Article ID: CBB001422133

Who Invented the Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)? On the Authorship of the Fraudulent 1812 Journal of Charles Le Raye (2015)

unapi

The captivity journal of Charles Le Raye was first published in 1812 as a chapter in A topographical description of the state of Ohio, Indiana Territory, and Louisiana, a volume authored anonymously by “a late officer in the U. S. Army”. Le Raye was purported to be a French Canadian fur trader who, as a captive of the Sioux, had travelled across broad portions of the Missouri and Yellowstone river drainages a few years before the Lewis and Clark expedition (1804--1806), and his account of the land, its people, and its natural resources was relied upon as a primary source by generations of natural historians, geographers, and ethnographers. Based directly on descriptions of animals in the published journal, the naturalist Constantine S. Rafinesque named seven new species of North American mammals, including what are currently recognized as the mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and a Great Plains subspecies of white-tailed deer (O. virginianus macrourus). Unfortunately, Le Raye never existed, and historical, geographical, and ethnographical evidence indicates that the journal is fraudulent. Determining the author of this work is relevant to identifying the sources used to construct it, which may help us to understand the real animals upon which Rafinesque's species are based. Traditionally, authorship of the volume was attributed to Jervis Cutler, but his role in composing the fraudulent Le Raye journal has been called into question. In this paper, I present additional evidence supporting the hypothesis that Jervis Cutler bears primary responsibility for the Le Raye journal and that he had the background, opportunity, and potential motive to author it.

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Authors & Contributors
Boewe, Charles E.
Forkner, Ben
Maley, John
Dowdy, F. Andrew
Grogans, Robert
Buchanan, David
Concepts
Natural history
Diaries
Travel; exploration
Mammalogy
Scientific expeditions
Taxidermy
Time Periods
19th century
20th century
18th century
Places
United States
New Zealand
Midwestern states (U.S.)
Uganda
Oklahoma (U.S.)
Islands of the Pacific
Institutions
Auckland Institute and Musem
United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842)
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
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