The letters between James Lamont and Charles Darwin on Arctic fauna

Abstract

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.

The Influence of Whaler William Scoresby, Jr. on the Arctic Observations of Sir James Lamont

“…Lamont too was fascinated by the polar bear and wrote at length about this species. The following observations on the natural history of the polar bear reflect the impact of Origin and the concomitant correspondence with Darwin on Lamont's thinking (Lamont, 1861:271 -275;Devlin, 2014). "Then it stands to reason that those individuals [ancestral polar bears] who might happen to be palest in colour would have the best chance of succeeding in surprising seals" (Lamont, 1861:274) echoed the Darwinian concept of the "preservation of favoured races in the struggle of life," now familiarized as "the survival of the fittest."…”

“…Lamont returned from an initial exploratory cruise to Svalbard (referred to by Lamont as Spitzbergen) in August 1858, the same month when a joint paper by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, entitled "On the tendency of species to form varieties; on the perpetuation of varieties and species by natural means of selection," was published in the Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society (Darwin and Wallace, 1858 (Devlin, 2014). After 1859, Lamont's view of the natural world, as evidenced by his writings on the natural history of the Arctic, was forever changed.…”

“…Birds were of long-standing interest to Lamont, and appeared in varying contexts in Seasons (1861) and Yachting (1876). In his introductory letter to Charles Darwin in 1860, Lamont had commented at length on the species status of the British (Red) grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica) and Norwegian dalrype (Lagopus lagopus, the Willow Ptarmigan), and bird epidemics in northern Scotland, no doubt to impress the naturalist with his ornithological expertise (Devlin, 2014). In An Account of the Arctic Regions (1820), Scoresby had already compiled a comprehensive list and physical descriptions of the Arctic birds (guillemots, auks, terns, gulls, fulmars, etc.…”

“…Darwin would have considered Lamont a disinterested gentleman (Secord, 1994), thus a trustworthy and credible source of Arctic information. Consequently Lamont's observations on sexual dimorphism in the bladder-nosed seal appeared in a second edition of The Descent of Man (Darwin, 1882:528;Devlin, 2014).…”

Arctic trophy hunters, tourism and masculinities, 1827–1914

“…Profoundly inspired by Charles Darwin's ideas, Lamont initiated a correspondence with the naturalist, and Darwin responded with sporadic yet encouraging letters (Devlin 2015). In particular, Lamont expounded upon the evolution of walrus and polar bear, comparing it with knowledge gathered on earlier trips to Africa (Lamont 1861, 248-57).…”