Scheffler's Owlet (1 Viewer)

Minor, tiny addition on the eponym ...

scheffleri as in:
• Scheffler's Owlet Glaucidium (capense) scheffleri NEUMANN 1911 (here) as "Glaucidium capense scheffleri"

As I read the OD the type, an adult female speciemen, was collected 22 August in 1908, in "Kibuesi (Ukamba)" [today's Kibwezi, Machakos District, Kenya], most likely by "Scheffler" himself. Today's HBW Alive Key entry tells us ...

scheffleri
Georg Scheffler (fl. 1900) German zoologist, collector in tropical Africa (subsp. Glaucidium capense).

Click to expand...

... which ought to be the German botanist Georg Scheffler (fl. 1908/1910, who appear to have died in 1910, here ... !?), collector (mostly of Plants) in Africa, in the late 1800's, until at least 1907 or 1908 (in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa). If primarily, or also, a "zoologist" is unknown to me ... but why not?

But (!) if he did pass away in 1910, it must have been in late 1910 (see here, p.36; below "Chloris myriostachya" [which is a Grass, in Poaceae/Gramineae, not an unknown Greenfinch] ) ...

For what it´s worth!

Björn

Here as...

scheffleri: for Georg Scheffler (1874/1875-1911), German plant collector and ornithologist in Kenya (1906-1910), Tanzania (1899), Uganda and South Africa. He was at the Berlin-Dahlen Botanical garden before being sent to Cameroon by the Colonial Office, and was commemorated with the former taxon Clerodendrum scheffleri, now synonymized to Rotheca cuneiforme. His name is also on the Scheffler's barred owlet, Glaucidium scheffleri. (Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names; David Hollombe, pers. comm.; JSTOR)

Click to expand...

Here he is missionary.

P.S. From 1912 Mitteilungen des Seminars für Orientalische Sprachen an der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Berlin

Georg Scheffler, Referendar, aus Westpreußen, als Dolmetschereleve bei der Kaiserlichen Gesandtschaft in Peking;

Click to expand...

Not sure if he has anything to do with our guy.

Martin, the guy in your P.S is most likely not "our" guy! I think he´s a namesake; i.e. the German Jurist (Richter) Georg Scheffler (1891–1975), [husband of the more famous judge Erna Scheffler (1893–1983) née Friedenthal].

Neither one known as collectors of Naturalia in Africa ...

Also note that James had "our" Georg Scheffler as "(fl.1911)" in the Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names, 2010, here.

I have no idea why it was changed it into "(fl.1900)" ... ?

To me it truly looks like the guy in your first quote.
--

Hi there, I was just searching around for some photos of this owl to show someone and came by this discussion - I joined the forum just to reply! The Georg Scheffler relevant to this owl (and a gecko, and a bunch of plants) was my great-grandad. My dad (who is also named Georg Scheffler!) is trying to translate his diary. Even I didn't know about the owl til a couple of years ago... I had only ever been told about the plants! He seems to have had a pretty interesting, though short, life and I believe he died of dysentery if memory serves correctly. I will have to dig up some more details when I go to visit my folks next (should be soon!).

Welcome to BirdForum "Shoogs"!

And; wow, what an entrance, what an unexpected reply, suddenly a reliable source popping out, just about "from the horse's mouth" ...

Please ask your "folks" of his Nationality, birth and death, occupation, possibly a full name, and/or whatever details they/you can add.

Just about every addition would be welcomed!

Björn

PS. And good luck finding Photos of Scheffler's Owlet (or should I say "Great-grandpa's Owlet"). It shouldn´t be any problem. There´s quite a few of them "out there", on the internet (some consider it a species "Glaucidium scheffleri", other a subspecies "Glaucidium capense scheffleri").
--

And "Shoogs", when at your folks, check if their story fits with the quote below (I assume it´s about the same guy?):

Georg Scheffler, Gärtner in den Plantagen der Deutsch-Ostafrikanischen Gesellschaft in Nguelo und Derema (1899–1900), später Farmvorsteher in Britisch-Ostafrika.

[From: Beihefte zum botanischen Centralblatt. (1917) Vol. 34 (1): p.186. (here)]

Google Translate: "Georg Scheffler, gardener in the plantations of the German East African Society in Nguelo and Derema (1899–1900), later farm manager in British East Africa."

Click to expand...

Simply trying to understand why the man behind the Owlet went to Africa (the main reason for him being there at all).

Looking forward to whatever you can find!

/B

Hello! Absolutely - I have been meaning to 'scrapbook' a bunch of stuff about him - he's probably the most interesting member of our family! I believe he was sent there under military employ, though I am uncertain what they were hoping he would find. Medicinal plants perhaps? I will see if my dad knows more about this. We should have some photos as well. I will be over on January 2 to my parents' place. Enjoy your new year in the meantime!

Ok, so a little more info on great-grandad:
Full name Georg Richard Otto Scheffler
Born 1874 in current-day Poland, but family moved to Frankfurt when he was 2 years old. He was employed eventually at the Royal botanical garden in Berlin. I was imcorrect about the reason he was sent to Africa. While he was enlisted in the military as was required in Germany, he never saw action aside from being called up for training. He was enlisted in the German Colonial Service, which was not army-related, and the intent was to collect botanical specimens and learn of medicinal properties and cultivation methods. He went down on approx. 2 year stints to Cameroon first, then British East Africa until his death June 10, 1911. Cause of death may have been dysentery or black water fever. My dad has a huge amount of postcards sent to his fiancé before they married and she and their kids joined him in Africa, as well as documents on his training in botany, literature on some of the plants, photos and other letters and life documents. There is also an eclectic collection of wildcat skulls, hippo teeth and Swahili jewelry/tools/weapons from him. I have only begun to look through it all. We have no specific record in the writings from him about the owlet, but he was apparently known to collect critters like butterflies to send back to Germany as well and it is a good assumption based on available information that it is 'his' owl. There is also a dwarf gecko and a small brown frog bearing his name. I wonder if we will discover any other creatures he lent his name to! There is some information to start, and here is a photo of him as well - very classy!

Job well done, "Shoogs"! :t:

Thereby I feel pretty safe in claiming:

scheffleri as in:
• Scheffler's Owlet Glaucidium (capense) scheffleri NEUMANN 1911
= Georg Scheffler (1874–1911), whose full name was Georg Richard Otto Scheffler, Prussian/German Colonial officer and collector (of various Naturalia), in various locations in Africa ... etc., etc., ...

Thanks! Give my regards to your folks.

And for your Family Scrap-book; on top of Scheffler's Owlet ... ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System) lists the following taxa ... all valid:

• the Gecko Lygodactylus scheffleri STERNFELD 1912 (1913), here
• the Frog Phrynobatrachus scheffleri NIEDEN 1911 (here) as "Arthroleptis scheffler"
• the Earthworm (in Family Eudrilidae) Stuhlmannia scheffleri MICHAELSEN 1912 (here) as "Platydrilus Scheffleri"
• the Spider Synema scheffleri DAHL 1907 (here)

And the two plants*, spurges (in Family Euphorbiaceae):
• Croton scheffleri PAX 1909 (here, p.78)
• Euphorbia scheffleri PAX 1909 (same book, p.88)

To me it looks like they all commemorate the one and same Scheffler – simply; your Great-grandad.

Enjoy!

Björn

*Not to confuse with the generic (Tree) name Schefflera, which was described by Forster & Forster, in 1776 (here). Way, way before your Great-grandpa was born!

Only wat The Eponym Dictionary of Birds claims (nothing essential new).

Scheffler's Owlet Glaucidium capense scheffleri Neumann, 1911 [Alt. African BarredOwlet ssp.]
Georg Scheffler (d.1910) was a German collector in East Africa, particularly northeast Tanzania (1899–1910). A number of African shrubs, trees, a reptile and an amphibian are named after him.

Click to expand...

Corroborate all this with certificates too