Pioneer Naturalists: The Discovery and Naming of North American Plants and Animals - Softcover

Evans, Howard Ensign

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0805023399 ISBN 13: 9780805023398

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1994

Synopsis

Looks at the early study of North American wildlife, describes various species, and discusses the first naturalists to identify them

About this title

From Booklist:

Nature enthusiasts wondering how quite a few of the plants and animals on this continent acquired their names need only consult these pages. For instance, hard-core planters (the only kind who'd know it when they saw it) will discover that Eaton's fern is named after one Daniel Cady Eaton (1834-85), who "earned a very substantial reputation as a student of ferns." Avocational entomologists will be thrilled, especially if related to John Henry Comstock (1849-1931), to know that a certain mealybug also bears the familial identifier; in addition, knowing that these tiny insects, which spend their lives sucking the juices out of plants, can be differentiated by how their pygidia, or hind ends, are constructed will be of interest, too. Pity, however, poor Mrs. Comstock, who, while her husband got the glory of having one insect named after him, spent much of her time drawing pictures of the pygidia of the many species of mealybugs. A biological trivia treasure-trove. Jon Kartman

From Publishers Weekly:

Fledgling naturalists and readers with a taste for trivia will have a field day with this volume. Evans ( Life on a Little-known Planet ) introduces more than 100 people who have lent their monikers to the scientific nomenclature of North American plants and animals. The entries range from a mere paragraph to full-length chapters, from famous naturalists John James Audubon, William Bartram, David Douglas, Thomas Nuttall to their lesser-known associates and plant collectors like John Xanthus and Gideon Lincicum. We learn that Franklin's gull was named for Sir John, not Benjamin; that Merriam's mouse wasn't discovered until after the spring trap was invented. This collection of eponyms gives an impressive portrait of the field science establishment of the 18th and 19th centuries. Illustrations.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0805023399
• ISBN 13: 9780805023398
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 303