James Baquet

    Are you interested in “birding,” otherwise known as birdwatching? If you are, and you’re from North America, you are probably familiar with a sort of “birder’s bible” called “A Field Guide to the Birds” by Roger Tory Peterson (1908-1996).

    In fact, this 1934 volume gave birth to a whole range of “Peterson Field Guides,” covering seashells, insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, rocks, plants, and even the stars and planets — in fact, almost anything that can be found in the natural world. The common factors in all these books are (a) their excellent illustrations, and (b) the “Peterson Identification System.”

    This was a brilliant innovation. While scientists had long classified living things based on technical differences, some of which were difficult to see (especially at a distance, through binoculars), Petersen’s system involved making distinctions based on highly visible features. The illustrations have arrows pointing at the key features, and the verbal descriptions italicize the key differences.

    Prior to Peterson’s advances, birders would typically shoot specimens (shocking!) and identify them up close. With better instruments (such as spotting scopes) the same could be accomplished with live birds at a distance.

    Thus, Peterson is considered a major contributor to the environmental awareness that seeks to remain non-invasive. The author of a rival bird guide wrote, “In [the 20th] century, no one has done more to promote an interest in living creatures than Roger Tory Peterson, the inventor of the modern field guide.”

    An avid birder since childhood, Peterson seems not to have studied ornithology formally; his studies all centered on art and design. Nevertheless, he became a teacher of both art and science, and shared his love of nature with his students, one of whom was later a government official and nominated him for “Outstanding Teacher of the Year.” This is one of the many awards he won, including a Presidential Medal of Honor, and nomination for a Nobel Prize.

    Publishers — and birders — continue to benefit from his work.

    Vocabulary

    Which word above means:

    1. differences

    2. new idea

    3. samples

    4. competitor

    5. print in slanting letters for emphasis

    6. the study of birds

    7. expressed in words

    8. a device for seeing at a distance using both eyes

    9. able to be seen

    10. a device for seeing at a distance using only one eye, not as powerful as a telescope