John Abbot (entomologist)
John Abbot (born 31 May or on June 1, 1751 in London, † December 1840 or January 1841 in Bulloch County in the U.S. state of Georgia) was an American entomologist and ornithologist. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Abbot ".
About his life is not much known. He was the eldest son of James and Ann Abbot Clou Singer. His father encouraged his interest in entomology and art. Later he studied with Jacob Bonneau (1741-1786) the profession of engraver. As he showed talent as an engraver, convinced him some members of the Royal Society to Dru Drury, to go to Virginia and to study the local species and collect. Then he remained from 1773 to 1775 in Virginia and then moved to Georgia.
He produced thousands of illustrations of insects and some birds. Most of them are now in the Natural History Museum, the British Museum and Harvard University. Some other parts of the collection are located in the Johns Hopkins University, the University of South Carolina, Emory University and in the Alexander Turnbull Library. After some auctions there are also other privately owned. His collected birds and insects he sent to Europe, where it discouraged some losses at sea. Nevertheless, he collected and painted until at least 1835 on.
The only published under his own name publication is the 1797 published book The Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia, whose principal author was James Edward Smith. It contains 104 stitches, which were manufactured from drawings by John Abbot. The original drawings are now in the Johns Hopkins University. From Abbot also most observations, which are described in the book were produced.
Between 1829 and 1837, the French entomologist Jean Baptiste Alphonse Dechauffour de Boisduval published ( 1799-1879 ) together with the wealthy American naturalist John Eatton Le Conte ( 1784-1860 ), the hand-colored with 78 stitches, according to Abbots drawings provided book Histoire Générale et Iconographie the Lépidoptères et de l' Amérique Septentrionale of chenille. Those drawings are now in the University of South Carolina.