Algonda's (or Comoros) Red-headed Fody a k a simply Comoros Fody (1 Viewer)

While following the path of the well-known German ornithologist, herpetologist and collector Hermann Schlegel (1804–1884), commemorated in several birds (here) I stumbled upon this eponym ...

algondae as in:
• the subspecies (or species?) Foudia eminentissima algondae SCHLEGEL 1867 (here) as "Ploceus algondæ, Pollen" (!), no dedication, nor any explanation what so ever (in the OD), also see intro, here, but with a reference to a forthcoming work, which is this one; here (& plate, here):

Cette nouvelle espèce que j'ai dédiée à ma chère soeur Algonda , a été découverte par nous dans l'île de Mayotte. Elle y porte le nom de Cardinal, à cause de sa ressemblance avec le Foudi de Madagascar, qui porte ce nom dans l'île de la Réunion.

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This bird is also mentioned, in text, in the first part of Recherches sur la faune de Madagascar et de ses dépendances, on p.107 (here).

Which leads to one short question:
– Who is the dear sister Algonda?

The Eponym Dictionary of Birds, 2014 (here) as well as today's HBW Alive Key explains this eponym as:

algondae
Algonda Schlegel (fl. 1866) sister of German ornithologist Hermann Schlegel (Foudia).

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But is the former quote truly the words of Schlegel? Aren´t those words written by François Pollen* (in litteris)? As I don´t understand French it´s hard for me to tell either way.

In any case it seems hard to find a sister to Schlegel ... by the name Algonda. To me this looks like a far more common name of a Dutch girl?

Also see this link, here (if you understand Dutch); Een Duitse familie in Nederland (1804-1913): Carrièrisme en netwerken van Hermann Schlegel en zijn zonen Gustav en Leander, by Bob van Zijderveld, 2014. Looks (more than) well researched! In that book especially check the introduction starting on p.25 ... and onwards, also look at pp. 150-155, for a certain "Albertinae"! ... "Æigidia Johanna (1823-1905)" ... ??

Anyone knowing more than me (or is better at searching)?

Or have I simply gone all astray?

Björn
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*the Dutch naturalist François Paul Louis Pollen (1842–1866), collector in Madagascar and also on Mayotte (the type's origin), here

Calalp said:

But is the former quote truly the words of Schlegel? Aren´t those words written by François Pollen* (in litteris)? As I don´t understand French it´s hard for me to tell either way.

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I read it the same way as you do.
In particular: "Cette nouvelle espèce que j'ai dédiée à ma chère soeur Algonda, a été découverte par nous dans l'île de Mayotte." = "This new species that I dedicated to my dear sister Algonda, was discovered by us in the island of Mayotte." This indicates quite clearly that the dedicating brother was also the person who found the bird in the field; and this person was certainly Pollen, not Schlegel.
The fact that Schlegel in 1867 made Pollen responsible for the name would also conflict very strongly with him having named the bird for one of his own relatives.

OTOH, though...
If I believe [this], François Pollen had two sisters, neither of which was named Algonda.

l_raty said:

If I believe [this], François Pollen had two sisters, neither of which was named Algonda.

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Allegonda Petronella Pollen, née van Renesse, born 1831 [here] ?
This was his sister-in-law (the wife of Pierre Jaunne Henri Pollen, his elder brother).

Found by us. "us" includes Douwe Caspar van Dam. Laurent's sister in law seems right.

mb1848 said:

Found by us. "us" includes Douwe Caspar van Dam. ... .

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Just to be picky, Mark, the friend and colleague of Pollen was Douwe Casparus van Dam (1827–1898), in some English text interpreted as ditto "Caspar", or latinized into Casparius, ... commemorated in Van Dam's Vanga Xenopirostris damii SCHLEGEL 1865, here (note; also attributed to "Pollen", by Schlegel!), and this one I´ve checked a bit deeper, as that certain bird earlier was called "vanDamvanga" (in Swedish, nowadays vitstrupig vanga, simply meaning "White-throated Vanga").

Also note that the use of "us" doesn´t necessarily always mean plural. In older days, especially among European Nobles the use of "us" was frequently used in text where we today would be saticified with simply "I" or "me". Bonaparte is one example, and several others (also among quite a few Swedish naturalists). This said, without knowing the full story of the discovery of "Ploceus algondæ", in this particular case Mr. van Dam could, of course, be included. I haven't checked if he acompanied Pollen to the Island Mayotte as well. Or not?
--

Calalp said:

In older days, especially among European Nobles the use of "us" was frequently used in text where we today would be saticified with simply "I" or "me".

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True, but here Pollen used the singular (que j'ai dédiée) and the plural (découverte par nous) in the same sentence, which makes it much less likely that the plural was not a real plural.

I haven't checked if he acompanied Pollen to the Island Mayotte as well. Or not?

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They were there together at least in 1864.
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9629314#page/99/mode/1up .

Maybe time to give her date of death a retry. The date of birth from #3 27. April 1831 Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland I wouldn't question as it is very precise. She died according here 23. February 1905 in Rotterdam.

Just a remark on the first remark by Bjorn: Hermann Schlegel was at 20 June 1853 by the Dutch Government naturalised to the Dutch nationality.

Here is the grave from Schlegel. Within the grave besides Hermann also Albertine Pfeiffer (born Utrecht 27-09-1829 and died at Leiden at 10-03-1894) and her sister Aegidia Johanna Pfeiffer that was born in 23 Sep 1823 and died 23 Jan 1905.

l_raty said:

Allegonda Petronella Pollen, née van Renesse, born 1831 [here] ?
This was his sister-in-law (the wife of Pierre Jaunne Henri Pollen, his elder brother).

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As Laurent also says, his link refers to Pierre Jaunne Henri Pollen as the husband of Allegonda Petronella van Renesse. Here, the death is announced of the widow of P J H Pollen on 25 February 1905. In other newspapers she is announced as A P Pollen-van Renesse (e.g. here on 28 February 1905) in the age of 73 years. It must be the same person (considering the initials), and thus the widow of Pierre Jaunne Henri. The only problem is that the given age does not fit a birth date in 1831 as she was born on 27 April 1831 (or am I miscalculating?).

It all fits the info given in post 8.

73 seems OK to me...? (If born 27 Apr 1831, she turned 73 on 27 Apr (1831 + 73 =) 1904; she died in Feb 1905, thus before her next birthday.)

b. 27 Apr 1831 in Rotterdam: here, scan 148/251, n° 870.
m. to Pierre Jaunne Henri Pollen, 27 Jan 1858 in Rotterdam: here, scan 20/101, n° 27.
d. 23 Feb 1905 in Rotterdam: here, scan 88/161, n° 1031.