WHAT’S INSIGHT
THE
MOTORCYCLE NATURALIST I t was through a typical reference request from a researcher that I first encountered Hamilton Mack Laing. Laing was a fascinating Comox resident who lived a remarkable life. He helped promote the natural history of British Columbia to a national and international audience and contributed to the scientific knowledge of western Canada’s wildlife. As I explored his records as part of this inquiry, I realized that I wanted to learn more about him.
Laing and his brother on their US transcontinental bike trip, 1915.
Laing was born in Ontario in 1883 and raised in Manitoba. In 1922 he moved to Vancouver Island, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He was first and foremost a student of nature, which was demonstrated through his prolific writings, drawings and photography. He was also an avid hunter, amateur ornithologist and nut farmer.
The Hamilton Laing collection (PR-0616) comprises almost seven metres of textual records and over 7,000 photographs, most of which depict birds and animals. The collection comprises many unpublished and published books and articles relating to the natural history of western Canada and the United States, a vast amount of correspondence, and many of Laing’s highly detailed drawings of wildlife. In addition, we hold the field notebooks from his research trips, and his private diaries. (continues next page)
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