Donald Menzi
New member
I have a question for scientific ornithologist / zoologist.
My grandfather, George D. Wilder, was a missionary in North China for 50 years (1895 - 1943). He was also an expert field ornithologist, co-authoring a book on Birds of North China.
In 1930 he presented a paper at the American Ornithologists' Union, published in their journal, Auk, in which he proposed re-drawing the line between the two biological "life zones" that cut across China, based his observations of breeding birds and migratory patterns. ( http://www.jstor.org/pss/4075923 ). His observations showed that the boundary between the "palearctic" and "oriental" life-zones should be the mountains north of Beijing, not the Yangtze river, which is where the pioneering scientist, Alfred Russell Wallace had assigned it. At the time, one of the organizers called it the most important paper presented that year.
My question is, was his suggestion ever followed by the scientific community? In other words, what is the modern consensus about the boundary of these two life-zones, where they cross China?
Does anyone reading this know anything about this subject?
My grandfather, George D. Wilder, was a missionary in North China for 50 years (1895 - 1943). He was also an expert field ornithologist, co-authoring a book on Birds of North China.
In 1930 he presented a paper at the American Ornithologists' Union, published in their journal, Auk, in which he proposed re-drawing the line between the two biological "life zones" that cut across China, based his observations of breeding birds and migratory patterns. ( http://www.jstor.org/pss/4075923 ). His observations showed that the boundary between the "palearctic" and "oriental" life-zones should be the mountains north of Beijing, not the Yangtze river, which is where the pioneering scientist, Alfred Russell Wallace had assigned it. At the time, one of the organizers called it the most important paper presented that year.
My question is, was his suggestion ever followed by the scientific community? In other words, what is the modern consensus about the boundary of these two life-zones, where they cross China?
Does anyone reading this know anything about this subject?