Center for Scientific Studies

Review of "The Rarest of the Rare: Stories Behind the Treasures at the Harvard Museum of Natural History"

by James A. Huggins, Ph.D., University Professor & Director of the Hammons Center for Scientific Studies

June 161, 2005 - This book, billed as a compendium of stories behind the treasures at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, immediately impresses upon the reader the value of such collections. The choice of the fifty odd artifacts listed in this book, from the 21 million that perhaps could have been made (the number of specimens housed at Harvard), was well done and includes not only vertebrate, invertebrate and botanical examples but delves into mineral as well. Some were chosen to illustrate foundational principles of science, others because of their rarity within collections, a number for the sake of antiquity and still others as an introduction to a significant person of science. Although the facts presented with those items illustrated in the text are often only a fraction of the story, Nancy Pick doesn’t have the space to compose the entire chapters or even texts, that could be or in some cases have been, written on the subject. From the most important points associated with her subject material, she weaves their astounding and historical tales into an informative and exciting worldwide scientific voyage across time. Mark Sloan does an equally impressive bit of work in photographing these priceless collections. To merely gaze upon these scientific riches is awe inspiring in and of its self but to have the history, and often the intrigue, accompany the object of discussion drives home the bigger picture that illustrates the need for museums as well as the importance of the individual item being addressed. The foreword by Executive Director of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, Joshua Basseches, is well done and E. O. Wilson, one of the premier biologists of our time, presents a universal perspective through his introduction to the book. The use of famous but appropriate quotes at the beginning of each chapter adds a good deal of insight and a touch of class. I am particularly found of their use of a quote in the first chapter from Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare: “In nature’s infinite book of secrecy, A little I can “. It is just so for the biologist as one attempts to decipher the language of life upon this earth be it the genetic code, the behavior of , or the ecology of the Florida panther.

Island vertebrate populations are often fragile due to their seclusion from the biological forces that have been in play on distant continents. Consequently exposure to man, and the entourage he brings with him, often wreaks havoc for these populations. Consider the destruction of the tuataras by the Polynesian rat that accompanied man to New Zealand, the Tasmanian marsupial predators by man and their dogs, the dodo of Mauritius by man, monkeys and pigs and the elephant bird of Madagascar via human consumption. However, it is not only fragile island species are driven to extinction by man but mainland population ns of birds that once darkened the sky during migration are no more. Consider the account of Alexander Wilson’s pet Carolina parakeet. It reminded me of a bit of his ivory-billed woodpecker story but with different results of course. However, the beautiful bird in the photograph that accompanied the story caused me great lament as I pondered the loss of North America’s only native parrot. The idea that mankind intentioned the extinction of the Tasmanian tiger (1936), and provided the wanton and reckless abandon that decimated the dodo (1660s), and the Steller’s sea cow (1768) represent other tales that pull at my heart’s strings. It is so very difficult for me to understand the mindset of a generation of humans that could find no worth in an animal beyond how it temporally fits into the human economy of things. The current project that is underway to recreate the genetic encyclopedia for the Tasmanian tiger is admirable but its success relies upon technology that we just do not possess at this time. Still I wish them success as any extinction is mankind’s loss.

The book abounds with little tidbits and morsels of information that will help shape the knowledge base of the science student. For instance, most students would not know that a side-necked turtle ever existed or that one might have possessed a shell over 7 feet in length. Another fact missed by the casual student is that the blue of a tanager is not due to pigment but that it merely illustrates the same phenomenon that makes our sky “appear” blue, the Tyndale effect. The account of the male anglerfish maintaining a parasitic relationship with the female of its species was well described and the photograph was as good as any I have ever seen. The intrigue surrounding the Mammut skeleton was indicative of the human factor that must accompany human undertakings of any type; though most do not end in murder. The competition between John James Audubon and Alexander Wilson is another illustration of the human side of science that thee authors sought to include in their voyage through science. I was disappointed to learn of Audubon’s misrepresentation of the truth. The ethics of science, however, will remain a problem requiring constant scrutiny due to the competition that surrounds discovery and accomplishment. These facts represent only a small portion of the wealth from science and history to be mined from within the pages of The RAREST of the RARE.

I highly recommend this book for the every aspiring biologist as it can very quickly bring them up to date on some the world’s most important discoveries and concepts, expose them to various enigmas, and introduce them to some of the giants in the history of science. They may even, should they take extreme caution, learn considerable biology along the way. Should some student find all this so fascinating it leads them to be believe it may be their calling, they should be aware of the fact that there are degree programs in museum science that focus on making one a museum curator. The value of proper management of such priceless antiquities can not be overestimated. Such a position allows one to be surrounded by the history and science of many lifetimes on a daily basis.