Joel Asaph Allen
Encyclopedia
Joel Asaph Allen was an American
zoologist and ornithologist, born in Springfield, Massachusetts
.
He studied at Harvard University
under Louis Agassiz
. He participated in the latter's 1865 expedition to Brazil
(in search of evidence of an ice age there, which Agassiz later claimed to have found) and in several others within the United States.
He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1871. In 1872 he was named assistant in ornithology to the Museum of Comparative Zoology
at Harvard.
In 1873 he was the head of the naturalists of the Northern Pacific Railroad expedition from Bismarck, North Dakota
to the Yellowstone and back for the Smithsonian. Florida
was another area he explored from a zoological perspective.
With Elliott Coues
and William Brewster
he in August of 1883 sent the letter inviting selected individuals to form the American Ornithological Union at a meeting to be held in September. He was unavoidably absent from this initial meeting, but was nonetheless elected the new organization's first president.
Allen was the first curator of bird
s and mammal
s at the American Museum of Natural History
(from 1885 on) and later the first head of its Department of Ornithology.
In 1886, he was one of the incorporators of the first Audubon Society, New York
. He is also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, and of the American Philosophical Society
. From 1883 to 1886 he was the first president of the American Ornithologists' Union
, which he had helped found himself.
The hundreds of letters which Coues sent to him over many decades form one of the cornerstones of the history of American ornithology. Allen famously in the pages of The Auk
, the A.O.U.'s journal, after the latter's death in 1899.
Allen's rule
, stating a correlation between body shape and climate, was formulated by him in 1877.
In addition to a great number of scientific papers, he is author of these books:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
zoologist and ornithologist, born in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
.
He studied at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
under Louis Agassiz
Louis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
. He participated in the latter's 1865 expedition to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(in search of evidence of an ice age there, which Agassiz later claimed to have found) and in several others within the United States.
He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1871. In 1872 he was named assistant in ornithology to the Museum of Comparative Zoology
Museum of Comparative Zoology
The Museum of Comparative Zoology, full name "The Louis Agassiz Museum of Comparative Zoology", often abbreviated simply to "MCZ", is a zoology museum located on the grounds of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is one of three museums which collectively comprise the Harvard Museum...
at Harvard.
In 1873 he was the head of the naturalists of the Northern Pacific Railroad expedition from Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...
to the Yellowstone and back for the Smithsonian. Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
was another area he explored from a zoological perspective.
With Elliott Coues
Elliott Coues
Elliott Coues was an American army surgeon, historian, ornithologist and author.Coues was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He graduated at Columbian University, Washington, D.C., in 1861, and at the Medical school of that institution in 1863...
and William Brewster
William Brewster
William Brewster may refer to:*William Brewster , Pilgrim and Mayflower passenger*William Brewster , ornithologist*William K. Brewster, Democratic politician and a retired U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma...
he in August of 1883 sent the letter inviting selected individuals to form the American Ornithological Union at a meeting to be held in September. He was unavoidably absent from this initial meeting, but was nonetheless elected the new organization's first president.
Allen was the first curator of 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 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 at the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
(from 1885 on) and later the first head of its Department of Ornithology.
In 1886, he was one of the incorporators of the first Audubon Society, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He is also a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, and of the American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
. From 1883 to 1886 he was the first president of the American Ornithologists' Union
American Ornithologists' Union
The American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders...
, which he had helped found himself.
The hundreds of letters which Coues sent to him over many decades form one of the cornerstones of the history of American ornithology. Allen famously in the pages of The Auk
The Auk
The Auk is a quarterly journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists' Union, having been continuously published by that body since 1884. The journal contains articles relating scientific studies of the anatomy, behavior, and distribution of birds. The journal is named for the...
, the A.O.U.'s journal, after the latter's death in 1899.
Allen's rule
Allen's rule
Allen's rule is a biological rule posited by Joel Asaph Allen in 1877. It states that endotherms from colder climates usually have shorter limbs than the equivalent animals from warmer climates.- Theory :...
, stating a correlation between body shape and climate, was formulated by him in 1877.
In addition to a great number of scientific papers, he is author of these books:
- Mammals and Winter Birds of Eastern Florida, (1871)
- The American Bisons, (1876)
- Monographs of North American Rodentia (with Elliott CouesElliott CouesElliott Coues was an American army surgeon, historian, ornithologist and author.Coues was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He graduated at Columbian University, Washington, D.C., in 1861, and at the Medical school of that institution in 1863...
, 1877) - History of North American Pinnipedia, (1880)
- Mammals of Patagonia, (1905)
- The Influence of Physical Conditions in the Genesis of Species, (1905)
- Ontogenetic and Other Variations in Musk-Oxen (1913).