6 INTRODUCTION 



Important among the native authors of the period immediately follow- 

 ing the Revolution were Thomas Jefferson, who has the distinction of 

 being the only American President besides Theodore Roosevelt who has 

 been interested in scientific pursuits, Benjamin Smith Barton, and William 

 Bartram, the son of John, both of Philadelphia. 



One of the first general works of importance on American animals 

 was Wilson's Ornithology (1808-1814). Other similar works belonging to 

 nearly the same period were Bonaparte's continuation of Wilson's 

 Ornithology (1825-1833), Dr. Richard Harlan's Fauna Americana (1825), 

 Dr. John D. Godman's American Natural History (1826-1828), which was 

 specially devoted to Mammals, and Audubon's Birds of North America 

 (1828). 



During the second and third decades of the century occurred a 

 remarkable scientific awakening in the country, 'an evidence of which was 

 the publication of so many works of general interest during this time 

 and also the foundation of a large number of scientific societies and 

 periodicals. At the beginning of the century there were three promi- 

 nent scientific societies in the country, the American Philosophical Society, 

 which was founded in Philadelphia in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin, the 

 American Academy of Arts and Sciences, founded in Boston in 1780 by 

 John Adams, and the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, which 

 was founded in New Haven in 1799. During the first quarter of the 

 century many others were founded in various parts of the country, 

 and in 1826 no fewer than twenty-five scientific societies were in exist- 

 ence, more than half of which were interested principally in natural 

 history. 



In 1812 the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences was founded, 

 and exercised an important influence from the start. The first volume of 

 its journal appeared in 1817. Its importance in the first years of its 

 existence was due largely to the labors of a single one of its members, 

 Thomas Say. This talented young man joined the Academy shortly after 

 its foundation and for twelve years, under its auspices, devoted himself 

 exclusively to the study of the native animals, the papers he contributed 

 to its journal and to other periodicals during this period being funda- 

 mental for the study of American mollusks, insects, and crustaceans. 

 Another brilliant member of the Academy during this period was Charles 

 Alexander Lesueur, a Frenchman who joined it in 1817 and, during the 

 seven years that he was a resident of Philadelphia, published many papers 

 in its journal on fishes, reptiles, and marine invertebrates. 



Belonging to the same period was another remarkable man, Constan- 

 tine Rafinesque. This brilliant and versatile man came to this country 

 in 1802 and lived for many years in Philadelphia and in Lexington, 



