Thomas Say (June 27, 1787 – October 10, 1834) was an American

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

, conchologist, and

herpetologist Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (in ...

. 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 Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

. 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) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

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

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

Early life and education

Born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

into a prominent

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

family, Thomas Say was the great-grandson of John Bartram, and the great-nephew of William Bartram. His father, Dr. Benjamin Say, 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, where he frequently took butterfly and beetle specimens to his great-uncle William.

Career

Say trained to be 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 Charles Alexandre Lesueur (; 1 January 1778 in Le Havre – 12 December 1846 in Le Havre) was a French Natural history, naturalist, artist, and explorer. He was a prolific natural-history collector, gathering many type specimens in Australia ...

, 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 the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

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

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, 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 great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

and the tributaries of the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

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

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...

, swift fox, western kingbird, band-tailed pigeon, rock wren, Say's phoebe, lesser goldfinch, lark sparrow, lazuli bunting, orange-crowned warbler, 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 main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

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

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

(1826–34), a

utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...

n society experiment founded by

Robert Owen Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist, political philosopher and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement, co-operative movement. He strove to ...

. 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 (; 22 October 178318 September 1840) was a French early 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, ult ...

, 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. Many of the scientific names assigned by Say are no longer accepted. Lists of the former names matched with current scientific and common names are available. 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 Chr ...

. He abandoned commercial activities and devoted himself to his studies, making difficulties for his family. Say died, apparently from typhoid fever, 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 Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

s, more than 400 species of

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

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

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

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

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Portunidae *'' Porcellana sayana'' (Leach, 1820) – an Atlantic porcelain crab *'' Lanceola sayana'' ( Bovallius, 1885) – an amphipod from the family Lanceolidae *'' Calliostoma sayanum'' Dall, 1889 – a

sea snail Sea snails are slow-moving marine (ocean), marine gastropod Mollusca, molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the Taxonomic classification, taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguishe ...

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

Fissurellidae Fissurellidae, common name the keyhole limpets and slit limpets, is a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized limpet-like sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Vetigastropoda.Rosenberg, G. (2012). Fissurellidae. Accessed throu ...

*'' Oliva sayana'' Ravenel, 1834 – a sea snail in the family Olividae *'' Sayella'' Dall, 1885 – a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of sea snails in the family Pyramidellidae *'' Propeamussium sayanum'' (Dall, 1886) – a saltwater clam in the family Propeamussiidae *'' Appalachina sayana'' ( Pilsbry ''in'' Pilsbry & Ferriss, 1906) – a

land snail A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have gastropod shell, shel ...

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

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
University of Evansville

* 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 Members of the American Philosophical Society