"Curruca Eliotæ" (1 Viewer)

After a short re-visit to ellioti/elliotii, that we had a closer look at back in 2017 in the thread Elliot's Laughingthrush (but don't worry nothing new, nothing contradictory on that one), I also had a go at the all unexplained ...

eliotae as in:
• the invalid "Curruca Eliotæ" [a synonym of the Hedge Accentor Prunella modularis (LINNAEUS 1758), a k a (European) Dunnock]

In today's HBW Alive Key explained as:

eliotae
Eponym; no dedication given (Leach 1816, Syst. Cat. Specimens Mamm. Birds, 24) (syn. Prunella modularis).

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This eponym is usually believed (as indicated above, as well by the Richmond Card; here) to have been coined by William Elford Leach in 1816; allegedly in; Leach's Systematic catalogue of the specimens of the indigenous mammalia and birds in the British Museum, also known by its far longer title; Systematic catalogue of the specimens of the indigenous mammalia and birds that are preserved in the British Museum: with their Localities and Authorities, to which is added a List of the described species that are wanting to complete the collections of British Mammalia and birds, (note; the 1816 Edition unseen by me*, but; here is a reprint from 1882), ... without any explanation, nor dedication ... nothing, but:

Curruca Eliotæ.

Hedge Fauvette.

DEVONSHIRE. G. Montagu, Esq.
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... which I think is/was simply is a reference back to George Montagu's Ornithological Dictionary; or Alphabetical Synopsis of British Birds, vol. 1, from 1802, here, where this name is listed as a synonym of "Warbler-Hedge" [i.e. the Hedge Accentor/(European) Dunnock Prunella modularis LINNAEUS 1758 (as "Motacilla modularis")], and this leads us even further back, into pre-Linnaean times (pre-1758), to; "Raii. Syn. p.79. A.6. and Will. p. 157" [i.e. Ray's, Synopsis methodica Avium & Piscium; ... (1713), here, resp. Willughby's, Ornithologogiæ ... (1706), here]. Both citing "Curruca Eliotæ, An Magnanina" by Aldrovandi ... which I think (?!) is this "Magnanina" (here, from way, way back in 1610, left column).

Even with no understanding of Latin, I don´t think "Eliotæ" is/was an eponym commemorating any contemporary person, neither of Montagu nor Leach, but a far earlier guy. Instead I would consider "Thomas Eliotus vel Eliota" (as of here) to be a better candidate; i.e. Sir Thomas Elyot (c.1490–1546), the guy behind Bibliotheca Eliotae ... !?!

Doesn't this book (in French, which I do not understand), from 1767, tell us the same thing (top of page 236)?

"C’est la vrai Curruca des Anciens, selon Eliote, Auteur d’un Dictionnaire Anglois."

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If so; as in "Curruca Eliotæ" being Sir Thomas Elyot's Accentor/Dunnock... or ?!?

At least it has nothing to do with the famous Author T. S Eliot (1888–1965) ...

However; enjoy!

Björn

PS. James, not sure if, or how, this have any impact on the generic name "Curruca".

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*"Curruca Eliotae", is also found in Forster's Synoptical Catalogue of British Birds; ... (1817), here.
As well on a second Richmond Card (here) for this eponym, with an added, explanatory note:
"New name for Sylvia modularis" [yet another synonym of today's Prunella modularis].

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I can't find an accessible scanned version of The dictionary of syr Thomas Eliot knyght (by Sir Thomas Elyot) right now; I did find a couple of .html versions of the text, however, which tell us:

• 1838 ed. ([here]):
  

  Curruca, a lyttell byrde, whiche hatchethe and bryngeth vp cuckowe byrdes.

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• 1542 ed. ([here]):
  

  Curruca, a lyttell byrde, whiche hatcheth and bryngeth vp cuckowe byrdes ▪ it is supposyd to be an hedge sparowe.

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As far as nomenclature goes, Curruca eliotae is nude in Leach's work, but should logically be available from Forster's Synoptical catalogue as a substitute for Motacilla modularis Linnaeus. (Luscinia aedon on the very same page is in any case accepted as an available substitute for Motacilla luscinia Linnaeus; this is the source of the generic term Luscinia as we use it.)

This can have no effect on the generic name Curruca, which is available from Bechstein 1802 [here], where it was used for a section of the genus Sylvia; included species Sylvia luscinia, S. philomela, S. atricapilla, S. hortensis, S. fruticeti, S. cinerea, S. curruca, S. nisoria, S. albifrons; type fixed in the original publication, by absolute tautonymy, as Motacilla curruca Linnaeus 1758.

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PS - This is not critical in the present case, but the places and personal names cited in Leach's 1816 Catalogue are not references to earlier publications. In Leach's own words [p. [3]]: "each specimen is marked with the name of the person from whom it was either received or purchased, and of the place where it was taken." George Montagu's name appearing there simply indicates that he collected the specimen which was in the collection Leach was cataloguing.

Many thanks, Björn. I agree with your reasoning, and have adjusted the Key entry accordingly. In fact, the answer was staring us in the face all along (see entry curruca (under BOU quote)).

James, glad you found it worth the trouble, even, as you noted, Sir Elyot ("Eliot") was already present in the Key, though, as a minor excuse/extenuating circumstances, on my behalf, in this case I never had a look at the entry for curruca, only for Curruca) ...

Either way; if you haven't studied Montagu's, Ornithological Dictionary ... (from 1802) it might contain other names, yet not included in the Key, who knows?

Cheers!

/B