Ian McTaggart Cowan Collection
User Collection Public
Ian McTaggart Cowan (1910–2010) is often referred to as the “father of Canadian ecology.” From his formative years roaming the mountains around Vancouver collecting museum specimens of mammals and birds to his last years as a major contributor to the voluminous and authoritative Birds of British Columbia (which the Royal BC Museum called "one of the biggest publishing events in Canadian history") Cowan’s life provides a unique perspective on a century of environmental change—with a critical message for the future.
The Cowan Collection at the University of Victoria Special Collections includes Cowan’s field journals, photographs, CBC footage and correspondence from his 75-year long multi-faceted career, alternating between high-profile campaigns, such as ending the Canadian bounty system, and cutting-edge field research into species and ecosystems from the Arctic to Haida Gwaii. It also includes journal from his mentors like Kenneth Racey and students like Bristol Foster. The Ian McTaggart-Cowan field journals were the primary source used to create the official biography, The Real Thing: The Natural History of Ian McTaggart Cowan.
Please also find a digital exhibit here: https://exhibits.library.uvic.ca/spotlight/ian-mctaggart-cowan
Permalink: http://vault.library.uvic.ca/collections/889c09a1-af37-4069-9fa1-f3b4149bad01
Collection Details
- Items 497
- Last Updated 2024-12-11
Works (497)
291. Web of life 01 (1964-03-04) : marsh world
- Title:
- Web of life 01 (1964-03-04) : marsh world
- Description:
- This half-hour series was broadcast in four runs from 1959 to 1963, except 1962. It started as a twenty-six week examination of different forms of animal life, and added more programs in subsequent years. The series was hosted, written and narrated by Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan. This episode illustrates the marsh creatures in a lake in Cariboo Regional District of Central Columbia and how they share common habitat, react to the environment and obtain food. It also reveals some ingenious ways that animals have evolved to meet their needs and to escape competition. Dr. Cowan introduced some single-celled animals, water insects and marsh rat. After the CBC broadcast some of the episodes were re-broadcasted as Western Regional School Telecasts. For this episode the school broadcast date was 1964-03-04 and the identifier was CBUT-8031-1.
- Subject:
- Marsh ecology, Marsh animals, Animal behavior, Zoology, Adaptation (Biology), and McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010
- Contributor:
- McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010, Bray, Ken, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and Connochie, Tom
- Publisher:
- CBC Vancouver
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 1959-10-11
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- License:
- This item is the property of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and is provided for research purposes only. For use other than research, permission must be acquired from the CBC.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Identifier:
- CBUT-9859-9
- Extent:
- 1 film reel (00:29:50) : black and white ; 16 mm
- Alternative Title:
- Web of life show 01, Western schools, and Western regional school telecast
- Geographic Coverage:
- British Columbia--Cariboo Regional District
- Coordinates:
- 52.33313, -123.16961
- Physical Repository:
- Physical item housed at CBC Vancouver.
- Collection:
- Ian McTaggart Cowan Collection
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Digitization undertaken with the support of Ann Schau.
- Genre:
- documentary film, video recordings (physical artifacts), and television programs
- Technical Note:
- mp4. Digitization of the films was contracted by the CBC. Metadata by M. He. Migration metadata by KD.
292. Web of life 03 : shifting sand
- Title:
- Web of life 03 : shifting sand
- Description:
- This half-hour series was broadcast in four runs from 1959 to 1963, except 1962. It started as a twenty-six week examination of different forms of animal life, and added more programs in subsequent years. The series was hosted, written and narrated by Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan. In this episode, Dr. Cowan explored the west coast of Vancouver Island and compared two kinds of habitats: shifting sand beaches which were populated by animals and rocky promontory which was populated by both plants and animals. He introduced the animals and sea weeds he found and explained how the animals react to meet the environment needs, including barnacles, clams and the beautiful jellyfish: velella.
- Subject:
- Adaptation (Biology), Seashore plants, Seashore ecology, McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010, Seashore animals, Beaches, and Marine biology
- Contributor:
- McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Connochie, Tom, and Bray, Ken
- Publisher:
- CBC Vancouver
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 1959-10-24
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- License:
- This item is the property of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and is provided for research purposes only. For use other than research, permission must be acquired from the CBC.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Identifier:
- CBUT-9861-3
- Extent:
- 1 film reel (00:29:41) : black and white ; 16 mm
- Alternative Title:
- Web of life show 03
- Geographic Coverage:
- British Columbia--Vancouver Island
- Coordinates:
- 49.65064, -125.44939
- Physical Repository:
- Physical item housed at CBC Vancouver.
- Collection:
- Ian McTaggart Cowan Collection
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Digitization undertaken with the support of Ann Schau.
- Genre:
- documentary film, television programs, and video recordings (physical artifacts)
- Technical Note:
- mp4. Digitization of the films was contracted by the CBC. Metadata by M. He. Migration metadata by KD.
293. Web of life 04 (1964-03-18) : roof of the world
- Title:
- Web of life 04 (1964-03-18) : roof of the world
- Description:
- This half-hour series was broadcast in four runs from 1959 to 1963, except 1962. It started as a twenty-six week examination of different forms of animal life, and added more programs in subsequent years. The series was hosted, written and narrated by Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan. This episode depicts life in the high peaks of the Rockies and Garibaldi Park and had a short look at a year of mountains. Dr. Cowan introduced the animals he found in summer including birds, small mammals and big fellows, such as dipper, Canada jay, pika, hoary marmot, mountain goat and bighorn sheep. He also explained how these animals protect themselves and obtain food in winter. After the CBC broadcast some of the episodes were re-broadcasted as Western Regional School Telecasts. For this episode the school broadcast date was 1964-03-18 and the identifier was CBUT-8033-1.
- Subject:
- Mountain animals, McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010, Birds, Mountains, Adaptation (Biology), Mountain ecology, and Mammals
- Contributor:
- McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010, Bray, Ken, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and Connochie, Tom
- Publisher:
- CBC Vancouver
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 1959-11-01
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- License:
- This item is the property of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and is provided for research purposes only. For use other than research, permission must be acquired from the CBC.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Identifier:
- CBUT-9862-3
- Extent:
- 1 film reel (00:29:58) : black and white ; 16 mm
- Alternative Title:
- Web of life show 04, Western regional school telecast, and Western schools
- Geographic Coverage:
- British Columbia--Garibaldi Provincial Park
- Coordinates:
- 49.99969, -122.7527
- Physical Repository:
- Physical item housed at CBC Vancouver.
- Collection:
- Ian McTaggart Cowan Collection
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Digitization undertaken with the support of Ann Schau.
- Genre:
- documentary film, television programs, and video recordings (physical artifacts)
- Technical Note:
- mp4. Digitization of the films was contracted by the CBC. Metadata by M. He. Migration metadata by KD.
294. Web of life 05 : poisonous company
- Title:
- Web of life 05 : poisonous company
- Description:
- This half-hour series was broadcast in four runs from 1959 to 1963, except 1962. It started as a twenty-six week examination of different forms of animal life, and added more programs in subsequent years. The series was hosted, written and narrated by Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan. Dr. Cowan introduced poisonous animals and their physical characteristics in the world. He described venomous animals of different species including fishes, spiders, lizards, snakes and sea snails. He also explained how their bodies produce the poison and how they use it to get food and protect themselves.
- Subject:
- Animal defenses, Poisonous animals, and McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010
- Contributor:
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Connochie, Tom, Bray, Ken, and McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010
- Publisher:
- CBC Vancouver
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 1959-11-08
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- License:
- This item is the property of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and is provided for research purposes only. For use other than research, permission must be acquired from the CBC.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Identifier:
- CBUT-9863-8
- Extent:
- 1 film reel (00:28:49) : black and white ; 16 mm
- Alternative Title:
- Web of life show 05
- Physical Repository:
- Physical item housed at CBC Vancouver.
- Collection:
- Ian McTaggart Cowan Collection
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Digitization undertaken with the support of Ann Schau.
- Genre:
- video recordings (physical artifacts), television programs, and documentary film
- Technical Note:
- mp4. Digitization of the films was contracted by the CBC. Metadata by M. He. Migration metadata by KD.
295. Web of life 06 : life in the Scott Islands
- Title:
- Web of life 06 : life in the Scott Islands
- Description:
- This half-hour series was broadcast in four runs from 1959 to 1963, except 1962. It started as a twenty-six week examination of different forms of animal life, and added more programs in subsequent years. The series was hosted, written and narrated by Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan. Dr. Cowan talked about his exploration on Scott Islands. He introduced birds living on the island, including puffins, murres and cormorants. He also studied the impact of the sea lions lived near the islands on the fishery.
- Subject:
- Islands, Marine biology, Sea birds, Birds, Sea lions, Marine ecology, and McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010
- Contributor:
- Connochie, Tom, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010, and Bray, Ken
- Publisher:
- CBC Vancouver
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 1959-11-15
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- License:
- This item is the property of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and is provided for research purposes only. For use other than research, permission must be acquired from the CBC.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Identifier:
- CBUT-9864-2
- Extent:
- 1 film reel (00:28:47) : black and white ; 16 mm
- Alternative Title:
- Web of life show 06
- Geographic Coverage:
- British Columbia--Scott Islands
- Coordinates:
- 50.79959, -128.83661
- Physical Repository:
- Physical item housed at CBC Vancouver.
- Collection:
- Ian McTaggart Cowan Collection
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Digitization undertaken with the support of Ann Schau.
- Genre:
- documentary film, video recordings (physical artifacts), and television programs
- Technical Note:
- mp4. Digitization of the films was contracted by the CBC. Metadata by M. He. Migration metadata by KD.
296. Web of life 07 : growing up
- Title:
- Web of life 07 : growing up
- Description:
- This half-hour series was broadcast in four runs from 1959 to 1963, except 1962. It started as a twenty-six week examination of different forms of animal life, and added more programs in subsequent years. The series was hosted, written and narrated by Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan. This episode depicts the insect metamorphosis. Dr. Cowan introduced the changes of some insects at the different stages and how these changes happened, including hatching, getting food and molting. The insects he showed are mantis, moth and damselfly.
- Subject:
- McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010, Insects--Metamorphosis, and Insects
- Contributor:
- Connochie, Tom, Bray, Ken, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010
- Publisher:
- CBC Vancouver
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 1959-11-22
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- License:
- This item is the property of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and is provided for research purposes only. For use other than research, permission must be acquired from the CBC.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Identifier:
- CBUT-9865-3
- Extent:
- 1 film reel (00:30:03) : black and white ; 16 mm
- Alternative Title:
- Story of change and Web of life show 07
- Physical Repository:
- Physical item housed at CBC Vancouver.
- Collection:
- Ian McTaggart Cowan Collection
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Digitization undertaken with the support of Ann Schau.
- Genre:
- documentary film, television programs, and video recordings (physical artifacts)
- Technical Note:
- mp4. Digitization of the films was contracted by the CBC. Metadata by M. He. Migration metadata by KD.
297. Web of life 08 : display
- Title:
- Web of life 08 : display
- Description:
- This half-hour series was broadcast in four runs from 1959 to 1963, except 1962. It started as a twenty-six week examination of different forms of animal life, and added more programs in subsequent years. The series was hosted, written and narrated by Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan. Dr. Cowan talked about the display of animals and the language they use to communicate with other animals for choosing mates, defending nests and attracting enemies away from nest or children. Different species from birds, fishes to mammals have their own display, including courtship display, threat display, distraction display, advertising display and aggressive display.
- Subject:
- Parental behavior in animals, Aggressive behavior in animals, Display behavior in animals, Animal communication, Social behavior in animals, McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010, Animal behavior, Animal defenses, and Courtship in animals
- Contributor:
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Bray, Ken, Connochie, Tom, and McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010
- Publisher:
- CBC Vancouver
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 1959-11-29
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- License:
- This item is the property of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and is provided for research purposes only. For use other than research, permission must be acquired from the CBC.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Identifier:
- CBUT-9866-2
- Extent:
- 1 film reel (00:30:02) : black and white ; 16 mm
- Alternative Title:
- Language of animals and Web of life show 08
- Physical Repository:
- Physical item housed at CBC Vancouver.
- Collection:
- Ian McTaggart Cowan Collection
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Digitization undertaken with the support of Ann Schau.
- Genre:
- video recordings (physical artifacts), television programs, and documentary film
- Technical Note:
- mp4. Digitization of the films was contracted by the CBC. Metadata by M. He. Migration metadata by KD.
298. Web of life 09 : quiet shores
- Title:
- Web of life 09 : quiet shores
- Description:
- This half-hour series was broadcast in four runs from 1959 to 1963, except 1962. It started as a twenty-six week examination of different forms of animal life, and added more programs in subsequent years. The series was hosted, written and narrated by Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan. In this episode, Dr. Cowan explored the sea shores of the islands in the Strait of Georgia which provides varied habitats to sea creatures, from rocky shores to sandy beaches. He introduced different animals living in rocks including sea snails, keyhole limpets and starfishes, as well as clams hiding in sand. He also showed the fishes found on eel grass bed.
- Subject:
- Islands, Marine animals, McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010, Seashore animals, Marine biology, Beaches, Seagrasses, Seashore ecology, Eelgrass, and Marine ecology
- Contributor:
- McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010, Bray, Ken, Connochie, Tom, and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
- Publisher:
- CBC Vancouver
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 1959-12-06
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- License:
- This item is the property of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and is provided for research purposes only. For use other than research, permission must be acquired from the CBC.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Identifier:
- CBUT-9867-6
- Extent:
- 1 film reel (00:29:58) : black and white ; 16 mm
- Alternative Title:
- Web of life show 09 and Quiet shores and some of the creatures
- Geographic Coverage:
- Pacific Ocean--Strait of Georgia
- Coordinates:
- 49.48262, -124.06723
- Physical Repository:
- Physical item housed at CBC Vancouver.
- Collection:
- Ian McTaggart Cowan Collection
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Digitization undertaken with the support of Ann Schau.
- Genre:
- video recordings (physical artifacts), television programs, and documentary film
- Technical Note:
- mp4. Digitization of the films was contracted by the CBC. Metadata by M. He. Migration metadata by KD.
299. Web of life 10 (1963-02-08) : birds and beaks
- Title:
- Web of life 10 (1963-02-08) : birds and beaks
- Description:
- This half-hour series was broadcast in four runs from 1959 to 1963, except 1962. It started as a twenty-six week examination of different forms of animal life, and added more programs in subsequent years. The series was hosted, written and narrated by Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan. This episode is about birds and beaks. Birds use their beaks to capture food, gather materials for nest, feed their young, preen themselves and fight with other animals. Dr. Cowan first showed a bird fossil and then compared different kinds of birds and beaks and the methods used by the species to seek necessities. After the CBC broadcast some of the episodes were re-broadcasted as Western Regional School Telecasts. For this episode the school broadcast date was 1963-02-08 and the identifier was CBUT-8020-1.
- Subject:
- Bill (Anatomy), Birds, Adaptation (Biology), Birds--Behavior, and McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010
- Contributor:
- Connochie, Tom, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010
- Publisher:
- CBC Vancouver
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 1959-12-13
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- License:
- This item is the property of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and is provided for research purposes only. For use other than research, permission must be acquired from the CBC.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Identifier:
- CBUT-9868-3
- Extent:
- 1 film reel (00:29:56) : black and white ; 16 mm
- Alternative Title:
- Web of life show 10, Western Regional School Telecast, and Western Schools
- Physical Repository:
- Physical item housed at CBC Vancouver.
- Collection:
- Ian McTaggart Cowan Collection
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Digitization undertaken with the support of Ann Schau.
- Genre:
- documentary film, television programs, and video recordings (physical artifacts)
- Technical Note:
- mp4. Digitization of the films was contracted by the CBC. Metadata by M. He. Migration metadata by KD.
300. Web of life 11 : fishes must swim
- Title:
- Web of life 11 : fishes must swim
- Description:
- This half-hour series was broadcast in four runs from 1959 to 1963, except 1962. It started as a twenty-six week examination of different forms of animal life, and added more programs in subsequent years. The series was hosted, written and narrated by Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan. Dr. Cowan introduced different fishes use various fins and tails to swim. Many fishes use combined behavior of their two pectoral fins or both their anal and dorsal fins to swim. A lot of other sea creatures swim by generating undulatory waves that propagate down the body through the caudal fin. He also discussed the fishes with special locomotion, such as halfbeaks, fly fishes and flatfish.
- Subject:
- McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010, Fishes--Locomotion, Fins (Anatomy), and Fishes
- Contributor:
- Bray, Ken, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Connochie, Tom, and McTaggart-Cowan, Ian, 1910-2010
- Publisher:
- CBC Vancouver
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 1959-12-20
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- License:
- This item is the property of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and is provided for research purposes only. For use other than research, permission must be acquired from the CBC.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Identifier:
- CBUT-9869-10
- Extent:
- 1 film reel (00:29:52) : black and white ; 16 mm
- Alternative Title:
- Web of life show 11
- Physical Repository:
- Physical item housed at CBC Vancouver.
- Collection:
- Ian McTaggart Cowan Collection
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Digitization undertaken with the support of Ann Schau.
- Genre:
- video recordings (physical artifacts), television programs, and documentary film
- Technical Note:
- mp4. Digitization of the films was contracted by the CBC. Metadata by M. He. Migration metadata by KD.