The letters between James Lamont and Charles Darwin on Arctic fauna

In the summers of 1858 and 1859, the Scot Sir James Lamont of Knockdow embarked on two cruises to Svalbard (referred to by Lamont as Spitzbergen [sic]) to hunt, make geographical surveys, and collect geological and biological specimens. Lamont's return from these voyages coincided with the publ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar record 2015-09, Vol.51 (5), p.492-500
Main Author: Devlin, C. Leah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic mammals
Biology
Correspondence
Cruises
Darwin, Charles (1809-1882)
Evolutionary biology
Flowers & plants
Geology
Marine
Polar bears
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Summary:In the summers of 1858 and 1859, the Scot Sir James Lamont of Knockdow embarked on two cruises to Svalbard (referred to by Lamont as Spitzbergen [sic]) to hunt, make geographical surveys, and collect geological and biological specimens. Lamont's return from these voyages coincided with the publication of the joint Charles Darwin-Alfred Russel Wallace paper, ‘On the tendency of species to form varieties; on the perpetuation of varieties and species by natural means of selection’ by the Linnean Society in August 1858 and, a year later, the publication of Darwin's On the origin of species (Darwin 1958). Profoundly influenced by Darwin's ideas, Lamont initiated a correspondence with the naturalist, relating examples of what he considered to be natural selection, observed during his hunting expeditions. In his Svalbard travelogue, Seasons with the sea-horses (1861), Lamont expounded specifically upon walrus and polar bear evolution, ideas inspired by sporadic yet encouraging letters from the renowned naturalist.
ISSN:0032-2474
1475-3057
DOI:10.1017/S0032247414000485