The Natural History of Ireland

The Natural History of Ireland is a four volume work by William Thompson. The first three volumes were published by Reeve and Benham, London between 1849 and 1851. Volume 4 was published by Henry G. Bohn, London in 1856. The Natural History of Ireland is very influential of later developments.

The parts are:

The Natural History of Ireland was the first attempt to produce an account of the fauna of Ireland. "With so much already done pictorially and descriptively, on the subject of British ornithology, it may be considered superfluous to treat of the birds of Ireland in a separate work, but, in the author's opinion, every country should possess a Natural History specially appertaining to itself. In the publications referred to, the birds of Ireland have been but briefly indicated, — a species generally dis- missed in a single line, and so much appearing only in two works; — those of Sir Win. Jardine and Mr. Yarrell".

In 1837 Robert Templeton published a scientific paper entitled "Irish Vertebrate Animals", selected from the Papers of the late John Templeton in the Magazine of Natural History . This is the first scientific Irish list of Ireland's bird, mammal and fish.

Text on the bird species, Thompson’s main interest, is a mixture of his own observations (some of which he had previously published in Annals and Magazine of Natural History), and as quotations, those of British authors and his many correspondents in Ireland. William Sinclaire, a merchant in Belfast and a bird collector, John Vandeleur Stewart and Richard Langtry an estate owner at Milltown near Belfast figure prominently. Reference is also made to specimens held by the Belfast Museum, Dublin University Museum and the Royal Dublin Society Museum. There is frequent mention of bird preservers.

The birds are placed in the higher groups proposed by Pierre Barrère and adopted by early 19th century authors.

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