Björn Bergenholtz
(former alias "Calalp")
With Baron Nijō (or/alt. Nijô) done and settled, let's return to the original topic of this thread; the Generic name Acrocephalus itself ...
First of all, thanks Martin ("Taphrospilus"), for sending me the OD! 🏆
Well, what can I say (even if I'm a bit late in my response), but; excellent job done, Laurent, well found & many thanks! 🏆
I actually did visit the Göttinger Digit-site earlier on, exactly the one you linked to, when I was trying to find the text/s, and the Plates, from/in this work (of 1811), but as I couldn't find any book dated later than "1805", I simply left it again (at that time I couldn't be bothered, didn't have time, or patience enough) ... once again we learn; persistency is (truly) rewarding.
However, I think we can leave the identity of the two Warblers* on that third, still unseen Plate ("Taf. 27"), simply as it's of minor concern for this topic itself; the true origin and identity, as well as the etymology, of the very first Acrocephalus ...
After now (finally) having seen the Work by the Naumanns (Father and Son) from 1811, all of the text and, at least two the Plates (Tabula XLVI and XLVII, which includes five, out of seven, asserted Acrocephalus Warblers, also the most important one, the very one of concern in this matter), I think we can all rest assured, that the Naumanns's großer Spitzkopf (1811); "... Taf. 46. Fig.103. Turdus arundinaceus. Lin." [... Tafel/Tabula/Plate 46, Figur/Figure 103. ...], was, and is, today's Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus (if of nothing else, simply by the sheer size of the depicted bird, in comparison to its much smaller, close relatives), and as such it certainly ought to be being the very Type species for Acrocephalus itself (as well as for all Acrocephalidae).
[Minor side-track, simply as I'm curious (even if a bit over the top), does anyone know the meaning of the OD's abbreviated " I. S. 224"? Is it; Illustration/Index, Seite (Page), or Species (No.) ... or?]
However, it sure makes one wonder why the Naumanns preferred the name "A. lacustris (mihi)", for the same species (the Great Reed Warbler) in 1811, why they didn't simply accept Linnaeus's name (or did they possibly doubt it?), and even more so why they didn't stick to either one of those names (neither the scientific one, nor the Common/Vernacular name), but instead, twelve years later, in their work of 1823 [Naturgeschichte der Vögel Deutschlands ... (link in PS., post #19)], they called the exact same species; "Sylvia turdoides DROSSELROHRSÄNGER"**. At that point (somewhat contradictory, or at least slightly confusing) using the name "Sylvia arundinacea TEICHROHRSÄNGER" for the much smaller, more frequent, species [today's (Common/Eurasian) Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus] ... !?
Either way, I think we can leave it all right here, as of right now. That question can remain, as yet another matter, for any (German) Ornithology -, or Taxonomy Historians to ponder over.
And regarding the Etymology I would say it's fairly clear, just like in James's Key MS (see post #13), it's in reference to its head (Kopf), as in from; "Gr. ακρος akros point" [though, I´m not so sure about how relevant the "crest" part is in this certain case (that is, in relevance to those certain birds, of course), regardless if ever so true in the very interpretation, and true meaning of the original Greek word itself] + "κεφαλος -kephalos -headed < κεφαλη kephalē head", and I would think it's all in reference to what the OD states about the Acrocephalus Warblers, and their shared feature (or simply looks alt. anatomy/morphology):
Well, that's it. I'm done on this one (i.e. the generic name).
Acrocephalus ... (at least on my part) over and out!
Stay safe!
Björn
________________________________________________________________________________________________
*In their work of 1823, those two unseen "A. stagnatilis, A. fluviatilis" is depicted on "Taf. 83" [Tafel/Tabula/Plate 83]
(even if in reversed order, and there placed in Sylvia), here, with the other (of today's Acrocephalus) on the preceding Plates.
**The German name Drosselrohrsänger [Drossel (Trush) + rohr (reed) + sänger (singer/warbler)] was the very reason why
I myself, in the first place, reacted on (the identity of) this bird (and started to wonder about it, even if clearly all un-called for),
simply as its Swedish name is trastsångare [trast (Trush) + sångare (singer/warbler)], in line with its today dated scientific
name "turdoides" (trush-like).
First of all, thanks Martin ("Taphrospilus"), for sending me the OD! 🏆
Well, what can I say (even if I'm a bit late in my response), but; excellent job done, Laurent, well found & many thanks! 🏆
I actually did visit the Göttinger Digit-site earlier on, exactly the one you linked to, when I was trying to find the text/s, and the Plates, from/in this work (of 1811), but as I couldn't find any book dated later than "1805", I simply left it again (at that time I couldn't be bothered, didn't have time, or patience enough) ... once again we learn; persistency is (truly) rewarding.
However, I think we can leave the identity of the two Warblers* on that third, still unseen Plate ("Taf. 27"), simply as it's of minor concern for this topic itself; the true origin and identity, as well as the etymology, of the very first Acrocephalus ...
After now (finally) having seen the Work by the Naumanns (Father and Son) from 1811, all of the text and, at least two the Plates (Tabula XLVI and XLVII, which includes five, out of seven, asserted Acrocephalus Warblers, also the most important one, the very one of concern in this matter), I think we can all rest assured, that the Naumanns's großer Spitzkopf (1811); "... Taf. 46. Fig.103. Turdus arundinaceus. Lin." [... Tafel/Tabula/Plate 46, Figur/Figure 103. ...], was, and is, today's Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus (if of nothing else, simply by the sheer size of the depicted bird, in comparison to its much smaller, close relatives), and as such it certainly ought to be being the very Type species for Acrocephalus itself (as well as for all Acrocephalidae).
[Minor side-track, simply as I'm curious (even if a bit over the top), does anyone know the meaning of the OD's abbreviated " I. S. 224"? Is it; Illustration/Index, Seite (Page), or Species (No.) ... or?]
However, it sure makes one wonder why the Naumanns preferred the name "A. lacustris (mihi)", for the same species (the Great Reed Warbler) in 1811, why they didn't simply accept Linnaeus's name (or did they possibly doubt it?), and even more so why they didn't stick to either one of those names (neither the scientific one, nor the Common/Vernacular name), but instead, twelve years later, in their work of 1823 [Naturgeschichte der Vögel Deutschlands ... (link in PS., post #19)], they called the exact same species; "Sylvia turdoides DROSSELROHRSÄNGER"**. At that point (somewhat contradictory, or at least slightly confusing) using the name "Sylvia arundinacea TEICHROHRSÄNGER" for the much smaller, more frequent, species [today's (Common/Eurasian) Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus] ... !?
Either way, I think we can leave it all right here, as of right now. That question can remain, as yet another matter, for any (German) Ornithology -, or Taxonomy Historians to ponder over.
And regarding the Etymology I would say it's fairly clear, just like in James's Key MS (see post #13), it's in reference to its head (Kopf), as in from; "Gr. ακρος akros point" [though, I´m not so sure about how relevant the "crest" part is in this certain case (that is, in relevance to those certain birds, of course), regardless if ever so true in the very interpretation, and true meaning of the original Greek word itself] + "κεφαλος -kephalos -headed < κεφαλη kephalē head", and I would think it's all in reference to what the OD states about the Acrocephalus Warblers, and their shared feature (or simply looks alt. anatomy/morphology):
... which (helped by Google Translate) would mean something like:
Well, that's it. I'm done on this one (i.e. the generic name).
Acrocephalus ... (at least on my part) over and out!
Stay safe!
Björn
________________________________________________________________________________________________
*In their work of 1823, those two unseen "A. stagnatilis, A. fluviatilis" is depicted on "Taf. 83" [Tafel/Tabula/Plate 83]
(even if in reversed order, and there placed in Sylvia), here, with the other (of today's Acrocephalus) on the preceding Plates.
**The German name Drosselrohrsänger [Drossel (Trush) + rohr (reed) + sänger (singer/warbler)] was the very reason why
I myself, in the first place, reacted on (the identity of) this bird (and started to wonder about it, even if clearly all un-called for),
simply as its Swedish name is trastsångare [trast (Trush) + sångare (singer/warbler)], in line with its today dated scientific
name "turdoides" (trush-like).
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