Two items, a report and despatch, by D'Arcy Thompson presented to both Houses of Parliament in 1897 and 1898. Report written by the founder of the largest Arctic zoology collection of its day, Professor D'Arcy Thompson (1860 - 1948), a mathematical biologist and the first professor of Biology at University College Dundee, where the D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum is named in his honor. Thompson befriended the whalers of the busy whaling fleet based in Dundee, and had them bring back specimens for his museum, from the Davis Straits and other Arctic locations. Thompson is also known as the author of the 1917 pioneering work on morphogenesis, the process by which patterns are formed in animals and plants, entitled "On Growth and Form". In this document Thompson reports his findings as part of the international inquiry into the conditions of the fur seal populations in the area of the Northwest Passage and Bering Sea. He specifically cites the conditions of the seal rookeries on the Pribyloff Islands; the extent and causes of seal pup mortality; the local management of the sealing industry; and the statistics of the industry. In the Despatch, Thompson concludes that the population at the Arctic breeding rookeries had indeed decreased, and that the decrease since 1896 was about 5%, but that since the pelagic fleet had been reduced, the numbers should return to equilibrium. Report: Folio, 39pp, charts. Despatch: Folio, 15pp. Original printed wrappers. Seller Inventory # 18686

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Bibliographic Details

Title: Report by Professor D'Arcy Thompson on his ...

Publisher: Printed for her Majesty's Stationery Office by Harrison and Sons, London

Publication Date: 1898

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Very good condition

Edition: First edition.

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We have been booksellers for 48 years, members of the ABAA, ILAB & many prominent trade organizations. You may order from us with the security that an established & reputable bookseller offers you, who abides by the code of ethics established by ILAB. We offer old, rare & out of print books, maps, prints, ephemera & photographs on many subjects. We handle items in every fields. Some of our specialties include the Hudson River Valley, the Antarctic & Arctic, Australia & the South Pacific.

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Antipodean Books, Maps & Prints, ABAA
29 Garrisons Landing, Garrison, NY, 10524, U.S.A.

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