| Wetmore was an ornithologist
who was an expert on the birds and bird fossils of Central and South America.
He named many species of fossil birds, including Plegadornis, 1962 (now
Angelinornis). He was put in charge of the National Museum (the Smithsonian),
the National Gallery of Art, and the National Zoo in 1925. He collected
a lot of birds (which were stuffed for the Smithsonian's collection) and
fossils. In addition to his field work and administrative duties, he was
famous for being extremely formal. While in the rainforests collecting
specimens, he would always wear a tie, and he insisted that the tents,
chairs and tables were always arranged perfectly in a particular linear
fashion. The Cretaceous Period fossil bird Alexornis (meaning "Alex's
bird") was named by Pierce Brodkorb in 1976 in honor of Wetmore. |