The Life-Histories of British Marine Food-Fishes.

a pioneer of fisheries research

First edition of this scarce early work on the embryology and developmental stages of commercial fish species. Illustrated with twenty-one beautiful and detail chromolithographic plates.

Though educated as a physician, author William Carmichael M'Intosh (1838-1931) had a life-long interest in natural history and came under the tutelage of St. Andrews marine zoologist G.J. Allman. 'In 1882 the chair of natural history in the University of St Andrews became vacant and M'Intosh, fulfilling a long-term ambition, returned to his native city as professor of zoology, a position which he occupied until his retirement in 1917. In 1883 he was appointed to conduct investigations on behalf of a royal commission on Scottish sea fisheries (the trawling commission), and as part of this work set up one of the country's first marine laboratories at St Andrews. These researches were summarized in Life Histories of British Marine Food-Fishes (with Arthur Thomas Masterman, 1897) and The Resources of the Sea (1898)... In fishery research he was one of the pioneers, and although many of his conclusions (such as his belief that human activity would not seriously deplete marine resources) are now outdated, he had a clearer conception of the broad outlines of marine ecology than many of his contemporaries.' (Oxford Dictionary of National Biography).

First edition, 8vo; chromolithographic frontispiece and 20 plates, engravings within the text, inked ownership inscription dated 1909 to the front free endpaper, a little spotting to the endpapers, half title, and edges of text block; original blue pebble grain cloth blocked in gilt with fish designs to the spine and boards, spine rolled, cloth a little worn at the edges and joints, some dark ink spots affecting the boards, very good condition; 516pp.