BELDING, Lyman

Stockton Rural Cemetery, Stockton, CA

BELDING, Lyman (1829-1917) was a prominent American ornithologist. He was born to Joshua Belding and Rosetta Cooley Belding on June 12, 1829 at West Farms, Massachusetts, but later moved to Kingston, Pennsylvania when he was about 7 years old and finally to California. He spent many years on whaling ships, but became fascinated by birds after acquiring his first bird book in 1876. By then he retired in Stockton, California and became a foremost authority on the avifauna of California and Baja California.

“1881-1887. Lyman Belding. The first ornithological work in Lower California after that of John Xantus was done by Lyman, who made two trips to the cape district and to points and islands along the west coast between 1881, and the last of March, 1883...” [Nelson 1921]

Lyman Belding died on the 22 November 1917 and is buried in Rural Cemetery in Stockton, California.

Belding's yellowthroat (Geothlypis beldingi ) was named in his honor by Robert Ridgway.

Belding's orange-throated whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythrus beldingi ), a subspecies of lizard, was named in his honor by Leonhard Stejneger.

In addition to his work as a self-taught ornithologist, Belding made contributions to Baja California anthropology. In 1882-1883, he joined with the Dutch anthropologist Herman ten Kate in exploring the Cape Region at the peninsula's southern extremity. In 1885, Belding published an article describing their largely unsuccessful efforts at locating descendants of the region's native Pericú inhabitants and their more successful discoveries of caves containing distinctive secondary, painted burials.

Belding collected on:

• ISLA CEDROS (1881)
• ISLA GUADALUPE (1885)

Note: Belding is not know to have visited Isla Guadalupe. The flicker specimens were most likely given to Belding by Walter Bryant, who collected 10 flickers in April 1885 on Isla Guadalupe. Thank you Bill Everett for sharing this tidbit.

ISLA CEDROS

ISLAND	COLLECTOR	INSTITUTION	DATE	NUMBER	SPECIMEN
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	MCZ	n.d. [1881]	MCZ Herp R-33439	Cnemidophorus labialis	Herps
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	USNM	April 1881	USNM-82415	Thryomanes bewickii cerroensis	Birds
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	USNM	April 1881	USNM-82417	Thryomanes bewickii cerroensis	Birds
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	USNM	April 1881	USNM-82418	Thryomanes bewickii cerroensis	Birds
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	USNM	April 1881	USNM Birds 82420	Calypte costae	Birds
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	USNM	April 16, 1881	USNM-82429	Empidonax difficilis	Birds
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	USNM	April 17, 1881	USNM-18288	Phalacrocorax auritus	Birds
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	USNM	April 20, 1881	USNM Birds 82421	Calypte costae	Birds
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	USNM	April 25, 1881	USNM-82419	Troglodytes aedon parkmanii	Birds
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	USNM	n.d. [1881]	USNM-85520	Sterna maxima	Birds
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	USNM	n.d. [1881]	USNM-82422	Calypte anna	Birds
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	USNM	n.d. [1881]	USNM-82423	Carduelis psaltria hesperophila	Birds
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	USNM	April 1881]	USNM-82428	Sayornis saya saya	Birds
Isla Cedros	Lyman Belding	USNM	April 1881]	USNM-82430	Heteroscelus incanus	Birds

ISLA GUADALUPE

ISLAND	COLLECTOR	INSTITUTION	DATE	NUMBER	SPECIMEN
Isla Guadalupe	Lyman Belding	AMNH	April 1885	AMNH-55216	Colaptes auratus rufipileus	Birds
Isla Guadalupe	Lyman Belding	AMNH	April 1885	AMNH-55217	Colaptes auratus rufipileus	Birds
Isla Guadalupe	Lyman Belding	NMNH	April 1885	USNM-107004	Colaptes auratus rufipileus	Birds