Tomes was born in
Weston-on-Avon and farmed at Welford,
Gloucestershire. He was a specialist in
bats, describing a number of new species. His writings included the sections on
insectivora and
Chiroptera in the second edition of
Thomas Bell's History of Quadrupeds.
Tomes is buried at South Littleton,
Worcestershire. His collection of mammals was sold to the
Natural History Museum, and his bird collection was bequeathed to the museum in
Worcester.
Selected bibliography
Occurrence of the Fork-tailed Petrel in Warwickshire Zoologist, 8:2706-2707 (1850)
On two species of bats inhabiting New Zealand. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., pp. 134–42 (1857)
A monograph of the genus Nyctophilus. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., pp. 25–37 (1858)
Descriptions of six hitherto undescribed species of bats. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. pp. 68–79 (1859)
A monograph of the genus Epomophorus, with a description of a new species. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., pp. 42–58 (1860)
Notes on a third collection of Mammalia, made by Mr. Fraser in the Republic of Ecuador. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. pp. 28 (1860)
Report of a collection of mammals made by Osbert Salvin, Esq., FZS, at Dueñas, Guatemala. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. pp. 278 (1861)
Notice of a new American form of marsupial. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., pp. 50–51 (1863)
On a new genus and species of leaf-nosed bats in the museum at Fort Pitt. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., pp. 81–85 (1863)
On some new or imperfectly known Madreporaria from the Inferior Oolite of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Dorsetshire. Geol. Mag. 23, 385–98, 443–52. (1886)
On Heterastraea, a new genus of Madreporaria from the Lower Lias. Geol. Mag. 25, 207–18. (1888)
Birds. In the Victoria County History of Worcestershire (1901)
Aves. In the Victoria County History of Warwickshire (1904)