Brehm in Psittacella brehmii & (Symposiachrus) Monarcha brehmii (1 Viewer)

Do we really know who Brehm is ... that is in Brehm's Tiger-parrot Psittacella brehmii SCHLEGEL 1871 and Biak Monarch (Symposiachrus) Monarcha brehmii SCHLEGEL 1871?

Most sources claim those two bird are named after Alfred Edmund Brehm, but I haven´t been able to find out why!? Alfred Brehm seems to have been exploring mostly in Europe and Africa and was (that I know of) never close to New Guinea – where these species are found …

Type descriptions of both species where presented in Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor De Dierkunde 4 (attached earlier in tread: http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=2813835&postcount=36 ), page 35-36 respectively 14-15.

In the type description for the parrot Schlegel only wrote:

"La plus grande des deux espèces dont nous allons faire mention, est celle du présent article et dont M. VON ROSENBERG nous a fait parvenir le mâle adulte sous le nom Psittacus Brehmii."

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Anyone feel like translating this quote?

Whitout knowing French I don´t find that Schlegel mentioned a word in the type description about any specific Brehm. The same goes for the Monarch. Neither did von Rosenberg, who was the one that discovered the two species on New Guinea, in his account for the expedition and its zoological findings (1875). Anyway as far as I can understand, not knowing Dutch. I simply can´t find his name written anywhere in the text.

See: von Rosenberg, H. 1875. Reistochten naar de Geelvinkbaai op Nieuw-Guinea in de jaren 1869 en 1870. (attached) Introduction (Vorrede IX-XXIV) and narrative part (1-118), Species mentioned specificly in; pages 113,114, 136 + 140.

As far as I can tell both those names could refer to either: the german zoologist Alfred Edmund Brehm (1829-1884) or his father, the well-known ornithologist Christian Ludwig Brehm (1787-1864)!?

Please, don’t hesitate to prove me wrong!

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The only bird named "Brehmii", that I know of, where we can be sure after whom its named is: "Phyllopneuste Brehmii" HOMEYER 1871 = Synonymous to: Phylloscopus collybita/ibericus*
*For discussion of synonyms see Zoonomen: http://www.zoonomen.net/avtax/n/i.html

But this one was presented (and named) by a another German ornithologist; Eugen Ferdinand von Homeyer, in: von Homeyer, E F. 1871. Phyllopneuste Brehmii (page 48). Portugisische Vögel. Anlage C. Erinnerungsschrift an die Versammlung der deutschen Ornithologen im Görlitz im Mai 1870: 46-48. (attached)

And his text states:

"Es ist ein von allen europäischen Vögeln, und soviel ermittelt werden konnte, überhaupt eine neue Art, die ich mir erlaube zu Ehren meines hochverdienten Freundes des Herrn Dr. A Brehm zu bennenen: Phyllopneuste Brehmii. n. sp."

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In case of the latter I think we can be pretty sure it is aimed at Alfred Edmund Brehm, but on the other two ... I think we have to accept that we just don´t know!?

You possibly have not too look for a Brehm that visited New Guinea, but a Brehm that submitted specimens to collections that where studied by Schlegel. Or influenced by.

Wikipedia says that Pastor Brehm gave an introduction for Schlegel to Natterer in Vienna. And there is this:
http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File:ABD-Brehmschlegel1.JPG/-/en .

A. A. Prestwich (1963), "I Name This Parrot", pp. 13-14 (under Psittacella brehmii);
"Dr Alfred Edmund Brehm (1829-1884) was born on 2nd February, 1829, at Unter-renthendorf, Sachsen-Weimar, Thuringia, and died there on 11th November, 1884. ...Alfred Brehm spent much of his life in travel. In 1847, when barely eighteen years old, he accompanied Baron J. W. von Mueller to Egypt, Khartoum, and Kordofan, and it was not until 1852 that he returned to Germany and then completed his studies at Vienna and Jena ...Subsequently he travelled with the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in Eastern Africa in 1861, and accompanied Dr Otto Finsch to the Siberian Tundra and the Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria to Spain and Portugal. Dr Brehm was the Director of the Zoological Garden, Hamburg ...probably 1863-1866. He founded the Berlin Aquarium in 1867. He may perhaps be described as a popular scientific writer. His best-known work is 'Illustrirtes Thierleben' ...and his 'Das Leben der Voegel' ...is also very well known."

James Jobling said:

....and accompanied Dr Otto Finsch to the Siberian Tundra and the Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria to Spain and Portugal....

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This thread just caught my eye - because on seeing it, the first bird that came to mind was Iberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus brehmii (now P.ibericus)

The stray Brehm

I really wonder where our dear Prestwich got that information ... but he´s been wrong before ... what I mean is, that we, relying on the type description and the author(s) himself, cannot tell more about "Brehmii commemorations" than:

Psittacella brehmii SCHLEGEL 1871 = unknown Brehm (either A. Brehm or C. L. Brehm)

(Symposiachrus) Monarcha brehmii SCHLEGEL 1871 = unknown Brehm (as above)

"Phyllopneuste Brehmii" HOMEYER 1871 (Syn: Phylloscopus collybita/ibericus*) = A. Brehm
*For discussion of synonyms see Zoonomen: http://www.zoonomen.net/avtax/n/i.html

That´s all!

The answers from Justin and "mb1848" in this thread makes it even more clear that we just don´t know which Brehm that Schlegel (and, more important, von Rosenberg, who actually proposed the names) really was aiming at.

Both the monument (on mb1848's link in this thread): "Brehm-Schlegel Memorial" in front of the Mauritianum in the gardens of Altenburg Castle (Thuringia), Hermann Schlegel and Christian Ludwig Brehm, and the statement "Pastor Brehm gave an introduction for Schlegel to Natterer in Vienna." speaks for C. L. Brehm (he was a Pastor).

Does anyone know of any link between von Rosenberg (Schlegel was only forwarding those names) and (whoever) Brehm?

Since Pastor Brehm, a parochial German ornithologist, died in 1864, we can reasonably deduce that any birds described seven years later, when his memory was cold, were named for his more worldly son.
As an afterthought, you will remember that Galerida theklae was named for Pastor Brehm's daughter.

Ok, James, I got your point ... even if I´ve found more than a few species commemorated after old (long-gone) teachers and mentors.

The "parochial" C. L. Brehm himself described for example:
• Certhia brachydactyla 1820
• Corvus brachyrhynchos 1822
• Luscinia megarhynchos 1831
• Phylloscopus orientalis 1855
• Oenanthe leucopyga 1855
... and quite a few more.

But, let´s leave it at that ...

James Jobling said:

... As an afterthought, you will remember that Galerida theklae was named for Pastor Brehm's daughter.

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Yes, described as Thekla´s Haubenleche in 1857 (not by C. L. Brehm as is often stated, like for example in Homeyers article, this thread #1, but) by Alfred Edmund Brehm commemotating his younger sister (and "Pastor Brehm's daughter"): Thekla Klothilde Hertha Brehm (1833–1857), who (according to what I´ve been able to find) was born 24 April 1833 and died 6 July 1857.

In a foot-note to the type description (p.456) it is stated:

"In sororis dilectae defunctae memoriam appelata."

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... that, from what I understand, means something like: "Named in rememberance of his beloved, deceased sister,".

I wish every type description would be as clear as that!

Calalp said:

I really wonder where our dear Prestwich got that information ... but he´s been wrong before ... what I mean is, that we, relying on the type description and the author(s) himself, cannot tell more about "Brehmii commemorations" than:

Psittacella brehmii SCHLEGEL 1871 = unknown Brehm (either A. Brehm or C. L. Brehm)

(Symposiachrus) Monarcha brehmii SCHLEGEL 1871 = unknown Brehm (as above)

"Phyllopneuste Brehmii" HOMEYER 1871 (Syn: Phylloscopus collybita/ibericus*) = A. Brehm
*For discussion of synonyms see Zoonomen: http://www.zoonomen.net/avtax/n/i.html

That´s all!

The answers from Justin and "mb1848" in this thread makes it even more clear that we just don´t know which Brehm that Schlegel (and, more important, von Rosenberg, who actually proposed the names) really was aiming at.

Both the monument (on mb1848's link in this thread): "Brehm-Schlegel Memorial" in front of the Mauritianum in the gardens of Altenburg Castle (Thuringia), Hermann Schlegel and Christian Ludwig Brehm, and the statement "Pastor Brehm gave an introduction for Schlegel to Natterer in Vienna." speaks for C. L. Brehm (he was a Pastor).

Does anyone know of any link between von Rosenberg (Schlegel was only forwarding those names) and (whoever) Brehm?

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Von Rosenberg was born in April 1817 in Darmstad. And employed in The Dutch army in roughly 1839 (before he lived in Germany), he arrived in Indonesia in May 1840, and became assigned to Junghuhn. Later he participated in a New-Guinea Military expedition in 1857-58 where he collected specimens, and sent them to Dresden. From 1864 till 1870 more then 3.000 specimens (part spoiled, also nests, spirits and eggs arrived) arrived in Leiden (where Schlegel was it's director).

Psittacella brehmii commemorates ...

Sorry, I can´t let go of this thread ...

About whom Psittacella brehmii SCHLEGEL 1871 commemorates ...

From the start of this thread (#1)

"La plus grande des deux espèces dont nous allons faire mention, est celle du présent article et dont M. VON ROSENBERG nous a fait parvenir le mâle adulte sous le nom Psittacus Brehmii."

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Anyone, please, feel like translating this quote?

"The largest of the two species we mention is the one of this article and M. VON ROSENBERG did send us the adult male with the name Psittacus Brehmii."

Theo

"..of which Mr von Rosenberg sent us the adult male under the name Psittacus Brehmii."

Von Rosenberg, not Schlegel, picked the species name Brehmii. Schlegel changed the genus name. (I don't know if it was a pure name change, a split, or a lump.)

Thanks Theo and "nartreb", for the translation!

This will round off my entry on Psittacella brehmii.

I think this is as far we can get. With no known explicit link between von Rosenberg and either Brehm I don´t think we will ever know, for sure, who its commemorating.

I´ll keep my entry on Brehm's Tiger-parrot (a k a "Brehm's Ground Parrot" or "Brehm's Parrot") a bit vague and unexplained ... including them both, one or the other, A. E. Brehm or C. L. Brehm. I guess the answer is hidden somewhere in the correspondense between von Rosenberg and Schlegel (or in some inaccesible German Archive).

Brehm ... over and out!

I've found the following on http://www.avibushistoriae.com/cronologia_6c.htm:

Psittacella brehmii Schlegel,1871 Brehm's Parrot (in onore di Alfred Edmund)
Monarcha brehmii Schlegel, 1871 Biak Monarch (in onore di Alfred Edmund)

I have no idea where this is based upon.

Theo