Reading Time: 5 minutes As a result of the “feather craze” that decimated Florida’s bird populations, the Florida Audubon Society found that the roseate spoonbill had been the mostly heavily hit. Plume hunters and poachers sought out the roseate spoonbill for its beautiful, bright pink and orange plumage. The Audubon Society “understood that in order to save endangered birds from extinction, [it] would have to bring more resources to bear than wardens and sanctuaries.” Because the population of spoonbills had been so devastated, their “critical situation called for careful study of the living birds in the wild” and Robert Porter Allen was the perfect person for the job… (Continue Reading)
Tag: Birds
USF Digital Collections for Environmental and Natural Sciences Research: Research & Data Collections
Reading Time: 4 minutes Post written by Lesley Brooks, Carla Fotherby, and LeEtta Schmidt This is the first in a four part series introducing USF digital collections for environmental and natural sciences. USF Libraries’ vision is to be at the center of a highly engaged university …Continue Reading
The Fashion Craze that Galvanized Conservationists
Reading Time: 5 minutes Imagine it’s the year 1880… Men are dressed in top hats and long, formal coats while elegant women wear bustled skirts, their waists pinched in by corsets, and their heads adorned by large hats scattered with bright, colorful feathers. It’s the fashion of the day and the current craze is focused on those colorful feathers. But, what had to die to fulfill this fashion craze? BIRDS… (Continue Reading)
Catesby Collection
Reading Time: 3 minutes Mark Catesby’s two-volume set of The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands was published in 1754. Over 250 years later, this printed edition is housed in just 45 libraries globally. Describing and illustrating North American flora and fauna from an 18th-century naturalist’s perspective, this work has become a rare and important artifact for historians and scientists alike… (Continue Reading)
Celebrating the Public Domain: 19 in 2019
Reading Time: 3 minutes What is the public domain? The public domain consists of material that is not protected by copyright and is therefore considered to belong to everyone for every kind of use (find more info on the copyright guide). Items enter the public domain …Continue Reading
Robert Porter Allen, Savior of the Whooping Crane
Reading Time: 2 minutes The world is at our fingertips, and we are awash with information. This exciting experience can become a predicament when quality resources are required and time is short. There is so much “stuff” returned with a search string. If the building is …Continue Reading