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Herr Humboldt and his Penguin … in German (1 Viewer)

Björn Bergenholtz

Björn Bergenholtz

(former alias "Calalp")
Sweden
I think there is little doubt that the Humboldt Penguin Spheniscus humboldti MEYEN 1834 (a k a "Peruvian Penguin") commemorate the well-known German aristocrat, scientist and famous explorer Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859).

Now I´m only looking for a "good quote" that verifies this, and hopefully adds something "fun" to read ...

The type description of this Penguin, by the German ornithologist Franz Meyen, was published in 1834, in: Beiträge zur Zoologie, gesammelt auf einer Reise um die Erde. Vierte abhandlung: Vögel. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlichen Leopoldinisch-Carolinischen Akademie der Natur-Forsher/Novorum Actorum Academia Caesarea Leopoldino-Carolinae Naturae Curisorum (8, suppl. 1) 16: 59-124 (Attached pp. 110-112; "Spheniscus Humboldti").

In this text Herr (Mr.) Meyen writes (and it does, from what I understand of German, looks like a truly good quote):
"Dieser ausserordentlich schöne Pinguin, welchen wir häufig im Hafen von Callao gesehen haben, ist schon von Herrn Alexander von Humboldt bei seinem Aufenthalte in jenem Hafen beobachtet worden; und wir haben daher den ausgezeichneten Vogel mit dem Namen seines ersten Beobachters belegt. Möge man diess als einen kleinen Beitrag zu dem grossen Monumente ansehen, welches sich jener grosse Naturforscher auf dem neuen Festlande gesetzt hat.

Auf dem Reise-Journale des Herrn Alex. von Humboldt, welcher die Güt gehabt hat, uns dasselbe zur Benutzung zu übergeben, theilen wir noch die Beobachtung mit, dass zwischen Männchen und Weibchen kein Unterschied herrscht. Das Thier wird in der Gefangschaft so ausserordentlich zahm, dass es auf den Höfen der Indier den Kindern gleich einem Hunde nachläuft."
Click to expand...
With only limited knowledge of German I hope that anyone of Bird Forums readers feel like translating this quote for me!? If so, please as accurate as possible, as I would like to quote it myself in Swedish. And don´t hesitate to remark on any errors that I might have done transcribing it.

Anyone of our German knowing friends "out there" feel like having a go?

And is there anything more in this text, not to miss, regarding Mr. Humboldt and this, "his" Penguin?
 

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Here's my translation of your quote:

"This unusually beautiful penguin, which we have seen frequently in the harbour of Callao, has been observed by Mr Alexander von Humboldt during his stay in that harbour, and we have therefore put the name of its first observer on the ouststanding bird. [I'm not entirely sure in which sense they mean `ausgezeichnet' here...] May this be viewed as a small contribution to the great monument which that great natural researcher has erected to himself on the new mainland."

"From the travel journal of Mr Alex. von Humboldt, who was kind enough to hand over the same for our use, we communicate the observation that there is no difference between male and female animals. The animal becomes so tame in captivity that on the farms of the `Indier' [I'm confused by this - it's not a German word. There is `Inder' (somebody from India) and `Indianer' (the other kind of Indian).] it follows the children like a dog."

Andrea
 
Thanks Andrea!

You´re more than kind!

This will be enough to close my entry on this "his" Penguin.

von Humboldt ... over and out!

PS. I really liked the "... follows the children like a dog" part.
 
"ausgezeichnet" here likely means simply "indicated" or "designated." Adelung also gives the meaning "drawn," "sketched"; is the text in question here illustrated?
"Indier" is simply an older from of the German "Inder," meaning "Indians [native inhabitants]."
"Festland" hear means not "mainland" but "continent."
 
l_raty said:
yes, it is.
But Andrea's translation as "oustanding" (excellent, splendid, admirable...) fits quite well in the context, I think (cf. "ausserordentlich schöne Pinguin").
Click to expand...

I very much agree, and so there must now be a pun somewhere in there about 'Current Humboldt'....;)
MJB
 
I am indeed aware of the many meanings of `ausgezeichnet'. I picked one which I liked best for the context, but I put a pointer in my translation that other options might have been intended.

I did research `Indier' but briefly. I can assure you, however, that in modern German `Inder' means somebody from India, and the term of `Indians' as the native inhabitants of the Americas is `Indianer'. I thought under the circumstances it was best to leave the original in place and relate it to the two modern terms closest to it.

Andrea
 
Could "ausgezeichnet" not also mean "described" in this context? They have awarded the name of Humboldt to the described bird as a way of honouring it's first observer. The language used throughout the paragraph is very "Amtssprache" (official language) used in reports with lots of use of wessen and dessen which means "of which "and whose", so like anywhere else in the world, report writing followed certain rules, which would not necessarily be used in normal prose.
 
The rest of the text is a description of the bird including quite detailed measurements in Füße und Zoll, feet and inches. If I have time, I'll attempt to translate it.
 
Thanks Andy!

Well done, but I do not need (on my behalf, that is) any further translations, but thanks for offering it!

And just for the fun of it. Here´s the "ausgezeichnet" Penguin, from Meyens original description 1834.

Cheers!
 

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