Robert Evans Snodgrass (R.E. Snodgrass) (July 5, 1875 – September 4, 1962) was an American

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

and artist who made important contributions to the fields of arthropod morphology, anatomy, evolution, and

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...

. He was the author of 76 scientific articles and six books,Thurman, E. B. (1959b) Bibliography of R. E. Snodgrass between the years 1896 and 1958. Smithsonian Misc. Coll., 137: 19-22. including ''Insects, Their Ways and Means of Living'' (1930) and the book considered to be his crowning achievement,Eickwort, G. C. (1993) ''From the foreword to the 1993 reprinting of'' Snodgrass, R. E. Principles of Insect Morphology. Cornell Press. pp. ix-xi. the ''Principles of Insect Morphology'' (1935).

Biography

R.E. Snodgrass was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

on July 5, 1875, to James Cathcart Snodgrass and Annie Elizabeth Evans Snodgrass, where he lived until he was eight years old. He was the oldest of three children. His admitted first ambition in life was to be a

railway engineer Railway engineering is a multi-faceted engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction and operation of all types of rail transport systems. It encompasses a wide range of engineering disciplines, including civil engineering, comput ...

or a Pullman conductor, though frequent visits to the

St. Louis Zoo The Saint Louis Zoo, officially known as the Saint Louis Zoological Park, is a zoo in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri. It is recognized as a leading zoo in animal management, research, conservation, and education. The zoo is accredited by the A ...

aroused his early interests in zoology. His first recollections of entomology were recorded by E.B. Thurman:

The first entomological observation which Dr. Snodgrass recalls is seeing that the legs of grasshoppers, cut off by his father's lawnmower, could still kick while lying on the pavement. This apparently mysterious fact made a strong impression on him, and he decided that sometime he would look into the matter.

In 1883, he and his family moved to Wetmore, Kansas, where his father worked in a local bank, and young Snodgrass began work as a self-taught taxidermist. He had a particular interest in birds, even expressing a desire to become an

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 ...

, though his family only allowed limited shooting of birds for his mounted collections. At age 15, the family again moved, this time to Ontario, California, where they settled on a ranch and grew oranges, prunes, and grapes. It was here that Snodgrass entered a Methodist preparatory school at the high school level, then known as Chaffey College. He studied Latin, Greek, French, German, physics, chemistry, and drawing, but notably no biology because the curriculum forbade involving the teaching of evolution. Snodgrass bypassed this problem by reading

Darwin Darwin may refer to: Common meanings * Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection * Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...

Huxley Huxley may refer to: People * Huxley (surname) * The British Huxley family * Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–1895), British biologist known as "Darwin's Bulldog" * Aldous Huxley (1894–1963), British writer, author of ''Brave New World'', grandson ...

, and Spencer in his free time. His openly professed belief in evolution caused him problems in his relationships at home, and eventually resulted in being expelled from church activities in his community. In 1895, at the age of 20, Snodgrass entered

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

and majored in zoology, taking classes such as general zoology, embryology,

entomology Entomology () is the science, scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such ...

with Dr.

Vernon Lyman Kellogg Vernon Lyman Kellogg (December 1, 1867 – August 8, 1937) was an American entomologist, evolutionary biologist, and science administrator. His father was Lyman Beecher Kellogg, first president of the Kansas State Normal School (now known as Em ...

ichthyology Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octob ...

with then Stanford president Dr. David Starr Jordan, and

comparative vertebrate anatomy Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species). The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...

. His first opportunity to conduct research came from Dr. Kellogg, who set him to work on the biting lice ( Mallophaga). The excitement of research, and the prospect for publishing original work led to his giving up the desire to become an ornithologist, and the publication of his first two science articles (works 1, 2). During this time, Snodgrass also participated in his first two field expeditions, the first to the Pribilof Islands led by Dr. Jordan, and the second to the Galapagos Islands, led by

Edmund Heller Edmund Heller (May 21, 1875 – July 18, 1939) was an American zoologist. He was President of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums for two terms, from 1935-1936 and 1937-1938. Early life While at Stanford University, he collected specimens in the ...

. Snodgrass eventually published seven papers with Heller regarding organisms collected during the Galapagos expedition (works 3, 5, 6, 7, 12, 16, 19). Snodgrass graduated from

with his A.B. degree in Zoology in 1901. He was awarded the 1961 Leidy Award from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

References

External links

Smithsonian Institution Archives (Short biography and list of holdings for R.E. Snodgrass)Robert Evans Snodgrass Papers, 1920s-1963
from Smithsonian Institution Archives
Snodgrass, R.E. (1930) ''Insects, their ways and means of living''

The Snodgrass Tapes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snodgrass American entomologists 1875 births 1962 deaths People from Ontario, California Scientists from St. Louis Stanford University alumni

Biography

See also

References

External links