Why was John James Audubon denied membership at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia in 1824?

Halley, Matthew R.

doi:10.1635/053.168.0102

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…In July 1830, as he was preparing these problematic accounts, Audubon conceded in a letter to Bonaparte: 'To no one on Earth have I spoken so openly as I now do to you … [who] knows better than any Man [,] being the best judge[,] that I am not a Learned Naturalist-I am only, and that not to a very great extent [,] a Practical one … I am no Scholar of any kind and I have no pretensions' (Stroud 2000: 115). After two centuries, many of Audubon's confidently presented 'observations' continue to appear plausible to outside observers, despite the cumulative onslaught of new evidence that demonstrates the limits of his knowledge and extent of his scientific misconduct (e.g., Woodman 2016, Halley 2018a, 2022a, 2023c. This paper adds to the pile, and I continue to encourage scholars to regard the works of Audubon with caution, when it comes to statements of supposed fact.…”

Section: Audubon's Dishonestymentioning

confidence: 76%

Full Issue

2024

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club

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Forthcoming MeetingThe next meeting of the Club will be held on Monday 25 March at 6.30pm (doors open at 6pm) upstairs in the Barley Mow, 104 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2EE. Laura Vaughan-Hirsh will talk on The White Stork nesting in Sussex.The landscape in a small but expanding part the Low Weald in Sussex has changed for the better over the last decade. Laura Vaughan-Hirsch's talk will explain how White Storks Ciconia ciconia are part of this change, with optimism for biodiversity rather than the gloom so commonplace. On the Knepp Estate a bold transition from arable and dairy farming to a new landscape with a mosaic of unfenced fields grazed of Longhorn cattle, Exmoor ponies, Tamworth pigs and native deer. What has not changed is the Sussex marl and flood waters that come with heavy rains, a constant reminder that this was never going to be agricultural land with larger fields of well-drained loamy soil. Research suggests that the ecological requirements for White Storks seem to be the same everywhere, namely open, little wooded and somewhat wet land such as valleys of rivers and streams, cultivated fields, pastures and meadows, provided that they are not too dry or too much drained. On the Knepp Estate there is an aim to promote greater engagement between the public and wildlife in the countryside, so the highly visible and charismatic White Stork, with its history of nesting in close association with man, was an obvious first-choice addition. The talk will address the life cycle of the species in Sussex and the challenges faced by the birds and their fledglings.

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Section: Audubon's Dishonestymentioning

confidence: 76%

Full Issue

2024

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club

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“…In July 1830, as he was preparing these problematic accounts, Audubon conceded in a letter to Bonaparte: 'To no one on Earth have I spoken so openly as I now do to you … [who] knows better than any Man [,] being the best judge[,] that I am not a Learned Naturalist-I am only, and that not to a very great extent[,] a Practical one … I am no Scholar of any kind and I have no pretensions' (Stroud 2000: 115). After two centuries, many of Audubon's confidently presented 'observations' continue to appear plausible to outside observers, despite the cumulative onslaught of new evidence that demonstrates the limits of his knowledge and extent of his scientific misconduct (e.g., Woodman 2016, Halley 2018a,b, 2020, 2022a, 2023c. This paper adds to the pile, and I continue to encourage scholars to regard the works of Audubon with caution, when it comes to statements of supposed fact.…”

Section: Audubon's Dishonestymentioning

confidence: 78%