Journal article
Jefferson's Ornithology Reconsidered 1
Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol.162(3)
01 Sep 2018
Abstract
The contributions of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) to American science have been extolled by many authors; however, the extent to which he can legitimately be called an ornithologist has been a matter of some debate. It is well known that his famous work, Notes on the State of Virginia, written and prepared in 1781-1783 and initially printed and distributed privately in France in 1785-1786, contained a table of 125 American bird species. The word "ornithology" is derived from the Greek logos (use of reason or logic) and ornitho (of or relating to birds). Ornithologists use the scientific method to reveal new facts about the natural world through the study of living birds (wild and captive) and/or curated collections of nonliving specimens. Here, Halley reviewed the primary sources relating to Jefferson's interest in and knowledge of birds, chronologically, including unpublished memoranda and draft copies of the famous table in Notes on the State of Virginia.
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Details
- Title
- Jefferson's Ornithology Reconsidered 1
- Creators
- Matthew Halley
- Publication Details
- Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol.162(3)
- Publisher
- American Philosophical Society
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Identifiers
- 991019312461304721