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Donald Ryder Dickey

Donald Ryder Dickey (1887–1932) was an American ornithologist, mammalogist, and nature photographer. He collected 50,000 specimens and produced 7,500 photographs and moving images of nature subjects. At his death, his collection of bird and mammal specimens was the largest private collection in the United States.[1][2]

Donald Ryder Dickey
Donald Ryder Dickey, holding a bat
Born(1887-03-31)March 31, 1887
Dubuque, Iowa, United States
DiedApril 15, 1932(1932-04-15) (aged 45)
Pasadena, California, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materYale University
AwardsBrewster Medal
Scientific career
FieldsOrnithology, Mammalogy

Biography

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Donald Ryder Dickey was born on March 31, 1887, in Dubuque, Iowa, the son of Anna Roberts Ryder and Ernest May Dickey (superintendent of the Diamond Joe Steamship Line).[3][4] In 1902, Dickey and his mother, also an avid naturalist, joined a Sierra Club group hiking King's River Cañon and climbing Mount Whitney. Others on this trip included John Muir, C. Hart Merriam, Dr. Henry Gannett, historian Theodore Hittell and landscape artist William Keith.[4]

Dickey entered the University of California in 1906, but received his B.A. degree (with honors) from Yale University in 1910. His collegiate society memberships included Psi Upsilon, Elihu, and Phi Beta Kappa.[3] He was active in music societies (the University and Apollo Glee Clubs and the College Choir)[5] and was captain of the University Gun Team.[6] During his senior year at Yale, Dickey suffered severe heart failure; he slowly recovered his health during a three-year convalescence, living for a time first in Ojai[5] and later at his parents' home in Pasadena.

Dickey married Florence Van Vechten on June 15, 1921, and became active in community and business affairs, serving as a trustee of the Southwest Museum, Los Angeles (1920–1928), and President of the Board of Pasadena Hospital (1924–1925),[3] and as a director of the Pasadena branch of the Pacific Southwest Trust & Savings Bank (1924–29).[7]

Field research

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Upon recovering his health, Dickey began to pursue his interests in natural history by photographing and collecting birds and small mammals. He ultimately determined upon a goal of establishing a major research collection on Southern California fauna.[6]

Dickey's field investigations included a 1915 expedition to San Clemente Island, seven summers in Canada, the 1923 Smithsonian-sponsored Tanager Expedition to Laysan Island in Hawaii to study the seabird rookeries there, and trips to Baja California, northern Michigan, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and El Salvador.[8][6] Among his field assistants and collaborators were Adriaan Joseph van Rossem, Laurence M. Huey, Ruben Arthur Stirton and George A. Stirton, William Henry Burt, Henry Hargrave Sheldon, and John Zoeger.[8] In 1925, he was awarded an honorary M.A. from Occidental College,[3] and from 1926, he was Research Associate in Vertebrate Zoology at the California Institute of Technology.[3] His professional memberships included the American Ornithologists' Union, the Cooper Ornithological Society (of which he was a governor from 1926 until his death) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[5] Dickey was posthumously awarded the 1941 William Brewster Memorial Award by the American Ornithologists' Union, sharing the honor with A.J. van Rossem in recognition of their 1938 monograph "Birds of El Salvador."[9]

Dickey's research collection of bird and mammal specimens and still photographs and moving images ultimately comprised 50,0000 specimens, 10,000 natural history books and papers, and 7,500 photographs. In 1926, Caltech provided Throop Hall to house the growing collection.[6] In 1940, Dickey's widow donated the collection to the University of California, Los Angeles.[10]

Dickey died on April 15, 1932, in Pasadena, California.

Photography

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Dickey's nature photography, in both still and motion picture work, was extensive and widely admired. His photographs are reprinted in The Birds of California by William Leon Dawson (1873–1928) and Life Histories of North American Birds by Arthur Cleveland Bent (1866–1954).

 
Gambel Sparrow on Log From a photograph, Copyright 1914, by D. R. Dickey Taken in Pasadena. From The Birds of California (1923).

Patronyms

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  • Branta dickeyi Loye H. Miller, Condor, xxvi, September 15, 1924, p. 179.
  • Dichromanassa rufescens dickeyi van Rossem, Condor, XXVIII, September 21, 1926, p. 246.
  • Phalaenoptiius nuttallii dickeyi Grinnell, Condor, XXX, March 15, 1928, p. 153.
  • Eumomota supercilioea dickeyi Griscom, Proc. New England Zool. Club, XI, October 31, 1929, p. 55.
  • Colinus leucopogon dickeyi Conover, Condor, XXXIV, July 15, 1932, p. 174.
  • Microdipodops megacephalus dickeyi Goldman, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 40, September 26, 1927, p. 115.
  • Urocyon littoralis dickeyi Grinnell and Linsdale, Proc. Biol. Sot. Wash., 43, September 26, 1930, p. 154.
  • Procyon lotor dickeyi Goldman, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 44, February 21, 1931, p. 18.
  • Peromyscus dickeyi Burt, Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist., 7, October 31, 1932, p. 176.
  • Canis latrans dickeyi Nelson, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 45, November 26, 1932, pp. 223–226.

References

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  1. ^ "Donald Ryder Dickey". The Diamond of Psi Upsilon. 18 (4): 254. 1932.
  2. ^ Muir, John (2004). Branch, Michael P.; Pyle, Robert Michael (eds.). John Muir's last journey: South to the Amazon and east to Africa. Unpublished journals and selected correspondence. Island Press. p. 202.
  3. ^ a b c d e Wood, Casey A. (October 1932). "Obituaries: Donald Ryder Dickey". The Auk. 49 (4): 517.
  4. ^ a b UCLA: Library Special Collections, History and Special Collections for the Sciences. "Finding Aid to the Anna Ryder Dickey collection, 1889-2000". Online Archive of California.
  5. ^ a b c "Donald Ryder Dickey, B.A. 1910" (PDF). 1931-1932 Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University: 125. 1932.
  6. ^ a b c d Harris, Harry (1934). "An appreciation of Donald Ryder Dickey" (PDF). Condor. 36 (2): 62. doi:10.2307/1363619. JSTOR 1363619.
  7. ^ "Donald Ryder Dickey, B.A. 1910" (PDF). 1931-1932 Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University: 126. 1932.
  8. ^ a b "Donald Ryder Dickey Photographic Collection 1908-1962 (biography)". Online Archive of California.
  9. ^ Hicks, Lawrence E. (January 1942). "Fifty-nine stated meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union". The Auk. 59 (1): 144. doi:10.2307/4079201. JSTOR 4079201.
  10. ^ "Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology UCLA --". Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Archived from the original on 2017-09-09. Retrieved 2015-11-29.

Bibliography

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  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (September 1914). "The nesting of the spotted owl". Condor. XVI (5): 193–202. doi:10.2307/1361819. JSTOR 1361819.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (November 1914). "After moose with rifle and camera". Outing. LXV: 148–155.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (April 1915). "The cannibal gulls of Los Coronados". Country Life in America. XXVII: 35–39.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (June 1915). "The hummers of a foothill valley". Country Life in America. XXVIII: 35–39.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (May 1916). "The shadow boxing of pipilo". Condor. XVIII (3): 93–99. doi:10.2307/1362511. JSTOR 1362511.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (November 1916). "The caribou of the Nipisiguit Barrens". Recreation. LV: 204–206, 227.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (December 1916). "The caribou of the Nipisiguit Barrens. Part II". Recreation. LV: 251–253.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (January 1922). "A winter record of the kern red-wing". Condor. XXIV: 26. doi:10.2307/1362778. JSTOR 1362778.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (January 1922). "An inland occurrence of the common tern". Condor. XXIV: 29. doi:10.2307/1362778. JSTOR 1362778.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (January 1922). "Early nesting of the tri-colored blackbird and mallard". Condor. XXIV: 31. doi:10.2307/1362778. JSTOR 1362778.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (January 1922). "The validity of the Catalina Island quail". Condor. XXIV: 34. doi:10.2307/1362778. JSTOR 1362778.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (March 1922). "Slight extension of the breeding range of the western lark sparrow". Condor. XXIV: 62. doi:10.2307/1362736. JSTOR 1362736.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (March 1922). "Breeding of the San Diego titmouse on the Mohave Desert". Condor. XXIV: 63. doi:10.2307/1362736. JSTOR 1362736.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (March 1922). "Second occurrence of the Yakutat song sparrow in California". Condor. XXIV: 65. doi:10.2307/1362736. JSTOR 1362736.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (March 1922). "Wintering of the Nuttall sparrow in Los Angeles County". Condor. XXIV: 65–66. doi:10.2307/1362736. JSTOR 1362736.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (March 1922). "Kern County Notes". Condor. XXIV: 67–68. doi:10.2307/1362736. JSTOR 1362736.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (May 1922). "A bat new for California". Journal of Mammalogy. 3: 116. doi:10.2307/3.2.116.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (May 1922). "The occurrence of the Desert Horned Lark in Southern California". Condor. XXIV: 94. doi:10.2307/1362838. JSTOR 1362838.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (July 1922). "The Iceland Gull (Larus leucopterus) in California". Auk. XXXIX (3): 411. doi:10.2307/4073438. JSTOR 4073438.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (July 1922). "A second capture of the broad-tailed hummingbird in California". Condor. XXIV: 135–136. doi:10.2307/1362326. JSTOR 1362326.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (July 1922). "The Arizona crested flycatcher as a bird of California". Condor. XXIV: 134. doi:10.2307/1362326. JSTOR 1362326.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (July 1922). "The gray flycatcher in the White Mountains of California". Condor. XXIV: 137–138. doi:10.2307/1362326. JSTOR 1362326.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (July 1922). "Swamp sparrow recorded from California". Condor. XXIV: 136. doi:10.2307/1362326. JSTOR 1362326.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (July 1922). "A third record of the gray-headed junco in California". Condor. XXIV: 138. doi:10.2307/1362326. JSTOR 1362326.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (September 1922). "The mimetic aspect of the mocker's song". Condor. XXIV (5): 153–157. doi:10.2307/1362400. JSTOR 1362400.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (November 1922). "Distribution of Molothrus ater in California with description of a new race". Condor. XXIV (6): 206–210. doi:10.2307/1362581. JSTOR 1362581.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (January 1923). "Description of a new clapper rail from the Colorado River Valley". Auk. XL (1): 90–94. doi:10.2307/4073685. JSTOR 4073685.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (January 1923). "An extension of the range of the muskrat in California". Journal of Mammalogy. 4: 55–56. doi:10.1093/jmammal/4.1.55-a.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (March 1923). "The fulvous tree-ducks of Buena Vista Lake". Condor. XXV (2): 37–50. doi:10.2307/1362899. JSTOR 1362899.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (May 1923). "Evidence of interrelation between fox and caribou". Journal of Mammalogy. 4 (2): 121–122. doi:10.1093/jmammal/4.2.121a.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (July 1923). "Additional notes from the coastal islands of Southern California". Condor. XXV (4): 126–129. doi:10.2307/1362555. JSTOR 1362555.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (September 1923). "Description of a new grouse from Southern California". Condor. XXV (5): 168–169. doi:10.2307/1362593. JSTOR 1362593.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (February 20, 1924). "A new race of the least bittern from the Pacific Coast". Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. XXIII: 11–12.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (January 1924). "A Correction". Condor. XXVI: 36. doi:10.2307/1362914. JSTOR 1362914.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (May 1924). "The status of the Florida Gallinule of western North America". Condor. XXVI (3): 93. doi:10.2307/1363105. JSTOR 1363105.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (May 1924). "Notes on certain horned larks in California". Condor. XXVI: 110. doi:10.2307/1363108. JSTOR 1363108.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (July 1925). "A revisionary study of the western gull". Condor. XXVII (4): 162–164. doi:10.2307/1362995. JSTOR 1362995.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (July 1925). "Bird life among lava rock and coral sand; photographs taken on a scientific expedition to little-known islands of Hawaii". National Geographic Magazine. Vol. XLVIII. pp. 87–102.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (November 13, 1925). "A new red-winged blackbird from western Mexico". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 38: 131–132.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (November 13, 1925). "Four new birds from Salvador". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 38: 133–135.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (November 3, 1926). "Two new pigeons from Salvador". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 39: 109–110.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (November 1926). "A southern race of the fan-tailed warbler". Condor. XXVIII: 270–271. doi:10.2307/1363073. JSTOR 1363073.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (January 8, 1927). "Seven new birds from Salvador". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 40: l-7.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (March 6, 1927). "The spotted rock wrens of Central America". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 40: 25–27.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (January 25, 1928). "Five new mammals of the genus Peromyscus from El Salvador". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 41: l-6.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (February 1, 1928). "Five new mammals of the rodent genera Sciurus, Orthogeomys, Heteromys, and Rheomys, from El Salvador". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 41: 7–14.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (February 4, 1928). "A new marsupial from El Salvador". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 41: 15–16.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (March 1928). "A new poor-will from the Colorado River Valley". Condor. XXX (2): 152–153. doi:10.2307/1363161. JSTOR 1363161.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (March 1928). "A third California record of the rusty blackbird". Condor. XXX: 162. doi:10.2307/1363163. JSTOR 1363163.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (May 1928). "A new race of the white-throated swift from Central America". Condor. XXX: 193. doi:10.2307/1363277. JSTOR 1363277.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (June 29, 1928). "Further descriptions of new birds from El Salvador". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 41: 129–132.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (July 1928). "A new Central American flycatcher". Auk. XLV: 359–360. [Credit for joint authorship overlooked, but furnished in the reprint.]
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (July 1928). "Three new jays from El Salvador". Auk. XLV: 361–363. [Credit for joint authorship given only in the reprint.]
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (September 1928). "A race of Virginia rail from the Pacific Coast". Condor. XXX: 322. doi:10.2307/1363231. JSTOR 1363231.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (October 15, 1928). "A new subspecies of Myioborus and a new species of Chlorospingus from El Salvador". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 41: 189–190.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (November 1928). "A new chipping sparrow from Central America". Condor. XXX: 359. doi:10.2307/1363150. JSTOR 1363150.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (January 1929). "A new wood rail from El Salvador". Condor. XXXI (1): 33–34. Col. pl. by Brooks. doi:10.2307/1363267. JSTOR 1363267.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (April 4, 1929). "The spotted skunk of the Channel Islands of Southern California". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 42: 157–160.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (April 1929). "A new race of Troglodytes rufociliatus from El Salvador". Ibis. 71 (2): 264–266. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.1929.tb08759.x.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (September 10, 1929). "The races of Lampornis virldipallens (Bourcies and Mulsant)". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 42: 209–212.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (December 14, 1929). "A new Atilla from El Salvador". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 42: 217–218.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (December 14, 1929). "A new race of the hairy woodpecker from El Salvador". Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 42: 219–220.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (January 1930). "A new bluebird from El Salvador". Condor. XXXII: 69–70. doi:10.2307/1363640. JSTOR 1363640.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (January 1930). "The identity of Ortyx leucopogon Lesson". Condor. XXXII: 72–73. doi:10.2307/1363640. JSTOR 1363640.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, A.J. (January 1930). "Geographic variation in Aulacohynchus prasinus (Gould)". Ibis. 72: 48–66. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.1930.tb02955.x.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder (December 24, 1930). "A new clapper rail from Sonora". Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History. VI: 235–236.
  • Dickey, Donald Ryder; van Rossem, Adriaan J. (1938). The birds of El Salvador. Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History.
  • "Wildlife of America: photographs by Donald R. Dickey," in: "The World's Work", v.52: 566- 570, 1926
  • Millard, Bailey. "The Martin Johnson of America (Donald R. Dickey)," in: "The World's Work", v. 52:557-565, 1926
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