François-Xavier Bélanger
Encyclopedia
François-Xavier Bélanger (1833 – 19 January 1882) was a French-Canadian naturalist
and museum curator. An autodidact
like many naturalists of the time, he specialized in the study of Microlepidoptera
. Thanks to the influence of Léon Abel Provancher
and Thomas-Étienne Hamel
, he became curator of the zoology
museum at Université Laval
, where although he did a good job of enlarging the total collection, he did so in a generally poorly organized way. He was succeeded by his assistant curator Charles-Eusèbe Dionne
.
, a small rural village on the southern shore of the Saint Lawrence River
, and married Vitaline Fontaine. From 1846 to 1853 he studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec
and then taught in rural schools for a few years before returning to Quebec City
where he worked at the Courrier du Canada, mainly as a proofreader. Léon Provancher noticed his published papers on insects and invited him in 1868 to write for his newly-created Naturaliste Canadien. Bélanger was a good illustrator
, and a relatively competent naturalist
, although his major interest was entomology
.
In 1869, thanks to Provancher and Thomas-Étienne Hamel
, the then-Dean of the faculty of arts and General Secretary, he was appointed as curator of the zoology museum of Université Laval
. From then until his death in 1882 he was charged with maintaining and enlarging the collection, though this was mostly restricted to the entomological collection after 1874, possibly because of limited space for larger specimens. During his tenure he published relatively little, all his energy being taken by the management and preparation of items for the collection. He did, however, provide specimens to other naturalists, often of new species
. V.T. Chambers named two species after him in 1875, Gelechia belangerella, now Pseudotelphusa belangerella, and Argyresthia belangerella. In the 1870s, Bélanger increased communication and exchange with Europe
an specialists, and was given the task of organizing the university's exhibit for the Centennial Exposition
, where he was accompanied by Hamel.
The main collection upon Bélanger's arrival was one given by William Couper
: less than fifty mammal
s, reptile
s and fish
es, some two hundred bird
s and three thousand insect
s, as well as an exotic birds collection, mostly acquired from the American Smithsonian Institution
, and a large conchological
collection. Amongst Bélanger's accomplishments was the acquisition of a large collection from French naturalist Alfred Lechevallier and another, of birds, from the commissioner of crown lands Pierre-Étienne Fortin
. In the 1870s, the collection counted 1,300 Canadian birds in addition to existing exotic ones, a hundred mammals, about as many reptiles and fishes, and over thirty thousand insects.
While Bélanger invested all his time and energy in the museum and succeeded in greatly enlarging the collections, his limited competence in non-entomological taxonomy
and average skills in taxidermy
meant the collection was generally poorly organized, and sometimes outright outdated. His timidity also kept him from doing justice to the collection. These problems where highlighted later by illness and the arrival of Charles-Eusèbe Dionne
as assistant curator- who overshadowed Bélanger in almost all areas. The question of replacing Bélanger was sensitive, though, because he was strongly backed by Provancher- a very influential figure. His death in 1882 solved the problem definitively, and the academic authorities quickly nominate Dionne to replace him.
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
and museum curator. An autodidact
Autodidacticism
Autodidacticism is self-education or self-directed learning. In a sense, autodidacticism is "learning on your own" or "by yourself", and an autodidact is a person who teaches him or herself something. The term has its roots in the Ancient Greek words αὐτός and διδακτικός...
like many naturalists of the time, he specialized in the study of Microlepidoptera
Microlepidoptera
Microlepidoptera is an artificial grouping of moth families, commonly known as the 'smaller moths' . These generally have a wingspan of under 20 mm, and are thus harder to identify by external phenotypic markings than macrolepidoptera...
. Thanks to the influence of Léon Abel Provancher
Léon Abel Provancher
Léon Abel Provancher was a Canadian Catholic parish priest and naturalist. He studied at the College and Seminary of Nicolet, and was ordained 12 September 1844.-Life:He organized two pilgrimages to Jerusalem, one of which he conducted in person...
and Thomas-Étienne Hamel
Thomas-Étienne Hamel
Thomas-Étienne Hamel was a French-Canadian priest and academic. He was the son of Victor Hamel, a merchant and Therèse DeFoy....
, he became curator of the zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
museum at Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
, where although he did a good job of enlarging the total collection, he did so in a generally poorly organized way. He was succeeded by his assistant curator Charles-Eusèbe Dionne
Charles-Eusèbe Dionne
Charles-Eusèbe Dionne , also known as Charles Eusebe or C. E. Dionne, was a French Canadian naturalist and taxidermist. He is considered the first professional French Canadian ornithologist...
.
Biography
Bélanger was born in 1833 in Saint-VallierSaint-Vallier, Quebec
Saint-Vallier is a small village of about 1,100 people in the Bellechasse Regional County Municipality, part of the Chaudière-Appalaches administrative region, located in the province of Quebec in Canada....
, a small rural village on the southern shore of the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
, and married Vitaline Fontaine. From 1846 to 1853 he studied at the Petit Séminaire de Québec
Petit Séminaire de Québec
Le Petit Séminaire de Québec is a private French-language Roman Catholic secondary school in the Vieux-Québec area of Quebec City which was originally part of the Séminaire de Québec...
and then taught in rural schools for a few years before returning to Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
where he worked at the Courrier du Canada, mainly as a proofreader. Léon Provancher noticed his published papers on insects and invited him in 1868 to write for his newly-created Naturaliste Canadien. Bélanger was a good illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, and a relatively competent naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
, although his major interest was entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
.
In 1869, thanks to Provancher and Thomas-Étienne Hamel
Thomas-Étienne Hamel
Thomas-Étienne Hamel was a French-Canadian priest and academic. He was the son of Victor Hamel, a merchant and Therèse DeFoy....
, the then-Dean of the faculty of arts and General Secretary, he was appointed as curator of the zoology museum of Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
. From then until his death in 1882 he was charged with maintaining and enlarging the collection, though this was mostly restricted to the entomological collection after 1874, possibly because of limited space for larger specimens. During his tenure he published relatively little, all his energy being taken by the management and preparation of items for the collection. He did, however, provide specimens to other naturalists, often of new species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. V.T. Chambers named two species after him in 1875, Gelechia belangerella, now Pseudotelphusa belangerella, and Argyresthia belangerella. In the 1870s, Bélanger increased communication and exchange with Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an specialists, and was given the task of organizing the university's exhibit for the Centennial Exposition
Centennial Exposition
The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. It was officially...
, where he was accompanied by Hamel.
The main collection upon Bélanger's arrival was one given by William Couper
William Couper (naturalist)
William Couper was an American entomologist and naturalist who came to prominence during the later half of the 19th century in Canada. The better known period of his life spans from the 1850s to 1886.-Biography:...
: less than fifty mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s, reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s and fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
es, some two hundred bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s and three thousand insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, as well as an exotic birds collection, mostly acquired from the American Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, and a large conchological
Conchology
Conchology is the scientific or amateur study of mollusc shells. Conchology is one aspect of malacology, the study of molluscs, however malacology studies molluscs as whole organisms, not just their shells. Conchology pre-dated malacology as a field of study. It includes the study of land and...
collection. Amongst Bélanger's accomplishments was the acquisition of a large collection from French naturalist Alfred Lechevallier and another, of birds, from the commissioner of crown lands Pierre-Étienne Fortin
Pierre-Étienne Fortin
Pierre-Étienne Fortin was a Quebec physician and political figure. He represented Gaspé in the Canadian House of Commons as a Conservative member from 1867 to 1874 and from 1878 to 1887 and also represented Gaspé in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1867 to 1878...
. In the 1870s, the collection counted 1,300 Canadian birds in addition to existing exotic ones, a hundred mammals, about as many reptiles and fishes, and over thirty thousand insects.
While Bélanger invested all his time and energy in the museum and succeeded in greatly enlarging the collections, his limited competence in non-entomological taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
and average skills in taxidermy
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
meant the collection was generally poorly organized, and sometimes outright outdated. His timidity also kept him from doing justice to the collection. These problems where highlighted later by illness and the arrival of Charles-Eusèbe Dionne
Charles-Eusèbe Dionne
Charles-Eusèbe Dionne , also known as Charles Eusebe or C. E. Dionne, was a French Canadian naturalist and taxidermist. He is considered the first professional French Canadian ornithologist...
as assistant curator- who overshadowed Bélanger in almost all areas. The question of replacing Bélanger was sensitive, though, because he was strongly backed by Provancher- a very influential figure. His death in 1882 solved the problem definitively, and the academic authorities quickly nominate Dionne to replace him.