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Adolf Böcking

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Adolf Böcking
Born14 June 1831
Died18 April 1898 (aged 47)
NationalityGerman
Known forResearch on the rhea
Going missing and committing suicide
FatherEduard Böcking

Adolf Theodor Erich Böcking (14 June 1831 – 18 April 1898) was a German-born naturalist who settled in the United States. He studied the biology of the rhea and was among the first to publish a monograph on the species.

Background

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Böcking was born in Bonn, the son of law professor Eduard Böcking. He studied natural sciences at the University of Bonn and received a doctorate in 1863 for his study of the rhea.[1][2] In 1865 he went to South America to study the fauna on behalf of the Prussian government. He then settled in the United States of America after buying a farm in Kansas. He however failed in making any profit from farming after repeated loss of harvest. He then served briefly as a director of the Friedrichsburg School in Texas, wrote scientific papers, and gave lectures while living in San Antonio. He was also a member of the Scientific Society of San Antonio. In the summer of 1898, he was found missing and it was later found that he had shot himself.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Milkau, Fritz, ed. (1897). Verzeichniss der Bonner Universitätsschriften 1818-1885. Bonn: Friedrich Cohen. p. 207.
  2. ^ Boecking, Adolf Erich (1894-09-01). "The Nandu-An Ornithological Sketch". Scientific American. 38 (974supp): 15570–15573. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican09011894-15570bsupp. ISSN 0036-8733.
  3. ^ Heß, Wilhelm (1903). "Böcking, Adolf". Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (in German). Vol. 47. p. 44.
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