Charles Barney Cory (January 31, 1857 – July 31, 1921) was an American

ornithologist Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

er, outdoorsman, and author.

Early life

Cory was born in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. His father had made a fortune from a large import business, ensuring that his son never had to work. At the age of sixteen Cory developed an interest in

ornithology Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

and began a skin collection. Due to his ability to travel anywhere he wished, this soon became the best collection of birds of the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

in existence. In February 1876, the nineteen year old Cory was elected a member of

Nuttall Ornithological Club The Nuttall Ornithological Club is the oldest ornithology organization in the United States. History The club initially was a small informal group of William Brewster's childhood friends, all of whom shared his interest in ornithology. These fr ...

, America's first ornithological organization. It was here that he met the leading ornithologists of Massachusetts at the time, such as William Brewster,

Henry Henshaw Henry Wetherbee Henshaw (March 3, 1850 – August 1, 1930) was an American ornithologist and ethnologist. He worked at the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology from 1888 to 1892 and was editor of the journal ''American Anthropologist''. Biography Early l ...

, Ruthven Deane,

Charles Johnson Maynard Charles Johnson Maynard (May 6, 1845 – October 15, 1929) was an American naturalist and ornithologist born in Newton, Massachusetts. He was a collector, a taxidermist, and an expert on the vocal organs of birds. In addition to birds, he also s ...

, with

Joel Asaph Allen Joel Asaph Allen (July 19, 1838 – August 29, 1921) was an American zoology, zoologist, mammalogy, mammalogist, and ornithology, ornithologist. He became the first president of the American Ornithologists' Union, the first curator of birds and ma ...

soon to join as well. Starting in 1876, he briefly attended

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

and the

Boston University School of Law The Boston University School of Law (BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston. Established in 1872, it is the third-oldest law school in New England, after Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. Ap ...

but soon left to continue his travelling. In 1877, he went collecting in Florida, followed by a trip to the

Magdalen Islands The Magdalen Islands (, ) are a Canadian archipelago in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Since 2005, the 12-island archipelago is divided into two municipalities: the majority-francophone Municipality of Îles-de-la-Madeleine and the majority-angloph ...

in 1878, and another to the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

the next year. In 1880, he collected in Europe, and then he returned to the West Indies in 1881.

Career

In 1883, he was one of the forty-eight ornithologists invited to become founders of the

American Ornithologists' Union The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its ...

and one of those who attended the founding convention in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The next year he visited the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

and Montana with his friend,

Martin A. Ryerson Martin Antoine Ryerson (1856–1932) was an American lawyer, businessman, philanthropist and art collector. Heir to a considerable fortune, he was a lumber manufacturer and corporate director. He became the richest man in Chicago by the age of 36. ...

, to collect specimen. The rest of the 1880s saw him in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. In 1887, Cory was made the curator of birds at the

Boston Society of Natural History The Boston Society of Natural History (1830–1948) in Boston, Massachusetts, was an organization dedicated to the study and promotion of natural history. It published a scholarly journal and established a museum. In its first few decades, the s ...

. In 1882, Cory purchased Great Island in

West Yarmouth, Massachusetts West Yarmouth is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yarmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,012 at the 2010 census. Geography West Yarmouth is located in the southwest quarter of the town ...

as a summer retreat and

game preserve A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...

, and set about the restoration of its Point Gammon Light as an ornithological observatory. While summering there on

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

, Cory entertained dignitaries such as President Grover Cleveland, and frequently sponsored community sporting and cultural events. From 1888 to 1892, he and friend

Charles Richard Crane Charles Richard Crane (August 7, 1858 – February 15, 1939) was an American businessman and Arabist. His widespread business interests gave him entree into domestic and international political affairs where he enjoyed privileged access to many in ...

funded and played on the Hyannis town team in what is now the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

. At Cory and Crane's expense, various well-known professional and amateur players were brought in to play alongside the Hyannis locals. In 1888, Cory outfitted his club in "suits which were of the best white flannel and red stockings," and secured the services of pitcher Dick Conway and catcher

Mert Hackett Mortimer Martin "Mert" Hackett (November 11, 1859 – February 22, 1938) was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1883 to 1887 for the Boston Beaneaters, Kansas City Cowboys, and Indianapolis H ...

, both formerly of the major league

Boston Beaneaters Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a ...

. In 1889, Cory brought back Hackett, and also enlisted Barney Gilligan, who had played for the 1884 major league champion

Providence Grays The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National ...

. After the 1891 season, Cory published an extended

ode An ode (from ) is a type of lyric poetry, with its origins in Ancient Greece. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structu ...

to his ballclub in the style of

Ernest Thayer Ernest Lawrence Thayer (; August 14, 1863 – August 21, 1940) was an American writer and poet who wrote the poem "Casey" (or "Casey at the Bat"), which is "the single most famous baseball poem ever written" according to the Baseball Almanac, and ...

's ''

Casey at the Bat Casey may refer to: Places Antarctica * Casey Station * Casey Range Australia * Casey, Australian Capital Territory * City of Casey, Melbourne * Division of Casey, electoral district for the House of Representatives Canada * Casey, Ontari ...

''. When Cory's collection of 19,000 bird specimens became too large to keep in his house he donated them to

The Field Museum The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educationa ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and he was given the position of Curator of Ornithology. Cory's collection of 600 ornithological volumes were purchased by Edward E. Ayer in 1894, and in turn donated to the museum. Cory lost his entire fortune in 1906, and took a salaried position at the museum as Curator of Zoology, remaining there for the rest of his life. Cory made routine collecting trips in Florida and the West Indies. He sometimes financed trips for other naturalists. Cory was a director in many corporations. Cory wrote many books, including ''The Birds of

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

and

San Domingo Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and Geography of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the second-largest by List of C ...

'' (1885), ''The Birds of the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

'' (1889) and ''The Birds of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

'' (1909). His last major work was the four-part ''Catalogue of Birds of the Americas'', two of which were completed after his death by

Carl Edward Hellmayr Carl Eduard Hellmayr (29 January 1878 – 24 February 1944) was an Austrian ornithologist. Biography Hellmayr was born in Vienna and studied at the University of Vienna, although he did not complete his degree. After his studies he worked in Vie ...

; Hellmayr later extended the series to 15 parts. Cory was the first person to describe

Cory's shearwater Cory's shearwater (''Calonectris borealis'') is a large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It breeds colonially on the archipelago of the Azores in the eastern Atlantic. Outside the breeding season it ranges widely in the Atlantic. ...

as a species. It had previously been described by

Giovanni Antonio Scopoli Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Johannes Antonius Scopolius) (3 June 1723 – 8 May 1788) was an Italians, Italian physician and natural history, naturalist. His biographer Otto Guglia named him the "first ...

in 1769, but he had believed it to be a race of another

shearwater Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds in the petrel family Procellariidae. They have a global marine distribution, but are most common in temperate and cold waters, and are pelagic outside the breeding season. Description These tube ...

. Cory participated in the

1904 Summer Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 1 July to 23 November 1904. Many events were conducted ...

as a golfer. He competed in the individual event but did not finish.

Works

* ''Birds of the Bahama islands; containing many birds new to the islands, and a number of undescribed winter plumages of North American species'' (Boston, 1880). * ''Catalogue of West Indian birds, containing a list of all species known to occur in the Bahama Islands, the Greater Antilles, the Caymans, and the Lesser Antilles, excepting the islands of Tobago and Trinidad'' (Boston, 1892). * ''The birds of eastern North America known to occur east of the nineteenth meridian'' (Field Columbian Museum, 1899).
''The birds of Illinois and Wisconsin''
(Chicago, 1909). * ''Descriptions of new birds from South America and adjacent islands'' (Chicago, 1915).
''How to know the ducks, geese and swans of North America, all the species being grouped according to size and color''
(Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 1897).
''How to know the shore birds (Limicolæ) of North America (south of Greenland and Alaska) all the species being grouped according to size and color''
(Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 1897). * ''Hunting and fishing in Florida, including a key to the water birds known to occur in the state'' (Estes & Lauriat, Boston, 1896, Nachdruck 1970).
''The mammals of Illinois and Wisconsin''
(Chicago, 1912).
''Montezuma’s castle, and other weird tales''
(1899).
''Notes on little known species of South American birds with descriptions of new subspecies''
(Chicago, 1917). * ''Southern rambles'' (A. Williams & company, Boston, 1881). * ''Descriptions of new birds from South America and adjacent Islands...'' (1915).
''Descriptions of twenty-eight new species and subspecies of neotropical birds...''

''Notes on South American birds, with descriptions of new subspecies...''
(1915). * ''Beautiful and curious birds of the world'' (1880). * ''The birds of the Leeward Islands, Caribbean Sea'' (Chicago, 1909). * ''The birds of the West Indies'' (Estes & Lauriat, Boston, 1889).
''Descriptions of apparently new South American birds''
(Chicago, 1916). * ''Descriptions of twenty-eight new species and sub-species of neotropical birds'' (Chicago, 1913). * ''Hypnotism and mesmerism'' (A. Mudge & Son, Boston, 1888). * ''A list of the birds of the West Indies'' (Estes & Lauriat, Boston, 1885).
''A naturalist in the Magdalen Islands; giving a description of the islands and list of the birds taken there, with other ornithological notes''
(1878).

Notes

References

* Barbara and Richard Mearns - ''Biographies for Birdwatchers'' (1988)

External links