Bernstein in Lesser Black Coucal a k a "Bernstein's Coucal (1 Viewer)

As I understand it the Lesser Black Coucal Centropus bernsteini (a k a "Bernstein's Coucal") SCHLEGEL 1866 commemorates:
the German (or rather Prussian and, later in life, Dutch) Physician, Zoologist and collector Heinrich Agathon Bernstein (1828–1865).

Schlegel, H. 1866. Observations Zoologiques II. Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor De Dierkunde 3: 249-252. (See excerpt attached, pdf)

Schlegel's type description (above) starts with:

"Ce mémoire succint nʼest destiné quʼà faire connaître quelques-unes des découvertes rècentes de notre infatigable voyager, feu le doctor BERNSTEIN, qui a succombé lʼannée dernière, dans lʼîle Papou de Batanta, aux attaques dʼune maladie incurable, et dons les collections viennent dʼarriver à notre grand établissement national."

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Further on Bernstein is mentioned repeatedly, as for example:

"Le chasseur indigène qui avait tué lʼindividu rapporté par Wallace étant entré au service de BERNSTEIN, donna enfin à notre voyageur, la solution de l ʼénigme en constatant que cet oiseau ne fréquente pas les eaux, mais se tient dans les forêts, où on ne tarda le retrouver."

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"Il existe cependant, dans ces contrées, une autre espèce que nous appelerons CENTROPUS BERNSTEINI.

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"Voulant perpétuer le souvenir dʼune enterprise scientifique commencée sous les auspices les plus favorables, mais tout dʼun coup et si tristement terminée, jʼai choisi, parmi les espèces nouvelle, découvertes par feu le doctor BERNSTEIN, cinq des plus remarquables, dans le but de leur attribuer comme èpithètes les noms des fauteurs de cette expédition tendant à explorer la Nouvelle-Guinée."

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Anyone feel like having a go at translating those four quotes? If so, please, as accurate as possible, as I would like to quote them (especially the last one) myself (in Swedish) in my entry for Bernstein.

Please don´t hesitate to remark on any errors that I might have done transcribing those sentences.

And, finally: is there anything else added or mentioned in Schlegel's text that might be note-worthy?
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As I´m only focused on explaining the Swedish Bird Names this is the only "Bernstein Bird" that I´ve been checking out thoroughly, but it could be worth mentioning that the same Bernstein is also (according to various sources) commemorated in:
Scarlet-breasted Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus bernsteinii SCHLEGEL 1863
Chinese Crested-Tern (Thalasseus) Sterna bernsteini SCHLEGEL 1863
Sula Scrubfowl Megapodius (freycinet/cummingii) bernsteinii SCHLEGEL 1866

And in the subspecies:
Pitta erythrogaster bernsteini JUNGE 1958
Chalcopsitta atra bernsteini ROSENBERG 1861 (a k a Bernstein's Black Lory)
Pseudochirulus canescens bernsteini SCHLEGEL 1866
and the invalid: Eos bornea "bernsteini" (a k a Bernstein's Red Lory) ROSENBERG 1863

as well as other ; like the spider Sandalodes bernsteini THORELL 1881 or the moth Immetalia bernsteini VOLLENHOVEN 1863 and many more …

See for this Jansen, J. (2008) Pioneer of Asian Ornithology Heinrich Bernstein. Birding Asia. 103-107.

Good quotes, sounds a little like a Jules Verne novel!

1. This succinct memo is intended only to make known a few of the recent discoveries of our indefatigable voyager, the late doctor Bernstein, who succumbed last year, on the Papuan island of Batanta, to the attacks of an incurable illness, and whose collections have just arrived at our great national institution.

[Clearly the intended meaning was "to make known only a few", not "only to make known", but I've rendered it literally.]

2. The indigene hunter who had killed the individual that Wallace brought back having entered into Bernstein's service, finally presented our voyager with the solution to the enigma by noting that this bird does not frequent water, but keeps to the forests, where it did not take long to find it again.

(quite a run-on sentence! Simplified: A native hunter killed a bird for Wallace. He (the hunter) later worked for Bernstein, and told him that this particular bird is a forest bird. Apparently no European since Wallace had been able to find it, since they'd been looking for a water bird.)

3. Nevertheless there exists, in these countries/areas/lands, another species which we will call Centropus bernsteini.

4. Wishing to perpetuate the memory of a scientific enterprise begun under the most favorable auspices, but suddenly and so sadly ended, I've chosen, among the new species, discovered by the late doctor Bernstein, five of the most remarkable, with the goal of attributing to them as epithets the names of the authors of this expedition aimed at exploring New Guinea.

[Typo in your French or in original? "fauteurs" should be "auteurs"]

Jansen's Bernstein!

JustinJansen said:

See for this Jansen, J. (2008) Pioneer of Asian Ornithology Heinrich Bernstein. Birding Asia. 103-107.

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Justin, I note that this is an article of yours! So I figure you must know most of what is known about this Bernstein ...

Unfortunately I haven´t seen that article ... do you have access to a digital copy? I guess I can find it in a library nearby (or order it), but I cannot help asking: Is it accessible somewere or could you post it here alt. in a "Private Message" to me? Or is it restricted by rules of the publisher?

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PS. And "nartreb", thanks for the translations! Great work. And yes the original says "fauteurs" (sic)!

Typo?

nartreb said:

...
[Typo in your French or in original? "fauteurs" should be "auteurs"]

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I don´t think fauteurs was any "typo" at all?!

See link: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fauteur

Or?

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PS. But it doesn´t matter regarding Bernstein!

The four other birds and their "fauteurs" (protectors "of the exedition") was:
"Psittacula Gulielmi III" = "… de Sa Majesté le Roi GUILLAUME III …"
"Campephaga Sloethii" = "… de Son Excellence M. le Baron SLOET VAN DE BEELE, Gouvernour-Général des possessions Néerlandaise aux Indes-Orientales …"
"Scolopax Rochussenii" = "…à Son Excellence le Ministre dʼétat, M. ROCHUSSEN, ancien , Gouvernour-Général des Indes Néerlandaises et ancien Ministre des Colonies, …"
"Noctua Fransenii" = "… de Son Excellence le Ministre actuel des Colonies, M. FRANSEN VAN DE PUTTE, …"

You are right! I should have checked my dictionary! It means something like "protector", though it can be used pejoratively: "partisan", "fomentor", "instigator". In this context I'd guess the intent was something not too far from "author"

(Also, "one who commits a fault", as in tennis. That one I knew already. )

The standard translation for Fr. "fauteur" is patron or supporter.

Bernstein summary ...

Thank you all for translations, various interpretations and of ideas where to look further ...

With this, and especially with Justin Jansens excellent article in Birding Asia (that I now hapily have studied) it is finally possible to conclude my entry regarding Heinrich Bernstein (as in #1).

Bernstein ... over and out!