James Henry Fleming (

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, July 5, 1872 – June 27, 1940) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

. His father was Scottish, and sixty years old when his son was born. James became interested in birds at the age of 12. He was an associate member of the

Royal Canadian Institute The Royal Canadian Institute for Science (RCIScience), known also as the Royal Canadian Institute, is a Canadian nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting the public with Canadian science. History The organization was formed in Toronto as t ...

at 16. In 1916, he became a fellow of the

American Ornithologists' Union The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its m ...

(AOU), and by 21 was an associate member. He eventually became its president, holding the post from 1932 to 1935. His standing as an ornithologist was recognized in many ways. The

National Museum of Canada The national museums of Canada are the nine museums in Canada designated under the federal ''Museums Act'' and operated by the Government of Canada. The national museums are responsible for "preserving and promoting the heritage of Canada and all it ...

made him honorary

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

of ornithology in 1913. He was elected British Empire Member of the British Ornithological Union; Corresponding Member of the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

; and Membre d'Honneur Étranger of the Société Ornithologique et Mammalogique de France. He was an honorary (but active) member of the Brodie Club,

; an Honorary Member of the Toronto Ornithological Club; Honorary Vice-President of the Toronto Field Naturalists' Club; and in 1927, he was made Honorary Curator of the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology. Over his life he amassed a vast collection of specimens, numbering over 32,000, and a large ornithological library considered to be one of the largest and most representative private collections at the time. This research collection went to The Royal Ontario Museum upon his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, James Henry Canadian ornithologists 1872 births Place of birth missing 1940 deaths Place of death missing