Discovering Birds The Emergence of Ornithology as a Scientific Discipline, 1760-1850

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In this case study of the history of ornithology, the author rejects the view that 18th-century natural history disappeared with the rise of 19th-century biology. He demonstrates interesting continuities: as natural history evolves into individual sciences (botany, geology and zoology) and specialities (entymology and ichthyology), the study of birds emerged as a distinct scientific discipline that remained observational and taxonomic. Ornithologists continued to see one of their primary tasks as classification, and they found no need to alter their approach. They were aided at the end of the 18th century as colonization and exploration brought new data - a plethora of exotic and previously unknown birds. By the mid-19th century, ornithology had become a scientific discipline with international experts, a large empirical base, and a rigorous methodology of watching and cataloging.

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