The Dutch Mr. Goffin in two various (!?) "Goffin's Cockatoo" or "Goffin's Corella" … (1 Viewer)

The Dutch Mr. Goffin in two various (!?) "Goffin's Cockatoo" or "Goffin's Corella" …

The common names of various Parrots is a tricky thing, especially since the Pet Nomenclature, bot regarding their Scientific and Common names, seldom follows the taxonomic views of Ornithology …

As I understand it … goffini, goffiniana and goffinii (not considering their validity today or not) in …

● the (today, most often, invalid) Cacatua "goffini" FINSCH 1863 (a junior synonym of C. ducorpsi/ducorpsii PUCHERAN 1853).
● Cacatua goffiniana ROSELAAR & MICHELS 2004: "… named after Andreas Leopold Goffin, to respect the original intent of Otto Finsch …"
... both birds(!) known as "Goffin's Cockatoo", "Goffin's cackatoo" or "Goffin's Corella" (today, both, most often called "Tanimbar Cockatoo" or sometimes "Tanimbar Corella").

● as well as the sub-species Trachylaemus purpuratus goffinii GOFFIN (named by SCHLEGEL) 1863.

... all commemorate the Dutch Lieutenant ("4de regiment infanterie") and Ornithologist Andréa Leopold Auguste Goffin (maybe 1838, but more likely 1839–1863) a k a (in various transcriptions or interpretations, in different languages) as/to Andrea (without accent) or Andreas.

He died after "Brustleiden" (German for: Chest Pain) on the 15th of October 1863, in Maastricht, Netherlands: "… in den ouderdom van 24 jaren" (Dutch for: "… in the age of 24"). See Death notice in De Nederlandsche No. 44. 30 oktober 1863 (here). This Mr. Andréa Goffin was a friend and colleauge, at the Natural History Museum (Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie) in Leyden, of Otto Finsch who described the former – the same year that Goffin died.

Goffin is also known for (his one and only Ornithological publication) the 98-pages long article regarding the ("sub-order") "Buccones" published in January 1863, as Monographie No. XV in Schlegel's Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle des Pays-Bas … Revue Méthodique et Critique des Collections déposées dans cet Établissement. Tome I – where he himself (among many other birds) described (but Schlegel named it – without any comment!) as "Capito Goffinii" (today the subspecies Trachylaemus purpuratus goffinii).

Regarding the first "specie", from 1863 Otto Finsch, who described it as "Lophochroa Goffini", based on two live specimens he had found in a Zoological Garden in Amsterdam, only wrote (in Finsch, O. 1863. Naamlijst der in de Diergaarde Levende Papegaaijen ten dienste der bezoekers van den tuin ingerigt. Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor De Dierkunde 1. VI-XXIV: p.XXIII):
"Ik heb deze fraaije soort aan den Herr A. GOFFIN uit vriendschap opgedragen." that translated would be something like: "I have dedicated this beautiful species to Mister A. GOFFIN out of friendship.”

Four years later Finsch published the first volume of his large Parrot monograph Die Papageien where he suddenly, this time highly aware og Goffin's death, explains some more regarding the name of the same bird, now called " Plictolophus Goffini, … Goffin's Kakatu" apparently at least one specimen still alive in the Zoological Garden in Amsterdam ("… Lebend in Zoolog. Garten von Amsterdam":

"Ich benannte die Art meinem unvergesslichen, inzwischen leider dahingeschiedenem Freunde A. Goffin zu Ehren, der neben seinet militärischen Laufbahn, auch ganz besonders Ornithologie im Auge hatte. Durch die Bearbeitung der Buccones im Catalogue des Leidener Museums hat derselbe genügend Zeugniss von seiner wissenschaftlichen Befähigung gegeben. In ihm haben wir namentlich einen eminenten Kenner west-afrikanischer Ornis verloren, welche er an Ort und Stelle zu durchforschen sich vorgenommen hatte."

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With only limited knowledge of German I hope that anyone of Bird Forums readers feel like translating this quote for me!? If so, please as accurate as possible, as I would like to quote it myself in Swedish. And don´t hesitate to remark on any errors that I might have done transcribing it.

Anyone of our German knowing friends "out there" feel like having a go?

PS. This "A. Goffin" not to be confused (which has been done) with the Belgian collector Alfred Goffin, who collected exotic fishes in Africa in the beginning of the 1900's.

Andreas Leopold August Goffin was born on Sunday 15 October 1837 at Kerkrade (Limburg) province in The Netherlands. He was the son from Jan Hubert Karl Goffin and Maria Elisabetha Maessen. He died at 16 October 1863 at Maastricht (Limburg) (on the papers he is named then André Leopold August) the Netherlands. [this is the information from official sites from city councils]

Thanks, Justin!

JustinJansen said:

Andreas Leopold August Goffin was born on Sunday 15 October 1837 at Kerkrade (Limburg) province in The Netherlands. He was the son from Jan Hubert Karl Goffin and Maria Elisabetha Maessen. He died at 16 October 1863 at Maastricht (Limburg) (on the papers he is named then André Leopold August) the Netherlands. [this is the information from official sites from city councils]

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Great work checking this one! Does that mean that he was Andreas Leopold August Goffin by birth and that he died as Andréa Leopold August Goffin? Or? How come he changed it ... if he did? Or was his name really Andréa, the whole time, but he simply became known (or was called) Andreas?

Those dates and years contradicts the (attached) notice in De Nederlandsche No. 44. Was that one wrong?

We´re surely on our way ... Once again thanks!

Björn

PS. What does the little (fawlty or not) Dutch Notice tell us about Mr. Goffin?

"Ich benannte die Art meinem unvergesslichen, inzwischen leider dahingeschiedenem Freunde A. Goffin zu Ehren, der neben seinet militärischen Laufbahn, auch ganz besonders Ornithologie im Auge hatte. Durch die Bearbeitung der Buccones im Catalogue des Leidener Museums hat derselbe genügend Zeugniss von seiner wissenschaftlichen Befähigung gegeben. In ihm haben wir namentlich einen eminenten Kenner west-afrikanischer Ornis verloren, welche er an Ort und Stelle zu durchforschen sich vorgenommen hatte."

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I named the art in honour to my unforgettable, meanwhile sadly departed, friend A. Goffin, who next to his military career, also most particularly had an eye for ornithology. Through the work on the Buccones in the catalogue of the Leiden museum he has given enough evidence of his scientific talent. In him we have lost an eminent expert of West African birds, which he had intended to study locally.

The Dutch piece does not add much to this, except his age (wrong according to Justin's sources!) and the time he spent in Leiden (two years).

According to Dutch tradition, he would have been baptised Andreas and called André (not Andrea, which is the Italian version, but would be a girl's name in Dutch).

My source are the Death and Birth certificates at Genlias (a Dutch genealogical website). His name by birth is correct, his name by death is obviously a transcribing error.

Transcribing error by Jan Hein (further agreeing with him) Art = species

Well spoken ...

Thanks Justin and Jan,
I think I have to fold on this one ... hopefully I´ve understood it correctly. How about this conclusion?

= the Dutch Lieutenant ("4de regiment infanterie") and Ornithologist Andreas Leopold August Goffin (1837–1863) a k a André Goffin or (in various transcriptions/interpretations, in different languages) as Andrea (without accent) alt. Andréa.

Born 15 October 1837 in Kerkrade (in the province Limburg), Netherlands ... and he died (of "Brustleiden", Chest Pain) on the 16 October 1863 at Maastricht, Netherlands – one day after his 26th birthday.

The rest as in earlier posts this thread ...

In the end, we did, after all, solve, and added a few things!

Cheers!

JustinJansen said:

Transcribing error by Jan Hein (further agreeing with him) Art = species

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Of course...

Case closed!

That´ll do:

Mr. Goffin ... and "his" Parrots ... over and out!