What begins as a childhood fascination can grow into a lifework. Robert Ridgway's careful drawing of a bird he couldn't identify near his home made its way to ornithologist Spencer Fullerton Baird at the Smithsonian in 1864. Mentored by then Assistant Secretary, Ridgway went on to make contributions to ornithology and zoology internationally through his color studies and systematic approach to naming species. These are just a few of over 800 drawings from Ridgway's personal papers prepared for a book on the birds of North America.
Help us transcribe the annotations on the drawings in this box using the special instructions under READ MORE.
What begins as a childhood fascination can grow into a lifework. Robert Ridgway's careful drawing of a bird he couldn't identify near his home made its way to ornithologist Spencer Fullerton Baird at the Smithsonian in 1864. Mentored by then Assistant Secretary, Ridgway went on to make contributions to ornithology and zoology internationally through his color studies and systematic approach to naming species. These are just a few of over 800 drawings from Ridgway's personal papers prepared for a book on the birds of North America.
Help us transcribe the annotations on the drawings in this box using these special instructions below.
When transcribing these drawings, begin with the number on the backing paper. It is usually in the upper left hand corner. Then go on to identify the images and the text on their pieces of paper, one image at a time. For example:
56
[[image: center]]
12053
Nyetali acadia
Fort Tejon Cal.
John Xantus
[[image: middle right]]
12053
[[image: lower left]]
12053
In several cases, one or more pieces of paper may obscure an image. We have included images with the papers on top rolled back so the full bottom image can be seen. When this happens, identify it like this: [[image: center, partially obscured]] or [[image: middle right, rolled back]].