Adolf Böcking

Adolf 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.

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. 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.