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McLeannan's Ocellated Antbird (1 Viewer)

Björn Bergenholtz

(former alias "Calalp")
Sweden
Here´s a short question regarding ...

meleannani/mcleannani as in:
• Ocellated Antbird Phaenostictus mcleannani LAWRENCE 1861 (here) as "Phlogopsis MeLeannani" [sic]*
*Obviously a Printers error, as the sentence above it tells us: "... obtained by Mr. J. McLeannan, ...". In Panama. And further down:
This handsome bird was obtained by James McLeannan, Esq., in compliment to whom I have named it.
By then he´d also collected in "New Grenada", for the same G. N. Lawrence. See the following paper, in the same journal (as the OD), starting on p.288 (and continued on p.315 and p.461).

In today's HBW Alive Key this Eponym is explained as:
mcleannani
James McLeannan (fl. 1860) US engineer on Panama railway, collector (Phaenostictus).
Clearly we´re dealing with James McLeannan, Esq., supposedly "of New York", trackmaster (superintendent alt. stationmaster) at the (at that time still-present, later flooded, and ruined!) Railway station Lion Hill station on the Panama Railway, collector for the US ornithologists George Newbold Lawrence and Alexandre Wetmore, as well as for the English ditto's Osbert Salvin and Frederick (Du Cane) Goodman, in the Canal Zone (Panama), from the late 1850's to the mid 1860's (at least until 1863). At times he collected together with John Galbraith.

This far nothing contradicting or odd, but according the local newspaper The Panama American 29th of September 1958, in a piece on early Panamanian ornithology (here, p.10, mid-page, to the right) he was: "... a Scotsman named McLeannan"!

Anyone know the true origin, or anything additonal, on this guy?

Was he really "US" or maybe Scottish (alt. of Scottish Heritage) ...?
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Long overdue ...

Suddenly new and additional information on Mr McLeannan, see here!

Thanks Paul!

:t:

Björn

PS. Well done on Mr Galbraith, and "his" (Buff-breasted) Wren subspecies (Thryothorus) Cantorchilus leucotis galbraithii, as well.
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The Eponym Dictionary of Birds claims:
Ocellated Antbird Phaenostictus mcleannani G. N. Lawrence, 1860
James McLeannan (DNF) was an American engineer on the Panama Railway (described as 'trackmaster' of the Lion Hill station – an area now submerged under Lake Gatun). He made a collection with John R. Galbraith, a taxidermist (q.v.), of the 389 birds he found along the route during the 1850s, which were sent to various British and American ornithologists, but catalogued by Lawrence (q.v.) (1860–1863). Salvin (q.v.) visited McLeannan (1863), who made a second collection for him of 272 species.
 
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