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Thomas Say
Portait of Thomas Say (1818)by Charles Willson Peale
Portait of Thomas Say (1818)
by Charles Willson Peale
Born June 27, 1787(1787-06-27)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died October 10, 1834 (aged 47)
New Harmony, Indiana
Nationality American
Fields Natural history, Entomology
Institutions Academy of Natural Sciences
Entomological Society of America

Thomas Say (June 27, 1787 – October 10, 1834) was an American naturalist, entomologist, malacologist and carcinologist. Charles Willson Peale ( April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, soldier and naturalist Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 1787 ( MDCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 1834 ( MDCCCXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common New Harmony is a historic town in Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana, 15 miles (24 km north of Mount Vernon Indiana, the county seat The State of Indiana ( was the 19th US state admitted into the union The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Natural history is the Scientific research of Plants or Animals leaning more towards the Observational than Experimental methods Entomology (from Greek grc ἔντομος entomos, "that which is cut in pieces or engraved/segmented" hence "insect" and grc -λογία The Academy of Natural Sciences is the oldest Natural science research institution and museum in the United States The Entomological Society of America (ESA was founded in 1889 and today has more than 6000 members including Educators extension personnel consultants students Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 1787 ( MDCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 1834 ( MDCCCXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Natural history is the Scientific research of Plants or Animals leaning more towards the Observational than Experimental methods Entomology (from Greek grc ἔντομος entomos, "that which is cut in pieces or engraved/segmented" hence "insect" and grc -λογία Malacology is the branch of Invertebrate Zoology which deals with the study of Mollusks the second-largest Phylum of animals in terms of described Structure of crustaceans As Arthropods crustaceans have a stiff Exoskeleton, which must be shed to allow the animal to grow ( Ecdysis or molting He was a taxonomist and is often considered to be the founder of descriptive entomology in the United States and one of the founding fathers of the Entomological Society of America (ESA). Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification The word comes from the Greek, taxis (meaning 'order' 'arrangement' and, nomos Entomology (from Greek grc ἔντομος entomos, "that which is cut in pieces or engraved/segmented" hence "insect" and grc -λογία The Entomological Society of America (ESA was founded in 1889 and today has more than 6000 members including Educators extension personnel consultants students ESA maintains several series of publications and awards that are named after Say.

Thomas Say was born in Philadelphia into a prominent Quaker family. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə He was the great grandson of John Bartram, and the great-nephew of William Bartram, whom Say frequently visited as a boy with butterfly and beetle specimens. John Bartram ( Darby Pennsylvania - September 22, 1777, Philadelphia) was an early American botanist and Horticulturalist William Bartram ( April 20, 1739 — July 22, 1823) was an American naturalist, the son of John Bartram.

Say became an apothecary in his native town, but his interests soon turned to nature and he became a self-taught naturalist. In 1812 he became a charter member and founder of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP). The Academy of Natural Sciences is the oldest Natural science research institution and museum in the United States

In 1816 he met Charles Alexandre Lesueur (1778-1846), a French naturalist, malacologist, and ichthyologist who also became a member of the Academy and later its curator, between 1816 and 1824. Charles Alexandre Lesueur ( January 1, 1778 - December 12, 1846) was a French naturalist, Artist and

Say began his work on American Entomology at the Academy. He began a tradition of expeditions to collect specimens of insects. These expeditions were not without risks: Indian attacks, dangers of the frontier, hazards of traveling in wild countryside.

In 1818 Say accompanied his friend William Maclure (1763-1840), president of the ANSP (1817-1840) and father of American geology, Gerhard Troost, a geologist, and other members of the Academy on a geological expedition to the off-shore islands of Georgia and Florida, then a Spanish colony. William Maclure (1763 in Ayr, Scotland &ndash March 23, 1840) San Angel, Mexico was an American Geologist Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the

In 1819-1820, Major Stephen Harriman Long led an exploration to the Rocky Mountains and the tributaries of the Missouri River with Thomas Say as zoologist. Stephen Harriman Long (December 30 1784 &ndash September 4 1864 was a U Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. The official account of this expedition included the first descriptions of the Coyote, Swift Fox, Western Kingbird, Band-tailed Pigeon, Rock Wren, Say's Phoebe, Lesser Goldfinch, Lark Sparrow, Lazuli Bunting and Orange-crowned Warbler. The coyote (kaɪˈoʊti ˈkaɪoʊt ( Canis latrans) also known as the prairie wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora The Swift Fox ( Vulpes velox) is a small orange-tan Fox around the size of a Domestic cat found in the western grasslands of North America The Western Kingbird ( Tyrannus verticalis) is a large Tyrant flycatcher. The Band-tailed Pigeon, Patagioenas fasciata, is a medium-sized Bird of The Americas. The Rock Wren ( Salpinctes obsoletus) is a small Songbird of the Wren family The Say's Phoebe ( Sayornis saya) is a Passerine Bird in the Tyrant flycatcher family The Lesser Goldfinch or Dark-backed Goldfinch ( Carduelis psaltria) is a very small Songbird of the Americas. The Lark Sparrow, Chondestes grammacus, is a fairly large Sparrow. The Lazuli Bunting, Passerina amoena, is a North American Songbird named for the gemstone Lapis lazuli. The Orange-crowned Warbler ( Vermivora celata) is a small Songbird of the New World warbler family

In 1823, Say served as chief zoologist in Long's expedition to the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to

Papilio turnus, from 'American Entomology'
Papilio turnus, from 'American Entomology'

Thomas Say travelled on the famous "Boatload of Knowledge" to an utopian society experiment, the "New Harmony Settlement" in Indiana (1826-1834), a venture of Robert Owen. Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in the New Harmony is a historic town in Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana, 15 miles (24 km north of Mount Vernon Indiana, the county seat The State of Indiana ( was the 19th US state admitted into the union Robert Owen (14 May 1771 – 17 Nov 1858 born in Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Wales was a social reformer and one of the founders of Socialism One of the passengers was Lucy Way Sistare, whom Say married secretly near New Harmony on January 4, 1827. She was an artist and illustrator of specimens (such as in the book 'American Conchology') who later became the first female member of the Academy. He was accompanied by Maclure, Lesueur, Francis Neef, an educator, and Gerhard Troost. There he later met another naturalist, Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (1783-1840). Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz, as he is known in Europe ( October 22 1783 - September 18 1840) was a nineteenth-century

In the settlement of New Harmony, Thomas Say carried on his monumental work describing insects and mollusks, leading to two classic works:

During their years in New Harmony both Say and Lesueur experienced considerable difficulties. Say was a modest and unassuming man, living frugally, like a hermit, abandoning commercial activities and devoting himself to his studies.

He died, apparently from typhoid fever, in New Harmony, Indiana, on 10 October 1834, only 47 years old. Typhoid fever, also known as enteric fever, bilious fever, Yellow Jack or commonly just typhoid, is an illness caused by the Bacterium

Say described over 1,000 new species of beetles and over 400 species of insects of other orders. Beetles are the group of Insects with the largest number of known Species. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described No single individual before had discovered more new species than him.

Other zoologists honored him by naming several species after him, such as

References

External links

John Lawrence LeConte ( May 13, 1825 - November 15, 1883) was the most important American entomologist of the 19th century
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