﻿85 
  

  

  SOLANDEK 
  AS 
  A 
  CONCHOLOGIST. 
  

  

  By 
  Tom 
  Ieedale. 
  

  

  Bead 
  12th 
  May, 
  1916. 
  

  

  To 
  most 
  conchologists 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  generation 
  tlie 
  name 
  of 
  Solander 
  

   does 
  not 
  convey 
  much. 
  For 
  instance, 
  in 
  the 
  Hist. 
  Coll. 
  Nat. 
  Hist, 
  

   lirit. 
  Mus., 
  vol. 
  ii, 
  1906, 
  p. 
  702, 
  E. 
  A. 
  Smith 
  wrote: 
  "It 
  is 
  probable 
  

   that 
  Dr. 
  D. 
  C. 
  Solander, 
  who 
  was 
  appointed 
  an 
  assistant 
  in 
  the 
  

   Museum 
  in 
  1765, 
  may 
  at 
  some 
  time 
  have 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  collection, 
  

   as 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  from 
  his 
  MSS. 
  in 
  the 
  Banksian 
  Library 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  

   a, 
  knowledge 
  of 
  conchology." 
  In 
  the 
  /i?'s, 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  127-;^5, 
  under 
  

   the 
  title 
  "Solander 
  as 
  an 
  Ornithologist", 
  I 
  gave 
  a 
  short 
  account 
  

   of 
  the 
  career 
  of 
  Solander, 
  who 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  far 
  ahead 
  of 
  any 
  

   other 
  worker 
  of 
  his 
  time 
  in 
  his 
  grasp 
  of 
  systematic 
  ornithology, 
  

   and 
  I 
  believe 
  also 
  in 
  conchology, 
  but 
  this 
  cannot 
  be 
  so 
  readily 
  

   established. 
  

  

  Daniel 
  Carl 
  Solander 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  NoiTland, 
  Sweden, 
  on 
  

   28th 
  February, 
  1736, 
  and 
  studied 
  at 
  Upsala, 
  where 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  personal 
  

   jmpil 
  of 
  Linne, 
  and 
  wliere 
  he 
  took 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  M.D. 
  Upon 
  Linne's 
  

   advice 
  he 
  came 
  to 
  England 
  in 
  1760, 
  and 
  recommended 
  to 
  the 
  British 
  

   Museum, 
  through 
  Ellis, 
  the 
  famous 
  English 
  botanist, 
  he 
  was 
  engaged 
  

   to 
  classify 
  and 
  catalogue, 
  but 
  was 
  not 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  permanent 
  staff. 
  

   Linne, 
  in 
  1762, 
  tiierefore 
  procured 
  for 
  him 
  the 
  offer 
  of 
  the 
  Chair 
  

   of 
  Botany 
  at 
  St. 
  Petersburg, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  advice 
  of 
  his 
  Englisli 
  friends 
  

   Solander 
  refused 
  this 
  offer, 
  and 
  in 
  1763 
  was 
  appointed 
  assistant 
  in 
  

   the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  becoming 
  Under 
  Librarian 
  (as 
  the 
  Assistant 
  

   Keepers 
  were 
  then 
  termed) 
  in 
  1765, 
  under 
  Maty. 
  In 
  1764 
  lie 
  was 
  

   elected 
  a 
  Fellow 
  of 
  the 
  Iloyal 
  Society. 
  In 
  1767 
  Joseph 
  Banks 
  met 
  

   and 
  persuaded 
  Solander 
  to 
  accompany 
  him 
  on 
  a 
  voyage 
  to 
  observe 
  the 
  

   transit 
  of 
  Venus 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  Pacific. 
  Captain 
  Cook 
  was 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  

   expedition, 
  which, 
  as 
  a 
  bye-issue, 
  waste 
  seek 
  the 
  theoretical 
  Antarctic 
  

   Continent. 
  This 
  voyage 
  lasted 
  from 
  1768 
  to 
  1771, 
  and 
  though 
  

   primarily 
  Banks 
  and 
  Solander 
  were 
  botanists, 
  zoology 
  was 
  well 
  looked 
  

   after 
  and 
  a 
  multitude 
  of 
  new 
  shells 
  was 
  procured. 
  Before 
  Solander 
  

   left 
  England 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  promised 
  that 
  his 
  official 
  post 
  would 
  remain 
  

   open, 
  and 
  after 
  his 
  return, 
  when 
  Maty 
  was 
  appointed 
  Principal 
  

   Librarian, 
  Solander 
  was 
  promoted 
  to 
  the 
  Keepership 
  of 
  the 
  Natural 
  

   History 
  Department, 
  whilst 
  in 
  his 
  non-official 
  time 
  he 
  acted 
  as 
  

   secretary 
  and 
  librarian 
  to 
  Banks. 
  

  

  The 
  joy 
  of 
  travel 
  had, 
  however, 
  upset 
  botli 
  Banks 
  and 
  Solander, 
  

   And 
  preparations 
  were 
  soon 
  being 
  made, 
  to 
  the 
  detriment 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  

   collection, 
  by 
  them 
  to 
  accompany 
  Cook 
  on 
  his 
  second 
  voyage. 
  This 
  

   project 
  fell 
  through, 
  but 
  Banks 
  and 
  Solander 
  consoled 
  themselves 
  with 
  

   a 
  trip 
  to 
  Iceland 
  instead. 
  

  

  Solander 
  was 
  probabh* 
  working 
  slowh' 
  at 
  the 
  collections 
  he 
  liad 
  

   brought 
  back 
  when 
  he 
  was 
  suddenly 
  cut 
  off 
  on 
  the 
  16th 
  May, 
  1782, 
  

   at 
  the 
  early 
  age 
  of 
  46. 
  

  

  VOL. 
  XII. 
  — 
  Nov. 
  1916. 
  7 
  

  

  