Robert Service (naturalist)

Robert Service (1854–1911) was a British nurseryman and naturalist.

Biography
Robert Service was born 23 May 1854 in Netherplace, near Mauchline, Ayrshire. His father was a gardener there. For a short time the family lived near Carlisle, and when Robert was at the age of three, his father settled in Dumfries and founded a nursery business there. Robert was educated at the Old Free Church School, Davidstreet, Maxwelltown under Master William Fairley and started working in his fathers nursery.

Robert Service lived most of his live in Maxwelltown, Dumfries.

He used the pen name "Zoologicus", and later "Mable Moss".

In 1879 he married a daughter of Mrs. Glendinning of Maxwelltown. They had two sons and three daughters.

Service died on 8 May 1911.

Naturalist
From 1870 to 1882 Robert Service was the secretary of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society. He was a so-called 'reconstitution member.' This indicates that he was elected at the reconstitution meeting of 3 November 1876. At this meeting he was also elected an honorary Secretary. In 1902 he was appointed Vice-President; in 1907 he became honorary Vice-President. On 20 January 1911 he was appointed honorary member.

He was also a member of the British Ornithological Union, of the Edinburgh Field Naturalists' and Microscopic Society, of the Natural History Society of Glasgow, of the Andersonian Society, Glasgow and of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He was a corresponding member of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Club.

Around 1900 Service had become the major influence of natural history for the Dumfries and Galloway Region (especially on birds and butterflies).