The French (!?) Seriema … (1 Viewer)

[Björn Bergenholtz]

I think it is fairly well established, and explained, how and why the Seriema's (in Cariamidae) are called what they are called. Now I´m only trying to deepen my entry regarding those words …

I´ve tried to follow the name through Markgraf (Marcgrave), Willughby and Ray to Linnaeus, Brisson and Bonaparte and as far as I´ve seen the first time the (precise spelling) Seriema appeared in the ornithological litterature was in 1830, when the French naturalist Auguste de Saint-Hilaire reported from Brazil:

"Je ne puis cependant m`empêcher de dire un mot du SERIEMA* grande gallinacée que l´on rencontre trèscommunément dans les CAMPOS de cette vaste contrée, et qui ressemble à une petit autruche. ... Les chant des SERIEMAS est un gloussement qui ressemble à celui du dinde, mais qui est plus grave, plus aigree et beaucoup moins précipité. Ces oiseaux vont ordinairement deux ou trois ensemble; ils font leur nid dans les arbes, et ne podent que deux oefs** ”.

With the following foot-notes:

” *Le CARIAMA des naturalistes. Voyez sur cet oiseau un mémoire de M. le prince de Neuwied dans la collection de l’Académie de Bonn.

**Ou m’assura, lorsque j’étais à Contendas, que les EMAS font, plusieurs ensemble, des trous dans le sable, y pondent leurs oefs et les laissent couver par le soleil. Les oefs d`AVESTRUS (autruche) que j’ai vus moi-mème à peu de distance de l’Uruguay, étaient simplement placés par terre sur peu d’herbe. L’AVESTRÚS de Rio Grande et l’EMA de Minas Geraes seraient-elles deux espèces différentes? et faudrait-il par conséquent admettre dans le Brésil deux sortes d’AUTRUCHE (CHURI des Guaranis)?"

With only limited knowledge (close to none!) of French I hope that any of Bird Forums readers feel like translating those quotes for me!? If so, please as accurate as possible, as I would like to quote them myself in Swedish. And don´t hesitate to remark on any spelling errors that I might have done above.

Anyone feel up to it?

 

[l_raty]

Je ne puis cependant m'empêcher de dire un mot du seriema(1), grande gallinacée que l'on rencontre très communément dans les campos de cette vaste contrée, et qui ressemble à une petite autruche. La première fois que je vis cet oiseau, son plumage et la vitesse de sa course me le firent prendre de loin pour un jeune chevreuil. Le chant des seriemas est un gloussement qui ressemble à celui du dinde, mais qui est plus grave, plus aigre et beaucoup moins précipité. Ces oiseaux vont ordinairement deux ou trois ensemble ; ils font leur nid dans les arbres et ne pondent que deux oeufs(2).

(1)Le cariama des naturalistes. Voyez sur cet oiseau un mémoire de M. le prince de Neuwied dans la collection de l'Académie de Bonn.
(2) On m'assura, lorsque j'étais à Contendas, que les emas font, plusieurs ensemble, des trous dans le sable, y pondent leurs oeufs et les laissent couver par le soleil. Les oeufs d'avestrús (autruche) que j'ai vus moi-même à peu de distance de l'Uruguay, étaient simplement placés par terre sur un peu d'herbe. L'avestrús de Rio Grande et l'ema de Minas Geraes seraient-elles deux espèces différentes? et faudrait-il par conséquent admettre dans le Brésil deux sortes d'autruche (churi des Guaranis)?

"I can however not refrain from saying a word about the seriema(1), large gallinaceous [bird] that is encountered very commonly in the campos of this vast country, and which looks like a small ostrich. The first time I saw this bird, its plumage and the speed of its running made me take it for a young deer. The song of seriemas is a chuckle that resembles that of the turkey, but is lower pitched, more acid and much less rushed. These birds go usually by two or three together; they make their nest in trees and lay only two eggs(2).

(1) The Cariama of naturalists. See about this bird a memoir by the Prince of Neuwied in the collection of the Academy of Bonn.
(2) I was assured, when I was Contendas, that the emas make, several together, holes in the sand, lay their eggs in them and let them incubate by the sun. The eggs of the avestrús (ostrich) that I saw myself a short distance away from the Uruguay, were just placed on the the ground on some grass. Would the avestrús of Rio Grande and the ema of Minas Geraes be two different species? and should we therefore accept in Brazil two kinds of ostrich (churi of the Guarani)?"

The second footnote is just a digression--it's not about seriemas at all, but about rheas.
Clearly he deliberately used a name that was not the name then used by naturalists, but he doesn't explain. Presumably a local name?

Edit: The source is the memoir by the Prince of Neuwied: "Beitrag zur Naturgeschichte der Sariama oder Seriema (Dicholophus cristatus Illigeri)"

 

[l_raty]

[Here], from 1823.

Der Vogel, welcher von Marcgrav und Piso unter der Benennung des Cariama (man spreche das C wie ein Ç im Franzosischen aus, also etwa Sariama) erwähnt wurde, [...]

"The bird, which was mentioned by Marcgrav and Piso under the name Cariama (the C is pronounced like a Ç in French, thus about Sariama), [...]

...and then on the next page:

Im Allgemeinen gleicht der Çeriema, — so wird dieser Vogel in der von mir bereisten Gegend genannt, — in der Gestalt und Haltung des Körpers dem Secretär (Gypogeranus africanus), doch [...]

"Overall, the Çeriema, - so was this bird named in the area visited by me, - is similar in shape and body posture to the Secretarybird (Gypogeranus africanus), but [...]"

So it is a local Portuguese name, written by a German, who substituted a "S" to the initial "Ç" to preserve the pronunciation--something that earlier authors had not done (although Azara apparently used Saria). (Really not French, after all... )
(On a similar note, Germans also write Arassari for Araçari, which preserved the pronunciation--unlike in English, where the cedilla is now often (eg., IOC) lost and the word commonly pronounced "Arakari".)

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

The Tupi via Portuguese-German-French-English name Seriema!

Thanks, Laurent!

What a colourful reply that was! I mean your Post #2 ...

Many, many "blue's" … Sigh! I must have been extremely tired that day (more likely night) when I tried to transcribe that quote (some years ago). Sorry about that. Thanks for putting me straigt! And for finding those (not as awkward, for me) additional improvements, those new quotes (in Post #3*)

This will do. Now I think I will be able to finish my entry on Seriema, moving back the year slightly and changing the languages involved a bit ...

Cheers!

So it is a local Portuguese name, written by a German, who substituted a "S" to the initial "Ç" to preserve the pronunciation--something that earlier authors had not done (although Azara apparently used Saria). (Really not French, after all... )
(On a similar note, Germans also write Arassari for Araçari, which preserved the pronunciation--unlike in English, where the cedilla is now often (eg., IOC) lost and the word commonly pronounced "Arakari".)

Something like the Swedish interpretation of Jacana (from Portugues jaçanã out of Tupi jasaná) that we pronounce (similar to English) as "Jakana" … that some Swedish ornithologist's and Author's stubbornly claim ought to be pronounciated "Jass-ana".

That´s it! For this one as well.

Seriema … over and out!

-------------------------
*from: zu Wied-Neuwied, M. 1823. Beitrag zur Naturgeschichte des Sariama oder Seriema (Dicholophus cristatus Illigeri). Verhandlungen der Kaiserlichen Leopoldinisch-Carolinischen Akademie der Naturforscher/Nova acta physico-medica academiae caesareae leopoldino-carolinae naturae curiosorum 3: pp.343-350. (Link to full volume in Laurent's Post No. #3)
My original "quote" (the one that ended up blue-dotted) was from: de Saint-Hilaire, A. 1830. Voyages dans l’intérieur du Brésil; Voyages dans les Provinces de Rio de Janeiro et de Minas Geraes, Tome II: p. 338 (Attached). Link to full volume (here):

 

[chicobotelho]

Just a small comment from a brazilian: the portuguese word for rhea is ema from Tupi. Campos means fields.
Cheers

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Welcome, "chicobotelho"!

Just a small comment from a brazilian: the portuguese word for rhea is ema from Tupi. Campos means fields.
Cheers

If ema is Tupi för the Rhea, what about the meaning of Çari-/cari-/seri-?

 

[James Jobling]

"Seriêma ...ETYM.: de çaria = crista + am = erguida, levantada, em pé; ou de çaria = crista + ma por bae = suff. do nomen agentis: a que tem crista, a cristada." (R. Garcia, 1929, Nomes de Aves em lingua Tupí, Bol. Mus. Nac., Rio de Janeiro, V (3), p. 43).

 

[chicobotelho]

"Seriêma ...ETYM.: de çaria = crista + am = erguida, levantada, em pé; ou de çaria = crista + ma por bae = suff. do nomen agentis: a que tem crista, a cristada." (R. Garcia, 1929, Nomes de Aves em lingua Tupí, Bol. Mus. Nac., Rio de Janeiro, V (3), p. 43).

Exactly: it means crested rhea.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Exactly ... !?

Ok, so far I can follow the Çari-/cari-/seri as to being a derrivation of Çaria (Tupí for Crest/crested/tufted), but I still don´t get the -ema part.

I don´t have neither the linguistic nor the academic skills to understand the " + am = erguida, levantada, em pé; ou de çaria" or " + ma por bae = suff. do nomen agentis: a que tem crista, a cristada" ...

Can anyone explain, for an ignorant Swede, what it means – in plain, simple English (or as simple as possible)?

According to Avibase the Common/American/Greater Rhea Rhea americana (in Spanish Ñandú or Ñandú Común, similar to our Swedish nandu) is, in Portuguese (Brazilian), called either; "avestruz", "congo", "guaripé", "nhandu", "nhandu-guaçu", "xuri" or precisely that; "Ema" ... while the Lesser - or Darwin's Rhea (Rhea) Pterocnemia pennata is called, simply: "Ema-pequena".

The same page claim "Ñandu guasu" to be the Guarani (tupí-guaraní) name for the former and "Ñandu karape" for the latter.

""Chicobotelho" (or anyone else!?), where did you find, in what source, or how do you connect that "ema" to Tupí?

PS. And Laurent, this would make Azara's "Saria" (from Çaria) mean something like (in modern Englisk): "Tufty"!?

 

[l_raty]

" + am = erguida, levantada, em pé; ou de çaria" or " + ma por bae = suff. do nomen agentis: a que tem crista, a cristada" ...

I have no idea what "bae" means.
The rest should be more or less: "Seriêma ...ETYMOLOGY: from çaria = crest + am = erect, raised, standing; or from çaria = crest + ma for "bae" = suffix of agent noun: the one that has a crest, the crested one."

Isn't "Ema" originally the same word as "Emu"?

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Let´s wait for the experts regarding that bae ...

Isn't "Ema" originally the same word as "Emu"?

That would be odd! The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae belonging to Australia!? That would certainly need a thorough explanation ...

PS. But hold on! Let´s not change focus. I think we can wait with that one. Let´s first solve the Seriema

 

[Paul Clapham]

Isn't "Ema" originally the same word as "Emu"?

If I'm not mistaken, yes it is. My information is from Mark Cocker's enormous and impressive book "Birds and People" but unfortunately the book has gone back to the library and I have only my memory to rely on.

Sorry for the interruption...

 

[James Jobling]

Ema is not a Tupi word. The name was introduced by the Portuguese. This is the entry from my ms and the HBW Alive Key:
emeu Old Portuguese name Ema for the Common Crane Grus, later given to the Ostrich and other ostrich-like birds. The English equivalents Eme, Emia, and Emeu were first applied to the Cassowary in the 17th century, to the Rhea Rhea in the 18th century, and finally settled on the Emu Dromaius in the first half of the 19th century; ex “Emeu” of Clusius 1605, Wormius 1655, Bontius 1658, Dodart 1676, and Ray 1713 (syn. Casuarius casuarius).

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Thanks, Paul and James!

James, so I suspected. I´ve never seen any claim before that the -ema (in Seriema) came out of Tupí. Thanks for making me avoid believing that assumed lapsus.

This will make it possible to close my entry on this name, and the Birds who carries it.

Seriema ... over and out!

----------------------

PS. Even if I still don´t know the meaning of that "bae" (see Post #7–10), but I don´t really have to. It´s just att matter of how to phrase things!