Nicholas Aylward Vigors facts for kids
Nicholas Aylward Vigors (born 1785, died 1840) was an important Irish scientist and politician. He studied animals, especially birds. He also helped create a popular way to group birds based on their features.
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Early Life and Education
Nicholas Aylward Vigors was born in 1785 in Old Leighlin, County Carlow, Ireland. His father was Captain Nicholas Aylward Vigors. Young Nicholas started studying at Trinity College, Oxford in 1803. Later, he joined Lincoln's Inn in 1806.
Military Service and Studies
Before finishing his studies, Vigors joined the army. He served during the Peninsular War from 1809 to 1811. He was injured in the Battle of Barrosa in 1811. Even while serving, he published a book in 1810. After his military service, he went back to Oxford. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1817. He then received his Master of Arts degree in 1818. Later, he became a lawyer and earned a Doctor of Civil Law degree in 1832.
Contributions to Zoology
Vigors was very interested in animals, especially birds. He helped start important scientific groups.
Founding Scientific Societies
In 1826, Vigors was a co-founder of the Zoological Society of London. This society helps study and protect animals. He was its first secretary until 1833. In that same year, he also started what is now the Royal Entomological Society of London. This group focuses on insects. He was also a member of the Linnean Society and the Royal Society. These are well-known scientific organizations.
Bird Studies and Discoveries
Vigors wrote 40 scientific papers. Most of these papers were about ornithology, which is the study of birds. He described 110 different species of birds. This makes him one of the top bird experts in history. He also wrote the text for a famous book by John Gould. The book was called A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains (1830–32).
One bird he described was called "Sabine's snipe." This bird was later thought to be a type of Wilson's snipe. Vigors even provided a bird skin for later editions of Thomas Bewick's book, History of British Birds.
Political Career
After his father passed away in 1828, Vigors took over his family's estate. He then became involved in politics.
Serving in Parliament
Vigors was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the area of Carlow. He served as an MP from 1832 to 1835. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in the government. He briefly represented County Carlow in 1835.
He was elected again in 1837 after another MP died. He kept his seat in Parliament until he passed away.
