Vernon Orlando Bailey (1864–1942) was an American naturalist who specialized in

mammalogy In zoology, mammalogy is the study of mammals – a class of vertebrates with characteristics such as homeothermic metabolism, fur, four-chambered hearts, and complex nervous system In biology, the nervous system is the highly complex part o ...

. He was employed by the Bureau of Biological Survey,

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...

(USDA). His contributions to the Bureau of Biological Survey numbered roughly 13,000 specimens including many new species. Bailey published 244 monographs and articles during his career with the USDA, and is best known for his biological surveys of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, and

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Life and work

The fourth child of Emily and Hiram Bailey, Vernon Orlando Bailey was born on June 21, 1864 in

Manchester, Michigan Manchester is a village in Manchester Township within Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,037 at the 2020 census. History Chicago Road In 1824 the United States Congress passed the General Survey Act, intended to ...

. Bailey and his pioneer family moved by horse-drawn wagon to

Elk River, Minnesota Elk River is a city in Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States, approximately 34 miles northwest of Minneapolis. It is situated at the confluence of the Mississippi and Elk Rivers. The population was 25,835 at the 2020 census, making Elk Ri ...

in 1870. Hiram Bailey was a woodsman and a mason by trade that taught his son how to hunt at an early age. Since there was no school in the frontier town at the time, the Baileys schooled their children at home until they and several other local families established a school in 1873. Vernon briefly attended the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

and later

Columbian University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presid ...

. While in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

, Bailey began collecting specimens and forwarding them to Dr. C. Hart Merriam, founder of the Bureau of Biological Survey (the predecessor to the current U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Bailey was appointed special field agent to the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy in 1887. By 1890, Bailey was awarded the title of Chief Field Naturalist. He served in this position until his retirement in 1933. He was the president of the

American Society of Mammalogists The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to encourage the study of mammals, and professions studying them. There are over 4,500 members of this society, and they are primarily professional scientists ...

from 1933 to 1934, which he also helped found in 1919. During his career, his fieldwork focused on collecting and describing mammals, but also included birds reptiles and plants. His efforts provided the bureau some 13,000 mammal specimens. In 1899, he married ornithologist

Florence Augusta Merriam Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey (August 8, 1863September 22, 1948) was an American ornithologist, birdwatcher, and nature writer. Between 1890 and 1939, she published a series of field guides on North American bird life. These guides were often ...

. The two traveled the United States together and separately collecting and observing specimens in the field. They co-authored several articles including "Cave life of Kentucky" with Leonard Giovannoli, published in the September 1933 edition of ''

American Midland Naturalist ''The American Midland Naturalist'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering natural history. It was established in 1909 by Julius Nieuwland and is published by the University of Notre Dame. According to the ''Journal Citation Repo ...

'' (Vol. 14, No. 5).

Legacy

Vernon Bailey Peak is a 6670 ft (2033 m) peak in

Big Bend National Park Big Bend National Park is an American national park located in West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, and was named after ...

in Texas.

Publications

''The Prairie Ground Squirrels or Spermophiles of the Mississippi Valley''
1893
''Biological Survey of Texas''
1905
''A New Subspecies of Beaver from North Dakota''
1919-1920
Beaver Habits, Beaver Control and Possibilities of Beaver Farming
1922
''The Cave Life of Kentucky, The American Midland Naturalist''
1933

Associated eponyms

*'' Chrysothamnus baileyi'' Woot. & Standl. *''

Ostrya baileyi ''Ostrya'' is a genus of eight to 10 small deciduous trees belonging to the birch family Betulaceae. Common names include hop-hornbeam and hophornbeam. It may also be called ironwood, a name shared with a number of other plants. The genus is na ...

'' Rose (''Ostrya baileyi'' is a synonym for ''

Ostrya knowltonii ''Ostrya knowltonii'' is a species of tree known by the common names Knowlton's hophornbeam, western hophornbeam, woolly hophornbeam, and wolf hophornbeam. It is also one of many trees called ironwood. It is native to Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, ...

''.) *''

Tillandsia baileyi ''Tillandsia baileyi'', commonly known as the reflexed airplant or Bailey's ball moss, is a species of bromeliad that is native to southern Texas in the United States and Tamaulipas in Mexico. It is found along the Gulf of Mexico from Kingsvill ...

'' Rose ex Small *''

Echinocereus baileyi ''Echinocereus'' is a genus of ribbed, usually small to medium-sized, cylindrical shaped cacti, comprising about 70 species native to the southern United States and Mexico in very sunny, rocky places. Usually the flowers are large and the fru ...

'' Rose (This is now classified as a subspecies of ''

Echinocereus reichenbachii ''Echinocereus reichenbachii'' (commonly known as lace or hedgehog cactus) is a perennial plant and shrub in the cactus family. The species is native to the Chihuahuan Desert and parts of northern Mexico and the southern United States, where t ...

''.) *''

Sarcobatus baileyi ''Sarcobatus'' is a North American genus of two species of flowering plants, formerly considered to be a single species. Common names for ''S. vermiculatus'' include greasewood, seepwood, and saltbush. Traditionally, ''Sarcobatus'' has been ...

'' Coville. *''

Yucca baileyi ''Yucca baileyi'' is a plant in the family Agavaceae. It is native to Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado but has been cultivated elsewhere. Much of its native range is within the boundaries of the Navajo (Diné) Reservation, hence the commo ...

'' Woot. & Standl. *''

Campanula baileyi ''Campanula'' () is one of several genera of flowering plants in the family Campanulaceae commonly known as bellflowers. They take both their common and scientific names from the bell-shaped flowers — ''campanula'' is Latin for "little bell" ...

'' Eastwood. (''Campanula baileyi'' is a synonym for ''

Campanula wilkinsiana ''Campanula wilkinsiana'' is a rare species of bellflower known by the common name Wilkins' bellflower. Description It is a perennial herb growing from a slender rhizome and producing an erect or leaning stem up to about 30 centimeters long. Th ...

''.) *''

Crotaphytus collaris baileyi ''Crotaphytus'' is a genus of lizards commonly known as collared lizards. They are a genus of small to medium-sized predators indigenous to the American southwest, Baja peninsula, and Mexico. They can be as small as 8" or as long as 14″ (20- ...

'' Stejneger, 1890 * ''Canis lupus baileyi'' (Mexican wolf)

References

External links

Finding aid to the Vernon Bailey papers, 1889–1941
from the

Smithsonian Institution Archives Smithsonian Libraries and Archives is an institutional archives and library system comprising 21 branch libraries serving the various Smithsonian Institution museums and research centers. The Libraries and Archives serve Smithsonian Institution ...

Vernon Bailey Papers, 1905, 1921-1929, 1939
also from the Smithsonian Institution Archives * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Vernon 1864 births 1942 deaths American mammalogists People from Manchester, Michigan People from Elk River, Minnesota 19th-century American zoologists 20th-century American zoologists United States Department of Agriculture people

Life and work

Legacy

Publications

Associated eponyms

See also

References

External links