Background
Rainbow was born in 1856 in Yorkshire, England. His father was a Warrant Officer in the Royal Marines, so his education was in a number of those port towns and in Edinburgh.
entomologist journalist arachnologist
Rainbow was born in 1856 in Yorkshire, England. His father was a Warrant Officer in the Royal Marines, so his education was in a number of those port towns and in Edinburgh.
He emigrated to New Zealand in 1873, where he wrote for John Ballance"s Wanganui Herald. Rainbow"s early interest in natural history was assisted by Ballance, who prompted him to build a career in the field He continued to contribute to newspapers and journals, including The Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, and Evening News, then worked for the Government Printing Office until 1895.
In this year he took up a position at the Australian Museum as an entomologist.
He died in Sydney on 21 November 1919, having suffered several years of tragic losses. Rainbow"s death was a few days before his youngest, Eric, also a Sergeant, returned from active service.
He was a member of the Linnean Society of New South Wales and Council of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. He was made a fellow of the Entomological Society of London and Linnean Society of London, and a member of the Société Entomologique de France.