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Colin M. Selbie

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Colin Mackenzie Selbie
Born24 February 1889
Birsay, Scotland
Died14 July 1916(1916-07-14) (aged 27)
Somme, France
NationalityScottish
Known forwork on Irish crustacea
Scientific career
FieldsZoology
InstitutionsNational Museum of Ireland

Colin Mackenzie Selbie (24 February 1889 – 14 July 1916) was a Scottish zoologist who worked in the Natural History Museum Dublin and took part in the Clare Island Survey.[1] Though he had a short career, his impact on the Irish study of crustacea and myriapoda was noted by those he worked with.[2]

Early life

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Selbie was born in Birsay on 24 February 1889 to John and Margaret Selbie (née Mackenzie),[3] though his year of birth is often cited as 1890.[2][4] His father, John Alexander Selbie, was a minister in the Free Church and later went on to be a professor at Aberdeen United Free College.[3] Selbie was third child of four, having an older brother William Philip, an older sister Jane, and a younger sister Eleanor.[3] He held a B.Sc. degree from the University of Aberdeen, graduating in 1910.[2]

Zoological career

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Selbie took up the position of Assistant Naturalist in the Dublin Museum of Science and Art in 1911.[4] Under the guidance of Robert Francis Scharff, Selbie worked on crustacea and myriapoda, most notably on the specimens from the Fisheries cruiser the Helga and the Clare Island Survey.[4] His ability to illustrate his monographs was a talent that was noted by his contemporaries.[2]

He named one crustacea, Palinurus thomsoni, in honour of his former Professor John Arthur Thomson.[2]

Military career

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Selbie enlisted into the 15th Royal Scots Regiment on the outbreak of World War I as a private on 4 November 1914.[3] On the recommendation of his C.O. he received a commission into the Scottish Rifles where he attained the rank of Second Lieutenant in January 1915.[2][3] He died on the Somme in July 1916.[1][5] Selbie is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, and on the Birsay War Memorial.[3]

Works

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  • 1912 Some new Irish myriapods The Irish naturalist, Vol. XXI, No. 6, pp. 113–115
  • 1912 National Museum of Science and Art, Dublin: Natural History Collections: Crustacea Museum bulletin: National Museum of Science and Art, Dublin, Vol. II, Part 1
  • 1913 New records of Irish myriapods The Irish naturalist, Vol. XXII, No. 7, pp. 131–135
  • 1913 National Museum of Science and Art, Dublin: Natural History Division: Our Knowledge of the higher crustacea in Ireland Museum bulletin: National Museum of Science and Art, Dublin, Vol. III, Part 3-4

References

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  1. ^ a b O'Riordan, C.E. (1983). The Natural History Museum, Dublin. Dublin: Stationery Office.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Halbert, J. N. (1916). "Colin M. Selbie". The Irish Naturalist. 25 (9): 137–138. JSTOR 25524528.
  3. ^ a b c d e f The Royal British Legion Scotland. "BIRSAY – Colin Selbie". The Royal British Legion Scotland Kirkwall Branch. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Praeger, R. Lloyd. "Some Irish Naturalists: A Biographical Note". National Botanic Gardens. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  5. ^ The Aberdeen University Review. "Obituary – Colin Mackenzie Selbie". Forgotten Books. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
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