Thomas Say (June 27, 1787 – October 10, 1834) 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 ara ...

conchologist Conchology () is the study of mollusc shells. Conchology is one aspect of malacology, the study of molluscs; however, malacology is the study of molluscs as whole organisms, whereas conchology is confined to the study of their shells. It incl ...

, and herpetologist. His studies of insects and shells, numerous contributions to scientific journals, and scientific expeditions to Florida, Georgia, the Rocky Mountains, Mexico, and elsewhere made him an internationally known naturalist. Say has been called the father of American descriptive entomology and American conchology. He served as librarian for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, curator at the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

(elected in 1817), and professor of natural history at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

Early life and education

Born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

into a prominent

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

family, Thomas Say was the great-grandson of John Bartram, and the great-nephew of William Bartram. His father, Dr.

Benjamin Say Benjamin Say (August 28, 1755 – April 23, 1813) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Benjamin Say was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Thomas (1709–1796) and Rebekah Atkinson Budd Say (1716–1795), He ...

, was brother-in-law to another Bartram son, Moses Bartram. The Say family had a house, "The Cliffs" at Gray's Ferry, adjoining the Bartram family farms in Kingessing township, Philadelphia County. As a boy, Say often visited the family garden,

Bartram's Garden Bartram's Garden is a 50-acre public garden and National Historic Landmark in Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, situated on the banks of the Tidal Schuylkill River. It is a venue for art, an access to the tidal river and wetlands, an outdoor ...

, where he frequently took butterfly and beetle specimens to his great-uncle William.

Career

He became an apothecary. A self-taught naturalist, Say helped found the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP) in 1812. In 1816, he met Charles Alexandre Lesueur, a French naturalist, malacologist, and ichthyologist who soon became a member of the Academy and served as its curator until 1824. At the Academy, Say began his work on what he would publish as ''American Entomology''. To collect insects, he made numerous expeditions to frontier areas, risking American Indian attacks and hazards of traveling in wild countryside. In 1818, Say accompanied his friend William Maclure, then the ANSP president and father of American

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other Astronomical object, astronomical objects, the features or rock (geology), rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology ...

; Gerhard Troost, a geologist; and other members of the Academy on a geological expedition to the off-shore islands of Georgia and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, then a Spanish colony. In 1819–20, Major Stephen Harriman Long led an exploration to the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...

and the tributaries of the Missouri River, with Say as zoologist. Their official account of this expedition included the first descriptions of the

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological nich ...

, swift fox, western kingbird,

band-tailed pigeon The band-tailed pigeon (''Patagioenas fasciata'') is a medium-sized bird of the Americas. Its closest relatives are the Chilean pigeon and the ring-tailed pigeon, which form a clade of ''Patagioenas'' with a terminal tail band and iridescent p ...

, rock wren,

Say's phoebe Say's phoebe (''Sayornis saya'') is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. A common bird across western North America, it prefers dry, desolate areas. This bird was named for Thomas Say, the American naturalist. Taxonomy Say's phoebe ...

, lesser goldfinch, lark sparrow,

lazuli bunting The lazuli bunting (''Passerina amoena'') is a North American songbird named for the gemstone lapis lazuli. Description Measurements: * Length: 5.1-5.9 in (13-15 cm) * Weight: 0.5-0.6 oz (13-18 g) * Wingspan: 8.7 in (22 cm) The male i ...

orange-crowned warbler The orange-crowned warbler (''Leiothlypis celata'') is a small songbird of the New World warbler family. Taxonomy The orange-crowned warbler was formally described in 1822 by the American zoologist Thomas Say under the binomial name ''Sylvia c ...

, checkered whiptail lizard, collared lizard, ground skink, western rat snake, and western ribbon snake. In 1823, Say served as chief zoologist in Long's expedition to the headwaters of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

. He traveled on the "Boatload of Knowledge" to the New Harmony Settlement in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

(1826–34), a

utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island soc ...

n society experiment founded by

Robert Owen Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh people, Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditio ...

. Say was accompanied by Maclure, Lesueur, Troost, and Francis Neef, an innovative pedagogue. There he later met

Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...

, another naturalist. On January 4, 1827, Say secretly married Lucy Way Sistare, whom he had met as one of the passengers to New Harmony, near the settlement. She was an artist and illustrator of specimens, as in the book ''American Conchology'', and was elected as the first woman member of the Academy of Natural Sciences. At New Harmony, Thomas Say carried on his monumental work describing insects and mollusks, leading to two classic works: *''American Entomology, or Descriptions of the Insects of North America'', 3 volumes, Philadelphia, 1824–1828. *''American Conchology, or Descriptions of the Shells of North America Illustrated From Coloured Figures From Original Drawings Executed from Nature'', Parts 1–6, New Harmony, 1830–1834; Part 7, Philadelphia, 1836. During their years in New Harmony, Say and Lesueur experienced considerable difficulties. Say was a modest and unassuming man, who lived frugally like a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite ( adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a C ...

. He abandoned commercial activities and devoted himself to his studies, making difficulties for his family. Say died, apparently from

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over severa ...

, in New Harmony on 10 October 1834, when he was 47 years old.

Legacy and honors

Say described more than 1,000 new species of

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s, more than 400 species of

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pa ...

s of other orders, and seven well-known species of snakes. Other zoologists honored him by naming several taxa after him: *''

Dyspanopeus sayi ''Dyspanopeus sayi'' is a species of mud crab that is native to the Atlantic coast of North America. It has also become established outside its native range, living in Swansea Docks since 1960, the Mediterranean Sea since the 1970s, the North ...

'' ( S. I. Smith, 1869) – Say's mud crab *'' Portunus sayi'' (Gibbes, 1850) – a swimming crab of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Portunidae *''

Porcellana sayana ''Porcellana sayana'' is a species of porcelain crab that lives in the western Atlantic Ocean, often as a commensal of hermit crabs. It is red with white spots, and has a characteristic bulge behind each claw. Distribution ''Porcellana sayana'' ...

'' (Leach, 1820) – an Atlantic porcelain crab *'' Lanceola sayana'' ( Bovallius, 1885) – an

amphipod Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 9,900 amphipod species so far descri ...

from the family Lanceolidae *'' Calliostoma sayanum'' Dall, 1889 – a

sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the a ...

in the family

Calliostomatidae Calliostomatidae is a family of sea snails within the superfamily Trochoidea and the clade Vetigastropoda.Gofas, S. (2013). Calliostomatidae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdeta ...

*'' Diodora sayi'' (Dall, 1899) – a sea snail in the family Fissurellidae *''

Oliva sayana The lettered olive, ''Oliva sayana'', is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Olividae, the olive shells, olive snails, or olives. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Oliva sayana Ravenel, 1834. A ...

'' Ravenel, 1834 – a sea snail in the family

Olividae Olive snails, also known as olive shells and olives, scientific name Olividae, are a taxonomic family of medium to large predatory sea snails with smooth, shiny, elongated oval-shaped shells.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2012). Olividae. Accessed throu ...

*'' Sayella'' Dall, 1885 – a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of sea snails in the family

Pyramidellidae Pyramidellidae, common name the pyram family, or pyramid shells, is a voluminous taxonomic family of mostly small and minute ectoparasitic sea snails, marine heterobranch gastropod molluscs. The great majority of species of pyrams are micromoll ...

*'' Propeamussium sayanum'' (Dall, 1886) – a saltwater clam in the family Propeamussiidae *'' Appalachina sayana'' (

Pilsbry Henry Augustus Pilsbry (7 December 1862 – 26 October 1957) was an American biologist, malacologist and carcinologist, among other areas of study. He was a dominant presence in many fields of invertebrate taxonomy for the better part of a cent ...

''in'' Pilsbry & Ferriss, 1906) – a land snail in the family Polygyridae *''Pituophis catenifer sayi'' ( Schlegel, 1837) – the bullsnakeBeolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Say", p. 234). *'' Sayornis'' ( Bonaparte, 1854) – a genus in the tyrant flycatcher family *'' Sciurus niger rufiventer'' - Say's squirrel *'' Chlorochroa sayi'' ( Stål, 1872) - Say's stink bug, a species of

stink bug Stink bug or stinkbug is a common name for several insects and may refer to: * Any of several bugs in the true bug (hemipteran) family Pentatomidae Pentatomidae is a family of insects belonging to the order Hemiptera, generally called shield ...

Published works

* Say, T. 1817. Description of seven species of American fresh water and land shells, not noticed in the systems. Part 1. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(1), 13–16.
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* Say, T. 1817. Description of seven species of American fresh water and land shells, not noticed in the systems. Part 2. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(2), 17–18.
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* Say, T. 1817. Descriptions of several new species of North American insects. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(2), 19–23.
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* Say, T. 1817. Some account of the insect known by the name of Hessian Fly, and of a parasitic insect that feeds on it. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(3), 43–48.
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* Say, T. 1817. On a new genus of the Crustacea, and the species on which it is established. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(4), 49–52. (Read July 8, 1817) (BHL link) * Say, T. 1817. An account of the Crustacea of the United States. Part 1. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(4), 57–64. (Read August 5, 1817)
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* Say, T. 1817. An account of the Crustacea of the United States. Part 2. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(5), 65–83. (Read August 5, 1817)
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* Say, T. 1817. An account of the Crustacea of the United States. Part 3. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(6), 97–101. (Read August 5, 1817)
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* Say, T. 1817. Description of new species of land and fresh water shells of the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(6), 123–126. (Read October 28, 1817)
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* Say, T. 1817. An account of the Crustacea of the United States. Part 4. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(6), 155–169. (Read November 4, 1817)
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* Say, T. 1818. An account of the Crustacea of the United States. Part 5. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1, 235–253. (Read November 11, 1817)
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* Say, T. 1818. Account of two new genera, and several new species, of fresh water and land snails. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(7), 276–284. (Read May 25, 1818)
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* Say, T. 1818. An account of the Crustacea of the United States. Part 6. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1, 313–319. (Read June 10, 1818)
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* Say, T. 1818. An account of the Crustacea of the United States. Part 7. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1, 374–401. (Read June 10, 1818)
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* Say, T. 1818. Notes on Professor Green's paper on the Amphibia, published in the September number of this journal. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(7), 405–407. (Read October 6, 1818)
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* Say, T. 1818. An account of the Crustacea of the United States. Part 8. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1, 423–441. (Read June 10, 1818)
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* Say, T. 1818. Observations on some of the animals described in the account of the Crustacea of the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1, 442–444.
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* Say, T. 1818. Appendix to the account of the Crustacea of the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1, 445–458. (Read December 1, 1818)
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* Say, T. 1818. Description of a new genus of fresh water bivalve shells. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1, 459–460.
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* Say, T. 1818. Description of three new species of the genus ''Naesa''. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1, 482–485.
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* Say, T. 1821. Descriptions of the Thysanourae of the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 2, 11–13.
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* Say, T. 1821. Descriptions of the Arachnides of the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 2, 59–81.
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* Say, T. 1821. Descriptions of the Myriapodae of the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 2, 102–113.
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* Say, T. 1821. Descriptions of Univalve shells of the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 2, 149–178.
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* Say, T. 1823. Descriptions of Dipterous insects of the United States. Part 1. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 3(1), 9–53.
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* Say, T. 1823. Descriptions of Dipterous insects of the United States. Part 2. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 3(1), 73–104.
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* Say, T. 1823. Descriptions of Coleopterous insects. Part 1. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 3(1), 139–215.
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* Say, T. 1824. Descriptions of Coleopterous insects. Part 2. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 3(2), 238–281.
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* Say, T. 1824. Descriptions of Coleopterous insects. Part 3. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 3(2), 298–330.
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* Say, T. 1824. Descriptions of Coleopterous insects. Part 4. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 3(2), 403–462.
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* Say, T. 1824. Descriptions of Coleopterous insects, collected in the late expedition to the Rocky Mountains. Part 1. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 4(1), 83–99.
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* Say, T. 1824. An account of some of the fossil shells of Maryland. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 4(1), 124–154.
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* Say, T. 1825. On the fresh water and land Tortoises of the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 4(2), 203–219.
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* Say, T. 1825. Description of three new species of Coluber, inhabiting the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 4(2), 237–241.
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* Say, T. 1825. On two genera and several species of Crinoidea. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 4(2), 289–295.
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* Say, T. 1825. Descriptions of new Hemipterous insects, collected in the expedition to the Rocky Mountains, performed by order of Mr. Calhoun, Secretary of War, under command of Major Long. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 4(2), 307–344. (BH
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* Say, T., and G. Ord. 1825. Description of a new species of Mammalia, whereon a genus is supposed to be founded. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 4(2), 352–355.
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* Say, T. 1825. Descriptions of new species of Hister and Hololepta, inhabiting the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 5(1), 32–47.
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* Say, T. 1825. Descriptions of some new species of fresh water and land shells, inhabiting the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 5(1), 119–131.
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* Say, T. 1825. On the species of the Linnaean genus Asterias, inhabiting the coast of the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 5(1), 141–153.
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* Say, T. 1825. Descriptions of new species of Coleopterous insects inhabiting the United States. Part 1. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 5(1), 160–204.
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* Say, T. 1827. Descriptions of marine shells, recently discovered on the coast of the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 5(2), 207–220.
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* Say, T. 1827. On the species of the Linnaean genus Echinus, inhabiting the coast of the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 5(2), 225–228.
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* Say, T. 1827. Descriptions of new species of Coleopterous insects inhabiting the United States. Part 2. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 5(2), 237–283.
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* Say, T. 1827. Descriptions of new species of Coleopterous insects inhabiting the United States. Part 3. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 5(2), 293–316.
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* Say, T. 1829. Description of new Dipterous insects of the United States. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 6(1), 149–178.
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* Say, T. 1830. Description of North American Dipterous insects. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 6(2), 183–188.
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* Say, T. 1830. Description of new North American Hemipterous insects. Part 1. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 6(2), 235–244.
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* Say, T. 1830. Description of new North American Hemipterous insects. Part 2. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 6(2), 299–314.
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Notes

References

* *

External links

*
Thomas Say (1787–1834), father of American entomology
Indiana University

* Paintings of The Cliffs, the Say family home on the Schuylkill River at Gray's Ferry, by David Kennedy **
The Cliffs, the Country Residence of the Say Family for Nearly 40 Years Sketched After Brenton by Kennedy in 1836
*
The Cliffs" Country Residence of Benjamin Say at Gray's Ferry

Tomb of Thomas Say, The Naturalist Historical Society of PennsylvaniaPlan of Say Burial Ground
at 3rd and Arch Streets in Philadelphia {{DEFAULTSORT:Say, Thomas American naturalists American entomologists American malacologists 1787 births 1834 deaths American taxonomists American Quakers Scientists from Philadelphia 19th-century American zoologists