Blyth's Mr. Webb (1 Viewer)

The elusive Mr. Webb, who sent numerous specimens of to be newly described birds from (mostly) Darjeeling, seems to have gone by the initial G.

The Key, under webbiana/webbianus seems to suggest it is a Mr. J. Webb. The OD for the quote, which deals with Suthora webbiana (= Sinosuthora webbiana syn.), only mentions Mr. Webb.

There is one instance where a Mr. G. Webb is mentioned, however, and it's in Blyth's Catalogue of the Birds in the Museum Asiatic Society. Calcutta: Asiatic Society, 1849, 5, where m. and f. of Palæornis schisticeps (= Psittacula himalayana syn.) are presented from Darjeeling by a Mr. G. Webb.

But here we can find a

J. Webb Esq. Shanghai.

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And here we can find:

Mr. John Webb, to be assistant to collector of Tanna

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If or if not the same person is out of my knowledge.

In the History of the Collections of the Nat Hist Department of the BM we find the arrival in from 1852 from a load of 23 birds from the vicinity of Shanghai.

Mr Webb ... on the (World Wide) Web

I had a quick look at this one as well, even if not one of "mine" ...

• Vinous-throated Parrotbill Sinosuthora webbiana GRAY 1852 (here), alt. GOULD 1852 (here), as "Suthora webbiana", a k a "Webb's Suthora", with a reference to the former. Gray's OD was later reprinted in Annals and Magazine of Natural History (1854), here, later a k a "Webb's Crow-Tit" (all over).

[...]
Hab. China (Shan Hai)
A single specimen collected by Mr. Webb, was presented by that gentleman to the British Museum.

[G. R. Gray 1852]​

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A single specimen of this new bird graces the national collection at the British Museum ; to which it was presented by Mr. Webb, a gentleman who has been instrumental in introducing to our notice considerable collections of birds and quadrupeds from the neighbourhood of Shanghai in China, in which district the present species was collected. [...]

[J. Gould 1852]​

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Also see the following (short) phrase, equally pointed out, by Justin (in #3):

Webb
23 birds from the vicinity of Shanghai, including the type of Suthora webbiana. ...

[from here]​

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If we stick with the Shanghai connection we find the/a collector mentionad as; "J. Webb" (here), "F. Webb" (here), "J. Webb" (here), "F. Webb" (here), "J. Webb" (here), ... and so on. However; the Type collection at BNHM (here) claim:

Collected and presented by J. Webb.

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This far I´d look for a "J. Webb", in the surroundings of Shanghai, China, (in the mid-1800's).

But, maybe I'm missing something ... Joek, why did you involve Blyth and Darjeeling, India ... ?!?

Björn

PS. Not to confuse (I think) with the botanist and collector Philip Barker Webb (1793–1854), co-author of L'Histoire Naturelle des Îles Canaries (together with Sabin Berthelot, the latter commemorated in Berthelot's Pipit). Even if this is what's stated on English Wikipedia (here), simply following Beolens, & Watkins's, Whose Bird? (2004) ... !? Neither should he be confused with the far later Lepidopterist Sydney Webb commemorated in the English name for the Moth Webb's Wainscot Capsula sparganii (formerly known as Archanara sparganii), who was the first one to discovered it – in Britain.
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Calalp said:

Mr Webb ... on the (World Wide) Web

I had a quick look at this one as well, even if not one of "mine" ...

[…]

But, maybe I'm missing something ... Joek, why did you involve Blyth and Darjeeling, India ... ?!?

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I believe we are dealing with two different Webbs here. The one I referred to in the initial post I came across while looking at the OD of Certhia discolor Blyth, 1845, from Darjeeling, and I wondered who this Mr. Webb was. Searching for Blyth and Webb, I came across the Catalogue of the Birds in the Museum Asiatic Society (e.g. here but the Catalogue is full of a Mr. Webb from Darjiling [Darjeeling], though only once with an initial, G.).

I remember when I looked for Webb I did come across many references to Shanghai, which no doubt will be J. Webb.

The one I refer to as G. Webb, I did come across as collecting with a Bonnevie, also of the Darjeeling region. I now found this 1992 Fauna of West Bengal, which mentions a E.G.L. Webb who collected with Bonnevie in Darjeeling, no doubt the G. Webb I referred to in connection with Blyth (e.g. Zoothera mollissima mollssima, p. 381).

Fair enough, Joek, I missundersood who you were looking for, however, I cannot help you on either one. I know nothing of the Mr (G.) Webb, (somehow?) connected to Blyth's C. discolor (I couldn't even find him mentioned in the OD!?), nor do I know who "J. Webb" was (as in webbiana). Sorry.

Good luck finding him (or both!)

/B

Sorry for the mix-up on the OD. I extrapolated the Blyth-discolor-Webb link from Dickinson et al. (here at n37), where they think it highly likely Blyth's discolor was collected by Webb.

Sinosuthora webbiana (Gould, 1852) OD here

But I am wondering why G. R. Gray is not the author here and here (but probably read and not published before Goulds publication)

The Eponym Dictionary of Birds claims:

Webb's Parrotbill Sinosuthora webbiana Gould, 1852 [Alt. Vinous-throated Parrotbill]
The holotype of this bird was supplied by 'Mr. Webb, a gentleman who has been instrumental in introducing to our notice considerable collections of birds and quadrupeds from the neighbourhood of Shanghai in China'. There are also references to 'J. Webb Esq.' collecting birds in Shanghai (1850), but we have not been able to identify him.

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The old key:

“A single specimen of this new bird graces the national collection at the British Museum; to which it was presented by Mr. [J.] Webb, a gentleman who has been instrumental in introducing to our notice considerable collections of birds and quadrupeds from the neighbourhood of Shanghai in China ... as a compliment to the donor of this and many other interesting birds to the British Museum” (Gould 1852). Sauer 1995, lists “E. Webb. China” as a subscriber to Gould’s works. Philip Barker Webb (1793-1854) English botanist, referred to in my previous dictionaries (per Wynne 1969), had no connection with China (Sinosuthora).

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So maybe it is time to look again into this cold 👨‍✈️case?