Björn Bergenholtz
(former alias "Calalp")
Let´s have a quick (?) look at "Fosse's Nightjahr" a k a "Foss's Nightjahr" and the all obscure eponym ...
fossii as in:
• Square-tailed /Gabon/ Mozambique nightjar Caprimulgus fossii HARTLAUB 1857 (here) as [Caprimulgus] "Fossii, J. Verr." ... no dedication, no explanation, nothing (at least not that I could spot, with my limited knowledge of German, it´s a looong intro).
Today's HBW Alive Key tells us nothing more than:
However, clearly we´re aiming for a certain Mr. Fosse in some way linked to Jules Verreaux and/or the Museum/town Bremen, in Germany! The types, from Gabon, (a male and a female) appear to have been housed in "Mus. Brem. [most likely today's UMB (Übersee-Museum Bremen)]. Another specimen collected in Gabon (by an unknown, in 1862) ended up in Museum of Zoology, Strasbourg, France (MZS), here.
Hartlaub also mentioned him here, (JfO, 1861): here, pp.11, 101, 102,, 174, 265, 274, simply as "Fosse".
The only other traces of a Mr. "Fosse" connected/linked to Gabon and Verreaux (that I´ve found) is here and here. And according to this review, of a book by "Du Chaillu", he was French!
Anyone who know any details (whatever small or large) on this guy and this "his" bird?
And: does anyone know where to find the "unjustified emendation of spelling" Caprimulgus "fossei" HARTERT 1897 ... ?
Björn
fossii as in:
• Square-tailed /Gabon/ Mozambique nightjar Caprimulgus fossii HARTLAUB 1857 (here) as [Caprimulgus] "Fossii, J. Verr." ... no dedication, no explanation, nothing (at least not that I could spot, with my limited knowledge of German, it´s a looong intro).
Today's HBW Alive Key tells us nothing more than:
... in line with the "W. Fosse" (but without the "German" part) in the Eponym Dictionary of Birds (2014), here.fossii
W. Fosse (fl. 1856) German collector in tropical Africa (Caprimulgus).
However, clearly we´re aiming for a certain Mr. Fosse in some way linked to Jules Verreaux and/or the Museum/town Bremen, in Germany! The types, from Gabon, (a male and a female) appear to have been housed in "Mus. Brem. [most likely today's UMB (Übersee-Museum Bremen)]. Another specimen collected in Gabon (by an unknown, in 1862) ended up in Museum of Zoology, Strasbourg, France (MZS), here.
Hartlaub also mentioned him here, (JfO, 1861): here, pp.11, 101, 102,, 174, 265, 274, simply as "Fosse".
The only other traces of a Mr. "Fosse" connected/linked to Gabon and Verreaux (that I´ve found) is here and here. And according to this review, of a book by "Du Chaillu", he was French!
Anyone who know any details (whatever small or large) on this guy and this "his" bird?
And: does anyone know where to find the "unjustified emendation of spelling" Caprimulgus "fossei" HARTERT 1897 ... ?
Björn