Florence Merriam Bailey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Florence Merriam Bailey
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Florence Merriam, 1904
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| Born |
Florence Augusta Merriam
August 8, 1863 Locust Grove, New York
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| Died | September 22, 1948 (aged 85) |
| Resting place | Locust Grove, New York |
| Alma mater | Smith College (1882–1886) Stanford University |
| Known for | First modern field guide for birdwatchers, regional ornithology, bird conservation |
| Spouse(s) |
Vernon Orlando Bailey
(m. 1899; died 1942) |
| Relatives | Clinton Hart Merriam (brother) |
| Awards | Brewster Medal |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Ornithology |
Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey (born August 8, 1863 – died September 22, 1948) was an American scientist who studied birds, a birdwatcher, and a nature writer. From 1890 to 1939, she wrote many books about birds in North America. These books were often made for people who loved watching birds as a hobby. Her work helped make birdwatching very popular.
Florence didn't have much formal schooling when she was young. But she loved nature because she explored the Adirondack Mountains near her home. Her family, especially her older brother Clinton Hart Merriam, also loved science. Florence started writing about nature and working to protect birds when she went to Smith College in 1882. She earned her degree later at age 58 because of her important work.
While at Smith College, she and Fannie Hardy Eckstrom started a local chapter of the Audubon Society. They wanted to teach their classmates about birds and stop them from wearing hats with bird feathers. By the time Florence left Smith in 1886, many students had joined the group.
In 1890, Florence turned her bird articles from Audubon Magazine into a book called Birds Through a Looking-Glass. Unlike other bird studies that looked at birds in cages, Florence wanted people to watch live birds outdoors. Her later books, like Birds of Village and Field, were more scientific. But they still focused on how birds live in their natural homes. In 1899, Florence married Vernon Orlando Bailey, who worked for the U.S. Biological Survey. She wrote over 50 articles for magazines like The Condor based on her observations. Her most famous book was Birds of New Mexico, which she finished after another scientist passed away.
Florence and her husband lived in Washington, D.C.. There, she taught classes on how to watch birds at the National Zoological Park. She was the first woman to be chosen as a Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union. She was also the first woman to win the Brewster Medal, a special award for bird studies. After her husband died in 1942, Florence mostly stayed out of public life. She passed away at 85. A type of mountain chickadee bird, Parus gambeli baileyae, is named after her.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Florence Augusta Merriam was born on August 8, 1863, in Locust Grove, New York. She was the youngest of four children. Her father, Clinton Levi Merriam, was a businessman who became a United States Congressman. Her mother, Caroline Merriam, loved astronomy and shared this interest with her children.
Many people in the Merriam family loved science and nature. Florence's aunt, Helen Bagg, was known as the family botanist (someone who studies plants). Her father became interested in nature after traveling to California. He even wrote letters to the famous naturalist John Muir.
The Merriam family home, called Homewood, was close to the Adirondack Mountains. This gave Florence many chances to explore local wildlife. She often walked around the property with her father and older brother. She learned about different animal species this way. Her main interest was birds. She learned to identify them by watching them from her dining room window. When she was nine, Florence went on a camping trip to Florida with her father and brother, Clinton Hart Merriam. Her brother, C. Hart, also loved science and studied birds. Their father's work in Congress helped them meet important scientists. For example, he arranged for C. Hart to work as a bird scientist on a Yellowstone expedition in 1872.
Florence mostly learned at home, focusing on science and nature. Her first formal schooling was in Syracuse, New York, where she went for medical treatment. She lived with a doctor's family for a year and went to a public school. Later, she attended school in New York City and a private school in Utica.
College and Early Activism
In 1882, Florence started at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Because of her poor health as a child, she joined as a "special student." This meant she could choose classes she liked instead of following a strict plan. At first, Smith College didn't have many science courses. So, Florence studied writing, literature, and other subjects. But by her last year, she focused on science and wrote about evolution.
By September 1885, Florence was very interested in birds. Her family friend Ernest Thompson Seton encouraged this interest. Her brother, C. Hart, who was a leader of the U.S. Biological Survey, nominated her as the first female associate of the American Ornithologists' Union. The next year, Florence was upset when her friend Fannie Hardy Eckstrom wore a hat with bird feathers. This was a popular fashion at the time. Florence started speaking out against using bird feathers for hats. In 1886, she wrote newspaper articles in different cities, asking people to stop this practice.
On February 11, 1886, a naturalist named George Bird Grinnell suggested forming an "Audubon Society" to protect wild birds. A month later, Florence and Fannie started one of the first local Audubon Society chapters at Smith College. About 75 students and teachers came to the first meeting. By March 17, 1886, the club had a constitution and leaders. Florence wrote an article for Audubon Magazine about the club's goals. She encouraged students to watch birds in nature and learn about their lives.
Florence believed that instead of just telling classmates to stop wearing feathers, it was better to take them on nature walks. She thought this would make them care about birds and stop the practice on their own. She even invited the famous writer John Burroughs to lead a bird walk on campus. Soon after his visit, one-third of the students at Smith College joined the Audubon Society.
When Florence left Smith in June 1886, the Audubon Society was very popular. As a special student, she didn't get a degree right away. But in 1921, when she was 58, Smith College gave her a bachelor's degree. Florence's work to protect birds continued after college. Laws like the Lacey Act of 1900 and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 helped protect birds from being hunted for their feathers.
Nature Writing and Activism
Early Writing and Travels
After leaving Smith in 1886, Florence wanted to write about nature and help society. Her first articles about birds appeared in Audubon Magazine in 1887. When she wasn't writing, she volunteered with her mother at clubs for working women and girls. In 1891, she taught a bird class at a summer school in Chicago. The next summer, she worked at a social club in New York City.
Florence and her mother often had poor health. This led the family to travel to places with better climates, like the West Coast, Lake Placid, and Florida. In 1889, Florence and her family went to San Diego County to help their health. This long stay in California made Florence interested in the Western United States and its birds.
Since Audubon Magazine had stopped publishing, Florence decided to put her bird articles into a book. Birds Through an Opera-Glass, published in 1890, included her articles and 20 more birds. It also had guides to help people identify birds.
Florence's work was different from other bird studies of her time. Instead of studying dead birds indoors, she believed in watching live birds outdoors, often with binoculars. Her book described birds' looks, songs, nests, and habits. Author Scott Weidensaul called it "the first field guide to American birds." While studying birds scientifically was mostly for men, birdwatching became popular among women.
Even with her published work, Florence and other women in the American Ornithologists' Union were not seen as equal to the men. This changed in 1901 when Florence and a few other women became "elective members." Florence was good friends with Harriet Mann Miller, who encouraged her writing. In 1893, Florence joined Miller in Utah. She wrote about her experiences in My Summer in a Mormon Village. This book was mostly a travel narrative, but it also described nature and asked people to stop hunting birds for fun.
After Utah, Florence spent six months at Stanford University in California. There, she met the botanist Alice Eastwood. Florence stayed in California to watch birds. She wrote A-Birding on a Bronco, which described her bird observations and her relationship with her horse, Canello. The book had illustrations by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.
Washington, D.C. and Partnership with Her Husband
When she wasn't traveling, Florence lived in Washington, D.C., with her brother's family. She became involved in local science groups. She was a member of the Women's National Science Club and helped start the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia. In 1898, she joined her brother on a trip to Mount Shasta, California, to study nature.
She continued to write a lot. Her articles were reprinted as How Birds Affect the Farm and Garden (1896) and Birds of Village and Field (1898). The latter book was more technical. It covered 212 birds, with their Latin names, looks, and where they lived. It also had drawings of birds and their body parts. Florence also focused on how birds affect farming and how to protect them from predators.
On December 16, 1899, Florence married Vernon Orlando Bailey. He was her brother's friend and also worked for the U.S. Biological Survey. Vernon's job allowed Florence to use the survey's data and illustrations in her books.
The Baileys traveled together for over 30 years. Florence wrote while Vernon did field studies. One of their biggest projects was her 1902 book, Handbook of Birds of the Western United States. Florence's notes from her travels became over 50 articles in magazines like The Auk and The Condor. Many of these articles were about birds in North Dakota, where her husband spent summers.
In 1917, the government asked the Baileys to create a guide for Glacier National Park. Vernon wrote about mammals, and Florence wrote about birds. Around this time, Florence was asked to finish a book about birds in New Mexico after the original author, Wells Cooke, died. The book, Birds of New Mexico, was very long and took a long time to publish. It finally came out in 1928. Florence was listed as the only author because she contributed so much to it. Two years later, Vernon published a book about mammals in New Mexico.
Later Life and Death
When they were not traveling, the Baileys lived in Washington, D.C. Their home was full of items from their travels. They often hosted dinner parties for other naturalists.
Florence and Vernon never had children. But Florence loved children and worked with many groups like the Boy Scouts of America. She wanted to teach children about protecting wildlife. She hoped that learning about nature in school would help kids continue to study and protect the environment. Florence started teaching birdwatching classes at the National Zoo in 1903. Her first class had only 15 students, but by 1913, over 100 students were taking classes.
Even after Birds of New Mexico, Florence kept writing into the 1930s. Her last major work, Among the Birds of Grand Canyon National Park, was published in 1939 when she was 76. She also received many awards. In 1929, she became the first woman elected as a Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union. Two years later, she was the first woman to receive the Brewster Medal. In 1933, the University of New Mexico gave her an honorary doctorate.
Vernon Bailey retired in 1933. After his retirement, Florence also stepped back from her work. They tried to retire in Twin Oaks, but Florence didn't like living in the desert. They soon returned to Washington. Vernon and Florence took their last trip together in 1941. Vernon died in June 1942. Florence lived quietly after that. She passed away on September 22, 1948, at the age of 85, in her Washington home. She was buried in Locust Grove.
Legacy
Many of Florence's books were made for regular people who loved watching birds, not just scientists. Books like Birds of Village and Field became popular guides. Her works included studies from both professional bird scientists and amateur birdwatchers. Her goal was to make the public care about wildlife, and birdwatching became a popular hobby because of her. Science writer Paul Henry Oehser called Florence "one of the most literary ornithologists of her time."
A type of mountain chickadee bird, Parus gambeli baileyae, is named after Florence. Joseph Grinnell identified this bird in 1908 and called it Mrs. Bailey's Chickadee. Florence thanked him, saying that Parus (chickadees) had always been one of her favorite birds. Also, one of Florence's students, Pat Jenks, found a volcanic formation in Mexico. He named it Bailey Crater in her honor, but the name was never officially registered because it was outside the United States.
Selected Publications
Books
- Bailey, Florence Merriam (1890). Birds Through an Opera-Glass. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.60311. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/122771.
- My Summer in a Mormon Village. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. 1894. https://archive.org/details/mysummerinamorm00bailgoog.
- Bailey, Florence Augusta (Merriam) (1896). A-Birding on a Bronco. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.12539. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/45960.
- Bailey, Florence Merriam (1896). How Birds Affect the Farm and Garden. New York, NY: Forest and Stream Publishing. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.36220. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/81856.
- Bailey, Florence Merriam (1898). Birds of Village and Field: A Bird Book for Beginners. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.30028. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/30028.
- Bailey, Florence Merriam (1902). Handbook of Birds of the Western United States, Including the Great Plains, Great Basin, Pacific Slope, and Lower Rio Grande Valley. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.7872. https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso00bail_2.
- Bailey, Florence Augusta (Merriam); Bailey, Vernon (1918). Wild Animals of Glacier National Park: The Mammals by Vernon Bailey, The Birds by Florence Merriam Bailey. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.13645. https://archive.org/details/cu31924022556074.
- Birds of New Mexico. Santa Fe, NM: New Mexico Dept. of Game and Fish in cooperation with the State Game Protective Association and the Bureau of Biological Survey. 1928. https://archive.org/details/birdsnewmexico00bail.
- Among the Birds in the Grand Canyon Country. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. 1939. https://archive.org/details/amongbirdsingran00bird.
Book Chapters
- Chapman, Frank M. (1895). "Biographical Sketches". Handbook of birds of eastern North America. New York, NY: D. Appleton and Company. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.27183. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/27183.
- Maynard, Lucy Warner (1898). "Introduction". Birds of Washington and vicinity, including adjacent parts of Maryland and Virginia. Baltimore, MD: The Lord Baltimore Press. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.7856. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/7856.
- Rider, Fremont, ed. (1925). "The Fauna and Flora of California". Rider's California: A Guide-book for Travelers with 28 maps and plans. New York, NY: The Macmillan Company. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Rider_s_California/-Ix5AAAAMAAJ?hl=en.
See also
In Spanish: Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey para niños
