Arthur Earland (1866–1958) and his links with Ireland

Abstract. INTRODUCTION

In a recent paper, Robinson & Austin (2001) document the foraminiferal slide collection of Arthur Earland, and the correspondence between him and D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson, held at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. A number of slides are of material collected in Irish waters, and an interesting photograph is reproduced showing Earland standing on the Irish Fisheries cruiser Helga in the company of two men. This brief note examines Earland’s links with Ireland, discusses the provenance of some of Earland’s Irish material, confirms the date the photograph was taken, suggests who the photographer was, and provides biographical information on the two additional men portrayed in it – G. P. Farran and R. Southern.

EARLAND IN IRELAND IN 1911

Figure 1 (of Robinson & Austin, 2001) shows Earland, Farran and Southern on the deck of the cruiser Helga. This cruiser was used for a large number of research cruises carried out by the Irish Fisheries board between the early 1900 s and 1914. The photograph dates from the middle of August 1911 when the ship was used during the celebrated Clare Island Survey off the west coast of County Mayo, Ireland (Praeger, 1949). This ambitious project brought together over 200 European naturalists and experts (including Earland), in order to carry out a comprehensive survey of all aspects of the natural history in and around Clare Island (Collins, 1985). Southern directed the dredging operations from the Helga.

Edward Heron-Allen and Arthur Earland were asked to work up the Foraminifera and arrived at . . .