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Alma's or Alma Thrush (1 Viewer)

Björn Bergenholtz

Björn Bergenholtz

(former alias "Calalp")
Sweden
Here´s another short question on an inexplicable, little-known and totally unexplained scientific name, this time regarding the assumed "eponym":

almæ
● ... as in the long-debated subspecies "Hylocichla ustulata almæ" OBERHOLSER 1898 (OD, here) a k a "Alma's Thrush" [most often considered a junior synonym of nominate (Hylocichla) Catharus u. ustulatus NUTTALL 1840]

Curiously Oberholtser himself later (in The Bird Life of Louisiana 1938) called it Alma Thrush (and no longer Alma's Thrush, as he did in the OD) indicating that it´s maybe not an eponym after all!

Could it maybe be a toponym instead?

Is there such a place? An Alma, in Nevada? In the vicinity of where it was discovered or where any specimen was collected?

Or?
 
US authors went through a stage of ignoring/not using the possessive; in the same index Oberholser (1938) also has, for example, Bicknell Thrush and Western Forster Tern. I am sure almae is an eponym.
 
There are genealogy records for a person named "Alma Oberholser" who was 8 years older than Harry, but I don't see (in my brief search) any evidence that the two are connected in any way.
 
The name almae Oberholser 1898 is not an eponym. Currently in Elko County Nevada is Jacks Creek. An alternate name according to the USGS is Alma Creek. This name comes from an "Original township survey plats, published in the 1800's."
https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=..._OBJECTID,P4_FNAME:860159,26745281,Alma Creek .
http://www.zoonomen.net/cit/RI/SP/Hier/hier00706a.jpg . Richmond wrote East Humboldt Mountains, opposite Franklin Lake Elko County Nevada.
An Alma in California is for a Spanish word meaning spirit of man. Many states in the US have a Alma township, which comes from a Crimean War battle. There is a Book of Alma in the Book of Mormon.
https://books.google.com/books?id=9...a+Spanish+spirit+of+man&source=gbs_navlinks_s . Page 22.
 
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mb1848 said:
The name almae Oberholser 1898 is not an eponym. ...
Click to expand...
Mark, "is" is a strong word ... ;)

And the connection between Alma/Jacks Creek to Mr Oberholser and/or the Alma's/AlmaTrush would be ... ?

Today's Jacks Creek (your suggested Alma Creek) seems to be located North (North-northeast) of the Humboldt Mountains, even further North (North-northwest) of Franklin Lake, Nevada (however both inside Elko county). How does that fit in with Oberholser's own words, and the Type location: "East Humboldt Mts, opposite Franklin Lake, Nevada, ..."?

How do you/we know that Richmond card, the "Elko co."-part, is correct? Also notice the pencil note; "information refused by Oberh. ...".

This far I wouldn't stretch this "is"/"is not" further than "could be"/"might not be" ...

But, please convince me.

Björn
 
Alma is the name given by the United States Geological Survey dept. to a survey township in Nevada. Survey townships are six miles by six miles square. 36 square miles, 23000 acres.. Nevada was surveyed by the federal government in 1867 the 40th parrallel expedition. (Also this date suggests why probably named for the battle in Crimea) Jacks peak Jacks creek are named for P. J. Harrington who did not arrive in Nevada until 1868. Alma township is in the East Humboldt range. What did Richmond or Oberholser mean by opposite Franklin Lake? They did not mean the bird was found there.
 
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By "there" I meant Franklin Lake. The Alma area (in 1800s) was in the "East Humboldt range" this range is very close to Franklin Lake. There is one Jack creek and two Jacks creeks in Nevada. There is the Humboldt Range and a west Humboldt range and East Humboldt range.in Nevada. Here is a map of the East Humboldt range and Franklin Lake.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Fra...b8b!2m2!1d-115.1186604!2d40.9213122!3e0?hl=en .
Oberholser named the bird for a local place name, because in 1898 there was not much human population here to name the bird for.
 
I have no clear opinion what the true origin of the name is. But did anyone consider from OD these gentlemen mentioned in the OD?

The writer is indebted to Dr. C. Hart Merriam for use of the collection of the Biological Survey, and to Mr. Robert Ridgway for access to National Museum material.
Click to expand...

Does anyone know more about the Biological Survey Collection mentioned in OD?

It might be worth to check "A Naturalist in Nevada," 1899 from Oberholser present here.
 
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Yes, Martin, I did consider the OD, back in 2015 (it´s in post #1 ;)), but didn´t find any Alma in neither one of their closest relations; Oberholser's own wife was Mary (born Smith), Robert Ridgway's wife was Evelyn “Evvie” (born Perkins), nor in Clinton Hart Merriam's wife, who was Elisabeth (born Gosnell). No kids checked ...

This far, with no solid proof I wouldn't go any further than claiming almae (Alma's/Alma Thrush) as either an eponym or a toponym.

I think the most intriguing part is; why was "information refused", by Oberholser (as stated on the Richmond card, #5) if it was a toponym? In my mind it ought to be an eponym ...

I guess we´ll never know for sure.

/B

PS. I assume the notes (in Box 2/Folder 1, of Harry Church Oberholser Papers); "A Naturalist in Nevada" (1899), ended up in the lecture/reading he held/did at the 24th Congress of the AOU (1906), then called "Trails of a Naturalist in Nevada",... illustrated by "lantern slides" (as reported, here, p.93). Could be a trail worth to follow! However; not by me. Again; running short of time ...
--
 
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As I came accross Alma in Eponym maybe a retry or simply accept Alma Creek (= Jack's Creek). The Type is no help either. Sure not to search in context with Mary Forrest Smith and/or possible children. They maried 30. June 1914 far later than 1898. I see no Alma in context with Clinton Hart Merriam (1855 - 1942) and Virginia Elizabeth (Gosnell) Merriam (1863 - 1937) . Not sure about children of Robert Ridgway and Julia Evelyn Parker but it seems only one son here.
 
I support Marks inspired finding that this is a toponym: other non avian species with the same distribution have this epithet.
ie

no.1-15 (1872-1877);Suppl.1-3 (1898-1900) - Lepidoptera, rhopaloceres and heteroceres, indigenous and exotic - Biodiversity Heritage Library

The Biodiversity Heritage Library works collaboratively to make biodiversity literature openly available to the world as part of a global biodiversity community.
www.biodiversitylibrary.org www.biodiversitylibrary.org

Even Oberholtser corrected himself in later years in using the common name - he was always correct in the Latin.

The survey area was called Alma for the same reason there is an Alma River in New Zealand. Also see here. Alma apparently means apple in Tatar.
 
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I think today's Key is pretty comprehensive considering what (little) we truly know ...
almae
● Female eponym; dedicatee not yet identified (Oberholser, 1898, Auk, 15, p. 304: "Alma's Thrush") (cf. (1) "Alma Thrush" of Oberholser 1938, which also, however, included, e.g. "Bicknell Thrush" and "Forster Tern"; (2) Alma Creek (= Jack's Creek), Elko County, Nevada, USA (Mark Brown in litt.)) (syn. Catharus ustulatus).
[...]
Click to expand...

PScofield said:
I support Marks inspired finding that this is a toponym: other non avian species with the same distribution have this epithet.
[...]
Even Oberholtser corrected himself in later years in using the common name - he was always correct in the Latin.

The survey area was called Alma for the same reason there is an Alma River in New Zealand. Also see here. Alma means apple in Tatar.
Click to expand...
If a toponym, and if "he was always correct in the Latin", wouldn't he have named it 'almaensis' (or something similar) ... ?

Note that the scientific name of the Bug/Insect was (Melitaea) "alma", not almæ, like the trush (both from/of 1898).

I'd keep looking for a Mrs/Miss Alma ...

Björn

PS. But, I cannot understand what an Apple, in Crimean/Tatar language, has to do with "our" almae ... :unsure:
 
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Björn Bergenholtz said:
If a toponym, and if "he was always correct in the Latin", wouldn't he have named it 'almaensis' (or something similar) ... ?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. Using an adjective in -ensis is a way to make a name an "obvious" toponym (because the suffix means "of or from" a place), but there is nothing really wrong with a simple genitive. The difference is more or less like saying "Swedish birds" (aves svecicae, adjectival) vs. "birds of Sweden" (aves Sveciae, genitive).
It's true that Oberholser mainly used adjectives (in -ensis, -e, but also in -anus, -a, -um) for toponyms, but his Anthreptes malacensis anambae Oberholser 1917 from Anamba Islands here shows that the possibility of an occasional genitive should not be excluded.

That said, if a mere toponym, his apparently refusal to explain the name to Richmond in 1898 is indeed a bit hard to understand.
 
It's true that Oberholser mainly used adjectives (in -ensis, -e, but also in -anus, -a, -um) for toponyms, but his Anthreptes malacensis anambae Oberholser 1917 from Anamba Islands here shows that the possibility of an occasional genitive should not be excluded.

That said, if a mere toponym, his apparently refusal to explain the name to Richmond in 1898 is indeed a bit hard to understand.
Click to expand...
Thanks Laurent. For instance if you had a daughter out of wedlock or if you had a mistress. Naming a bird for them is awkward. Meriam named his daughter Zenaida possibly after Charles Bonaparte's wife? Ridgway named his son Audubon Ridgway. I see that Jeome Bonaparte took part in the Battle of Alma. Meaning little.
 
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