author
Cyril Crossland
1878–1943
A globe-traveling zoologist of the early 20th century, he explored coral reefs and coastal waters from East Africa to the Red Sea and the Pacific. His writing mixes sharp scientific observation with the spirit of an old-school naturalist in the field.
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About the author
Born in Sheffield, England, on April 19, 1878, Cyril Crossland was an English zoologist whose work centered on marine life, especially protozoa, corals, and molluscs. Early in his career he worked with the diplomat and naturalist Charles Eliot, and he went on to build a reputation through field collecting and careful taxonomic study.
Crossland carried out research in several regions, including British East Africa, Zanzibar, the Red Sea, and later parts of the Pacific. He served the Sudan Government as a marine biologist and became the first director of the Marine Biological Station at Ghardaqa on the Gulf of Suez. Contemporary notices remembered him as one of the last great "explorer-naturalists," a scientist equally at home in remote fieldwork and museum-based scholarship.
He also wrote for a broader audience. His book Desert and Water Gardens of the Red Sea reflects both his scientific knowledge and his eye for place, bringing together marine observation, travel, and natural history. Crossland died in Hellerup, Denmark, on January 7, 1943.