Mr. Edward Spalding's birds ... and his death (1 Viewer)

Here´s a tiny addition on ...

spaldingii/spaldingi as in:
• Chowchilla Orthonyx spaldingii RAMSAY 1868 (here) as "Orthonix [sic] spaldingii" a k a Black-headed/'Northern alt. Spaldings or Spalding's Logrunner

REMARKS.—This very distinct and beautiful species is one of several new birds added to our avifauna by the researches of Mr. E. Spalding on the nort-east coast of Australia, ...
[...]
I have named this new species after its discoverer, ...

Click to expand...

Same year also published (slightly shorter), here:

I beg to propose the specific name of spaldingi for this new species, after its discoverer, who has worked hard in the ornithological line for many years, and added to my collection many valuable and rare birds.

Click to expand...

In the Introduction of the same paper (p.381), he´s once again, mentioned as "Mr. E. Spalding, an experienced collector, ..."

• the subspecies (Melloria) Cracticus quoyi spaldingi MASTERS 1878 (here):

... , a fine new species of Cracticus, allied to C. quoyi, but having a larger and stronger bill, the description of this species, which has been named after its discoverer Cracticus spaldingi, will be published in the next number of the Society's Proceedings.

Click to expand...

Also note p.214 in the same volume, where Spalding is/was commemorated in the Beetle "Carendium Spaldingii" MACLEAY 1878:

I have named this handsome species after the very excellent collector who discovered it — Mr. Edward Spalding.

Click to expand...

He´s also mentioned on p.219 (snakes) ... and the above promised "next number of the Society's Proceedings" is found on p.271:

CRACTICUS SPALDINGI n. sp.
[...]
I have named this species after its discoverer, Mr. Edward Spalding.

Click to expand...

In today's HBW Alive Key these eponyms is explained as:

spaldingi / spaldingii
Edward Spalding (1836-?1900) Australian taxidermist, collector (subsp. Melloria quoyi, Orthonyx).

Click to expand...

Thereby, no doubt that we´re dealing with Edward Spalding (as above), collector and (first) taxidermist at Queensland Museum, in Brisbane (1880-1893) ... and James, I think it´s pretty safe for you to delete the question mark regarding his death! According to a short Death notice, in The Sydney Morning Herald (same daily newspaper that published the Chowchilla OD), from 30 January 1900 (here):

Deaths
[...]
SPALDING. —January 19, 1900, at Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, after a short illness Edward Spalding, for many years taxidermist of Brisbane Museum. Queensland papers please copy.

Click to expand...

More info on Mr. Spalding, for anyone interested, is to be found here.

However; enjoy!

Björn

Hi!! I hope I'm doing this right!
I am the Great Great Grandson of Edward Spalding and I'm looking for any of his work, Queensland Museum is definitely one place I will visit, but if anyone knows of any books that might have a bit about him or the birds he named, that would help.
Thank you in advance

Weeden said:

Hi!! I hope I'm doing this right!
I am the Great Great Grandson of Edward Spalding and I'm looking for any of his work, Queensland Museum is definitely one place I will visit, but if anyone knows of any books that might have a bit about him or the birds he named, that would help.
Thank you in advance

Click to expand...

Hubert Massey Whittell: The literature of Australian birds: A history and a bibliography of Australian ornithology p. 679

here extract

I doubt that he published about birds. I feel he was only preparing and collecting specimen but I might be wrong.

Welcome to Bird Forum "Weeden"!

I don´t think your Great Great Grandfather named any birds himself (not to my knowledge), the birds (and other animals) mentioned in Post #1 was named by others, in honour of him.

More than what I wrote in Post #1 (see bottom of post, last link), the only additional link I´ve got is this one: "Spalding, Edward, Entomologist and Taxidermist" ... here. Not much ... but better than nothing.

Good luck in Queensland!

Björn
-