Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to C. Hart Merriam
Theodore Roosevelt stands corrected, as he learned from Merriam that the song thrush and the titmouse are invasive.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-03-22
Your TR Source
Starlings
From the collection at Sagamore Hill (#3): Boy naturalist
Susan Sarna recounts the formation of a young Theodore Roosevelt as a naturalist, highlighting his enjoyment of books by Mayne Reid, his first gun, and the revelation he experienced when he was fitted for eyeglasses. Sarna notes Roosevelt’s taxidermy work and his overseas trip of 1872-1873 which gave him field experience in preparing bird skins. Photographs of Roosevelt’s first gun, examples of Reid’s books, two birds mounted by Roosevelt, and an excerpt from a bird guide accompany the text.
Collection
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
Creation Date
2019
Creator(s)
Theodore Roosevelt Disposes of His Boyhood Bird Specimens
Paul Russell Cutright examines the donation of Theodore Roosevelt’s bird collection to the Smithsonian Institution and the American Museum of Natural History. Cutright focuses on the donation to the Smithsonian since it was very large, 622 bird skins, and he details how the collection was cataloged, where and to whom individual specimens were dispersed, and he highlights some of the more notable specimens like the Snowy owl.
Pictures of Theodore Roosevelt and his father and a copy of two pages of the accession records of the Smithsonian accompany the article. The cover of this issue features a picture of the Snowy owl shot, prepared, and donated to the American Museum of Natural History by Roosevelt.
A listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association along with the members of its executive, finance, and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace committees is on the second page of the article.
Collection
The boyhood natural history notebooks of Theodore Roosevelt
Paul Russell Cutright examines the thirteen natural history notebooks that Theodore Roosevelt kept during his childhood and young adult years. He notes the dates, the subjects, and the locations of the observations kept in each notebook. Cutright focuses on Roosevelt’s love of birding and most of the notebook excerpts deal with this subject. He highlights Roosevelt’s skill at identifying birds by their calls and songs, notes his considerable observation skills, and credits various naturalists and friends who influenced Roosevelt.
Two photographs of Roosevelt as a child and young man and a full-page picture of a mounted snowy owl that Roosevelt prepared accompany the article.
A listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association along with the members of the executive, finance, and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace committees is on page two of the article.