Who was John Gould?

John Gould was born on September 14, 1804, in England. He became a known artist for his stunning bird prints, his most famous being the Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Hummingbirds.

Gould’s lifetime work comprised more than 40 volumes, with more than 3,000 coloured plates. His many scientific papers, mostly devoted to descriptions of new species, established his professional reputation, but he is best known today for his folios. –The Encyclopaedia Britannica

John Gould identified Darwin's Galapagos finches as separate species, thus providing one of the crucial insights in the development of Darwin's theory. Gould's identification of these bird species played an important part for Darwin when he was formulating his theory of evolution.

The Gould League of Bird Lovers in Australia was named for John Gould. It was founded in 1909 to encourage the love and protection of Australian native birds. Today there are over 1 million members.

I hereby promise that I will protect native birds and will not collect their eggs. I also promise that I will endeavour to prevent others from injuring native birds and destroying their eggs.
——The Gould League pledge, 1909