North American mammalogy: early history, dominant personalities, and significant milestones (1850–1960)

Abstract

Several excellent accounts of the development of mammalogy in North America exist. Two mammalogy textbooks (Gunderson 1976; Feldhamer et al. 2015) contain chapters on the early history of North American mammalogy. Two other papers (Hamilton 1955; Wilson and Eisenberg 1990) also have discussed some of the significant milestones. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM), articles by Hoffmeister (1969) and Storer (1969) summarized the early history of ASM, and on the occasion of the 75th anniversary an entire volume of significant historical events was published (Birney and Choate 1994). Carl Phillips and Clyde Jones edited a series of papers by 20th century naturalists describing their “personal experiences” as mammalogists, including many disciplinary developments during their careers (Phillips and Jones 2005). Then, Schmidly et al. (2016) published a volume on the early history of the U.S. Biological Survey and its influence on the development of mammalogy. Finally, Schmidly et al. (2017) published a timeline of critical events in the development of the discipline. These authors divided the historical timeline into 5 phases—Emergence (16th–18th centuries), Discovery (19th century), Natural History (1901–1960), Theoretical and Technological (1961–2000), and Big Data (21st century). These papers, chapters, and volumes, collectively, have been integrated herein to highlight the early history of mammalogy in North America, emphasizing the latter half of the Discovery phase and the entire Natural History phase (1850–1960). This was the time when mammalogy emerged from the shadow of the other taxon-oriented fields and became a full-fledged discipline in its own right. Hundreds of scientists over the years have made contributions to mammalogy. While it is beyond our scope to consider all of them in this overview, we present those considered to be the dominant personalities. These individuals made extraordinary contributions to the profession in terms of scientific knowledge and understanding. These contributions are reflected in publications of high impact and education of students or staff who then went on to make contributions to the field. Some also held important administrative posts where they were able to shape significant events, and some combined these attributes. It was not until the century following the American Revolution that the study of American mammals slowly began to emerge as a separate and distinct field of inquiry. From the second decade of the 19th century, American naturalists began publishing compilations and original works of scientific merit, although most of the early workers were trained as physicians (e.g., Richard Harlan, John Godman, James De Kay, and Harrison Allen), artists (John James Audubon), or clergymen (John Bachman). Audubon and Bachman produced the most significant compilation in the first half of the 19th century with the publication of The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (1846–1854); this was the most substantial report of North American mammals available to that point. The emergence of North American mammalogy took a major step forward in the 1850s in large part due to a major set of explorations designed to seek routes for a transcontinental railroad. After passage of the Railroad Surveys Bill in 1853, the Federal Government sent out surveying parties that were accompanied by physician-naturalists from the U.S. Army Medical Corps. These early collectors made mammal collections of enormous breadth and value that were deposited in the newly founded (1846) Smithsonian Institution. These were first studied and described by Professor Spencer Fullerton Baird in 1857 (Fig. 1 left). Title pages from two important publications that mark the time frame for this account of the history of mammalogy. (Left) Spencer Fullerton Baird’s Mammals of North America, published in 1857. (Right) E. Raymond Hall and The Mammals of North America, published in Baird was the the scientists of the was of history in and years the of of the Smithsonian in In to works on North American and Baird also took a and in many workers in the of the 19th century, including a from who a in the of American mammalogy The phase of American mammalogy to the physician-naturalists of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. of the most accompanied the of the of and including to the some of the first that the collections of the American of Natural History in major was In the Army Medical and the years field and publishing on and other as the first of mammals Baird the the Smithsonian in all of these developments and mammalogy in all the of the Two naturalists were in the discipline to the who first the of and from the American of Natural papers and in mammalogy and most important works were The American and and History of North American The second was who the of the in In the took the discipline to a of was the major for the in knowledge of North American mammals the of the 20th important step in the early development of mammalogy was the of a in the U.S. of of with as its from was to a of the a for on mammals with the publication of a major Mammals of the in In the second in to the its to the of and This reflected the on the latter it other as it in the of Biological Survey in and the of Biological Survey in It as until In its years from to the Biological Survey was to and the U.S. Survey was to field and John of field a of knowledge and field and a for a of history Schmidly et al. the Survey scientific the of the North American describing its mammal and as or to two that the of the and mammalogy. set for and of the Survey as a scientific high from other with a for or who years of to the Survey of early staff and and and also and These individuals important in the Survey and became of this Schmidly been critical of the of some American that to the of to field of were to this These and of in a of the and of all the of field the publication of the of with and (Phillips et al. 2005). This set a for not until This in set the for including that of were due in to and a that other who have been able was that to the study of mammals was the and of the in the This and its including the on the as as a was This in the study of for the of these and of field of became available for The Biological Survey into the for of of North American mammals for and by in and the and were on the of were became that time (Phillips et al. 2005). It is important to that was not or this was and to the of as the of also and as the first of the most to the North American This was a set the years to It the and in the of the American and and The of the North American of by in the of the North America series The the Survey for the of 19th century history and field mammalogy was into a that a be to a of the mammal the high by that this be and own in this the that was the of American the years the Survey was the of and of American mammals The and in a critical of and on combined with the of scientists on American mammalogy the it This to the emergence of mammalogy as a separate discipline. The of field and of study and of mammalogy from the time of the of the 20th century (Phillips et al. 2005). was was a of the of that influence beyond by the of the in the of the of a was that to other and the These a in mammalogy as an discipline the Mammalogists also were in as on was in the 20th century, a phase emerged et al. 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Raymond who to own the of mammalogy began to emerge other the where from were In this a in mammalogy as an discipline the in a with a on who an on the and staff was as and to students in mammalogy of and the staff the of a major for mammalogy the most from the was by E. Raymond who was considered by many to be the of This its own as discussed Jones a account of the of that was by John of them became in the development of 20th century scientific and their and other The most is the and its scientific the of North American in mammalogy on the of the It to with and the that 1994). who and in from by a that and to a mammalogy with a most of the North American and was with and were in and history with in and produced over and many of took important that also to as of the in and was to in also as of the Society of America in was a publishing scientific papers in American Mammals and the Mammals of the were the most The of mammalogy as its own discipline the of a distinct of as and the publication of a to the and the of the first decade of the 20th century, with an of with and large history of the publishing or not naturalists began the for a in mammalogy. to a to the that for American or a for been in when a of by and to a the first and it years for to be the for a mammal in a Biological Survey in the of The was by E. and were in the Biological Survey in some took the in a the for the those with a other the Biological Survey to the of a the of the study of be this the Biological Survey field workers and mammals in many of North this published on mammals in the North American series and in the also were in In 5 important developments to the of the in the and of the U.S. of Biological Survey with its of the and of the with in including and the and of scientific for the other the of the and and the in of of mammals in collections with and the in mammalogy the Hoffmeister and have a of all of the and early events that to the of the was the and the most to the of the In a in discussed a with In for the of Biological a of the American and became that a mammal be was by who time and to the of its it that the of Biological Survey was the of in was a who also the of a mammal the first held on the was with a of and 1994). of the from many of the and were and by were and who part in the to the Society with the was with and as and as into a field of with the of the The first of the of was published in the and the became the in the for scientists in the of some of the most North American The of these were in and their over the North American in the Society It from to then the until After this the time was years until and 1994). are of in many other the is the and it an The were the highlight of in the In the early these to be and held in large on the were held in with a history The first held on the was in was in The was in In the Society held its in the a of held on was years the of the ASM, scientific of to was In the Society of America was was its first this and in its including publishing in the the of the Society of America, emerged as a distinct although its early was on the was in an over and scientific mammalogy. The the by the Biological of of and the of the century, been by Several accounts of this have been (e.g., Phillips et al. These in the made by the to the of the The following from these This out in and including in the mammalogists, many of them the students and of the and and in the by the Biological Survey on of the Federal the other the Biological Survey mammalogists, most E. an and as to the of the The on and the Biological Survey staff took a that some of mammals were as by The took the that all mammals mammals were mammals and not to and as they were by many (Phillips et al. 2005). became the where of the with the Survey a the of who been of the of the in this of mammal as as other of is of scientific and the to the of or The to the of naturalists who held this and they that their was While not the of the of the Survey that it was and that the Survey was on with an to in mammals be and in large with the of the Survey was the that out for and and they also a to to these not a the Society to its the time to a to report on the was made to the by including two Survey and E. and of the of of the of and the and of the a of to and a the made report until that they were to on to they two by was a of it and be The report in the or of the not The second by and not and the Survey and the with an that not be on scientific or report that the of to from and who to the of the also that of the of by the Survey were and it to a of to the of part of the the were high on the it was that the from the Survey and with it of with the Survey with The Biological Survey a scientific with to mammalogy. and scientists went and and a The was that a be The to until it in by and E. Raymond Hall was then of Mammals the was by an and the Biological they that the been the Survey with went as to a for an to the as was Society of Mammalogists it scientific and and then sent it to the Survey with a and the of the and Hall to the by publishing a series of articles in the of the the in The Survey with an of and with the of and who the The to their some on the to in then of the ASM, of the with a of then to It in the of the of that and be it to of to over that is with the the over this in the of the Survey was The of its of where they are to make the for was by the of Survey a who in to of of Survey the as by Phillips et al. was an important of the over The early American mammalogy into two field and a that of This Federal and and the on and a the field to out of and on of mammal in the the of the for for The U.S. and was for most of this until when were from the of the to the of and Eisenberg The of and the of the early were for American in the as scientists became in the of as a of the the began to the that and the of While the of the field an on and reflected the of the and in the of some scientists that it was the of in an the the with on the of the early field as for the on in those for we have a of are that is and the Survey be by the to into of a scientific and In these a and with the Biological that naturalists to an on the In a in the of field the on the of on or of In the on not been the was to large of with on the to the in The the of in the by who as of trained as a became the first of the of and published the first of its in In it have the not as an of was for many on and a series of a set of that it from all other all and are and the a for of the that in that not be that the of were the and was the for in the of also the of on and of two been on that it to study the of the and shape of and in of a and the of and it is or we have not to is or this for a by as the of the Biological the in This of two to with by the of Biological the the American the and and These on and of a of these The an of was in It reflected the in the of and the emergence of the profession of the were and 1 of the of was published the was into two and scientific to mammalogy American Society of and to the study of mammals in the of and by the of This in for most of the of the century and to (Phillips et al. 2005). emerged in the of the 19th century by who for and of large and mammals in the was the American in describing many as as and that the scientific papers on in a on the of and This report also a of the of North America (Hamilton and E. the of the early in the half of the 19th century, following in the of own the American in and a of the study of large of the made important contributions to collections of the and volume on the of the of the accounts of of the described and a and were to make of to to the other in describing the that became as the in for a to the and their in scientific and were and by their to and their until the latter part of the 19th the of the study of collections of the of the and of the of the early 20th century, the most (Hamilton was a of and From when until in Professor published a articles and works are The of Mammals of the and The of and was a of the and was to in the in of to the study of early History of Mammals in the a of the of mammals with their history and a of the major of emphasizing the The and as early when the was This was of the of the and the that were in the first of of the of out that were to with the of that were were from those of that be of terms and to in as as and for their with these made major a of mammalogy and for a the time of the of the ASM, were two major of in the the American of Natural by and and the other the of where John a this was many of the in the first of the 20th century were in mammals and 1994). considered by many to be the of American and the to have as of the in was for and in that the of historical a and of many This influence on the in significant part the of of in was by and most other and 1994). collectors of mammals for with of large the time were not to of of that a decade the of the when the of that the of and from was able to of with that reflected and and 1994). was American and and In of as of the American of Natural History for years where was a of for on in was the from the of for Mammals in the American of Natural History consider to be the most of the 20th was Professor of and in the of and the American of Natural History from to From to as of the and then the of as Professor of the of until in not in the ASM, was a and in was to The major contributions for was and in The of The of and of mammalogists, is for of and a of Mammals This volume was most publication and the for the of in mammals for of the 20th century et al. 1994). of the major contributions by the were on the of and routes the for of of It was not until the that American began the of important were made during the first half of the 20th century in the of mammals as as the and mammals and 1994). mammalogy on the during E. Raymond been a of the and to the of as in in Hall on the a a in from high the of took first and to a was by a and an of the Biological to consider in the of and was in Hall the of of the a in and a in a of American as In Hall became of Mammals the a held until that field on mammals in to the publication in of The Mammals of This volume is by many as the of first in as of the and Hall was the of in following a second Hall as the of the was the on a in While Hall to when was over to and in to and of the and of the of Natural History the of in Two years out by the of of the Biological Survey of From the Hall that the of Natural History with the and set out to its collections and for the of and that collecti

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