William Archer (naturalista)
# William Archer (naturalista)

William Archer (Magherahamlet (Contea di Down), 6 maggio 1830 (1827?) – Dublino, 14 agosto 1897) è stato un naturalista e microscopista irlandese particolarmente interessato allo studio di Protozoa e Desmidiales.

## Biografia

Era il figlio primogenito del Reverendo Richard Archer, vicario di Clonduff.

Nel 1849, fu uno dei dodici membri fondatori del Dublin Microscopical Club.

Tra il 1858 e il 1885 scrisse oltre 230 testi scientifici pubblicati sul Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science, Proceedings of the Natural History Society of Dublin; la gran parte sono brevi note sui Desmidiales raccolti in Irlanda. Talvolta lo stesso testo era pubblicato su due o più giornali.

Fu membro della Dublin University Zoological Association e fu eletto Fellow della Royal Society nel 1875.

Fu bibliotecario della National Library of Ireland dal 1877 al 1895.

«Archer was my chief in the National Library of Ireland during my first three years of service there - a rather dreamy man, prematurely old (for he took no care of his health), living in a small house in Hatch-street with a scapegrace young nephew and a would-be housekeeper, and spending his off-time chiefly in the reading-room of the Royal Dublin Society next door to the National Library. He forgot even his meals sometimes. Once when he had gone on leave a marked odour began to pervade the Librarian’s office, which grew so insistent as the days went by that the Head Attendant and I were forced to investigate. We eventually found in his private drawer two herrings, very much the worse for wear!»

(Robert Lloyd Praeger)

