His Handbook of Salamanders (1943) was the first serious and comprehensive treatment of North American salamanders since Cope (1889).
Early life and education
Born on November 18, 1887, in Sloatsburg, New York, Bishop moved to Clyde, New York during his childhood, where he developed an early interest in natural history.[1][2] Despite conflicts with school authorities that led to his departure from high school, Bishop was encouraged by a mentor, Elmer J. Bond, to pursue higher education.[2] He subsequently enrolled at Cornell University as a special student in entomology.[2]
Bishop co-authored more than a hundred research papers on spiders, salamanders, fishes, birds, mammals, toads, and turtles.[2] His notable works include The Salamanders of New York (1941) and Handbook of Salamanders (1943), the latter of which is regarded as the first comprehensive study of North American salamanders since 1889 and has influenced subsequent research in the field.[1][2]Handbook of Salamanders was reprinted by Cornell University Press in 1994 with a new forward by Edmond D. Brodie, a specialist in salamanders, and updates on taxonomy of the group.[3]
Personal life
In 1917, Bishop married Alice Stoddard, and they had a daughter, Beth Odell.[1][2]
Legacy
After Bishop's death, his specimen collections were acquired by major institutions. The Museum of Natural History in New York received over 21,000 spider specimens. The Field Museum in Chicago obtained his salamander collection, which was so extensive it required two railroad boxcars for transport and necessitated floor reinforcement in the storage area.[4]
In October 2023, the Nature Sanctuary Society of Western New York dedicated a preserve in his honor, known as the Sherman C. Bishop Preserve.[4]
Bibliography
Bishop, Sherman C. (1943). Handbook of Salamanders: The Salamanders of the United States, and of Lower California. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a division of Cornell University Press. 508 pp.
^Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Exeter, England: Pelagic Publishing Ltd. xiii + 262 pp. ISBN978-1-907807-41-1. ("Bishop", pp. 23-24).
External links
Sherman C. Bishop papers, D.339, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester