, which was published in November 1859 as ''On the Origin of Species''. In the introduction he announced that in a future publication he hoped to give "in detail all the facts, with references, on which my conclusions have been grounde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Descent Of Man
''The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex'' is a book by English naturalist Charles Darwin, first published in 1871, which applies evolutionary theory to human evolution, and details his theory of sexual selection, a form of biological adaptation distinct from, yet interconnected with, natural selection. The book discusses many related issues, including evolutionary psychology, evolutionary ethics, evolutionary musicology, differences between human races, differences between sexes, the dominant role of women in mate choice, and the relevance of the evolutionary theory to society. Publication As Darwin wrote, he posted chapters to his daughter Henrietta for editing to ensure that damaging inferences could not be drawn, and also took advice from his wife Emma. Many of the figures were drawn by the zoological illustrator T. W. Wood, who had also illustrated Wallace's '' The Malay Archipelago'' (1869). The corrected proofs were sent off on 15 January 1871 t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zoological Society Of London
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 November 1822, the birthday of John Ray, "the father of modern zoology", a meeting held in the Linnean Society in Soho Square led by Rev. William Kirby, resolved to form a "Zoological Club of the Linnean Society of London". Between 1816 and 1826, discussions between Stamford Raffles, Humphry Davy, Joseph Banks and others led to the idea that London should have an establishment similar to the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. It would house a zoological collection "which should interest and amuse the public." The society was founded in April 1826 by Sir Stamford Raffles, the Marquess of Lansdowne, Lord Auckland, Sir Humphry Davy, Robert Peel, Joseph Sabine, Nicholas Aylward Vigors along with various other nobility, clergy, and natu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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