Discovering Birds : The Emergence of Ornithology As a Scientific Discipline, 1760-1850
by Farber, Paul LawrenceNormally: $10.99
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Format: Paperback
Release Date: 1/1/1997
Code: 11591
Condition: New
Product Details
Paul Lawrence Farber rejects the view that eighteenth-century natural history disappeared with the rise of nineteenth-century biology. In this penetrating case study of the history of ornithology, Farber demonstrates interesting continuities: as natural history evolved into individual sciences (botany, geology, and zoology) and specialties (entomology and ichthyology), the study of birds emerged as a distinct scientific discipline that remained observational and taxonomic. Ornithologists continued to see one of their primary tasks as classification, and they found no need to alter their approach. Their efforts were greatly aided at the end of the eighteenth century as colonization and exploration brought new data plethora of exotic and previously unknown birds. By the mid-nineteenth century, ornithology had become a scientific discipline with international experts, a large empirical base, and a rigorous methodology of watching and cataloging. 1982 (1997).
ISBN: 0801855373
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Year of Publication: 1997
Page Count: 191
Shipping Weight: 0.94 lb