Notebook kept by Rafinesque on a trip from Philadelphia to Kentucky, 1818
1818
Notebook kept by Rafinesque on a trip from Philadelphia to Kentucky, 1818
Rafinesque, C. S. (Constantine Samuel), 1783-1840
1818
restrictions: Many of SIA's holdings are located off-site, and advance notice is recommended to consult a collection. Please email the SIA Reference Team at osiaref@si.edu. Rafinesque's descriptive specimen list of fish, shells, turtles, mammals, insects, plants, and fungi collected during a field trip in 1818. This item includes numerous detailed drawings of specimen collected, especially fish. Rafinesque often uses the abbreviation "NG," probably indicating what he thinks is a "new genus." Most of the text is in French, but identifications use the English common name and a taxonomic name, and some specimen entries are in English. Some illustrations of specimen include measurements. Also included are many hand drawn maps with location names and some topographical information. Although the original archival description suggests Rafinesque began the trip in Philadelphia, earlier entries in this notebook find him in New York, and perhaps farther north. Locations Rafinesque visited various locations in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, New York, and the District of Columbia. Some locations in Pennsylvania include but are not limited to Gettysburg, Bedford, Chambersburg, and Todd. This book is also referred to as "Notes N. 17."
