Hornaday’s Our Vanishing Wildlife

William Temple Hornaday (1854-1937) was a taxidermist, zoologist, and one of the first American conservationists. He undertook several expeditions to, among others, South America, India, and Borneo in the 1870s, and to the prairies of the United States in the 1880s. As a result of observing the dwindling herds of American bison on an expedition to Montana, Hornaday immersed himself in conservationist ideas. His goal then became to raise public awareness about the endangered American wildlife. Therefore, in his influential book Our Vanishing Wildlife: Its Extermination and Preservation, Hornaday listed the population of all known flora and fauna in the United States and compiled a full catalogue of the species that were in danger of extinction.