John Alden Loring

John Alden Loring
Born	March 31, 1871
Died	May 8, 1947(1947-05-08) (aged 76)
Citizenship	USA
Known for	collecting and documenting species of mammals
Scientific career
Fields	Mammalogy, natural history

John Alden Loring (March 31, 1871 – May 8, 1947) was a mammalogist and field naturalist who served with the Bureau of Biological Survey,^[1] United States Department of Agriculture, the Bronx Zoological Park, the Smithsonian Institution and numerous expeditions collecting specimens in North America, Europe and Africa. A voluminous and careful traveling collector, Loring was recognized early in his career for 900 specimens collected, prepared and sent to the United States National Museum over a three-month period during an 1898 expedition through Scandinavia and northwestern Europe.^[1][2]

Loring's work and professional relationships spanned several continents focusing on collecting and documenting species of mammals. He served on the Smithsonian-Roosevelt African Expedition (1909–1910)^[3] as the Smithsonian specialist designated to preserve small mammals collected during the year-long expedition. In 1916, he was sent as a joint envoy of the New York Zoological Park, Philadelphia Zoological Gardens and the National Zoological Park to South Africa to collect animals and if possible to arrange for a supply of future living specimens.^[4]

Loring's personal papers are held by the Smithsonian Institution Archives. His collection of field books are part of the Smithsonian's Field Book Registry.

Loring's rat was named for him (Heller, 1909).^[5]

References

1. "SIA RU007420, Loring, John Alden, John Alden Loring Papers, 1889-1897". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
2. "President Roosevelt's African Trip". Science. 28 (729): 876–877. December 18, 1908. Bibcode:1908Sci....28..876.. doi:10.1126/science.28.729.876. JSTOR 1635075. PMID 17743798.
3. "With Roosevelt in Africa". New York Tribune. Proquest Historical Newspapers. Aug 25, 1910. p. 6.
4. Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution. 1917.
5. Grayson, Michael; Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael (2009). "Loring". The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 246–247. ISBN 978-0-8018-9533-3.

Publications

• Loring, J. Alden (John Alden). African Adventure Stories. New York, New York. C. Scribner's sons. 1914.
• Loring, J. Alden (John Alden), 1871-1947: Young Folks' Nature Field Book (Boston, D. Estes and Co., c1906)

External links

• Works by or about John Alden Loring at the Internet Archive