Etymology of some Auks (1 Viewer)

Amendment due to slippery fingers …

l_raty said:

The British Museum has a page about a Captain Frederick Franks, albeit not with much info.

[Here], Uria francsii is a nomen nudum; but not in the Trans. Linn. Soc.: there, the footnoted reference to Sabine's description is technically enough to make the name available. Note that the Richmond Index dates both Trans. Linn. Soc. names (Sabine's and Leach's, thus) from 1819.

"[...], so wünschte ich ihn nach dem Freunde, dessen Gefälligkeit ich manche nordische Seltenheit verdanke, Uria Motzfeldi genannt."
"[...], then I wish it to be named Uria Motzfeldi, after the friend to whose kindness I owe more than one nordic rarity."

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Thanks Laurent for pointing out the obvious!

francsii
● … in the invalid "Uria Francsii"
= the fairly unknown British military/naval Captain (in the Royal Navy) Frederick Franks (fl. 1844), who also could call himself; printmaker; painter (watercolourist) and draughtsman ... as earlier, Post No. #34.

Sorry for that misspelled first name! As anyone saw in the linked text, there´s (of course!) no extra, odd r, in his Christian name. My slip of finger!

PS. According to Laurent's British Museum link he was a k a Frederic Franks.

Superb work, Laurent!

l_raty said:

Winge (1898):

The quoted German text comes from [here] (it doesn't cite Motzfeldt's name, hence I initially overlooked it), and is about a Great Auk that Benicken also received thanks to his friendship with--it now appears--the same Motzfeldt. Thus the "Freund" was "Direktor des grönländischen Handels".
Ostermann (ed.) 1942 [pdf] (a miniature showing Motzfeldt is reproduced on p.146):

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motzfeldi
● … the invalid "Uria motzfeldi" BENICKEN 1824 [syn. Cepphus grylle LINNAEUS 1758].
= the Norwegian (alt. Norwegian-Danish?), Danish Civil servant, Trade Inspector (in North-Eastern Greenland) Peter Hanning Motzfeldt (1774–1835), Director of the Kgl. Grønlandske Handel (Danish; Royal Greenlandic Trade), that also incl. the Trade of Faroe Islands.

He was born as Peter Hanning the 13th of December 1774, in Skogn, Trøndelag (central Norway), Son of Lorentz Marcus Hanning and Marie Sopie Motzfeldt (whose name he later, granted by the King, added to his own). He studied Law in Copenhagen, graduated in 1794 and was sent, as Inspector to Northern Greenland in 1801, married in 1820 and so on… and Peter Hanning Motzfeldt died 7 October 1835.

And, just for the fun of it, attached; the (well found, Laurent!) picture of the man in question.

Cheers!

PS. The Motzfeldt Sø alt. Motzfeldt Lake (i. e. Kangerdluarssúngûp Taserssua) is commemorating Peter Motzfeldt (1910–71), most likely a late relative of "our guys" wife. It, or he, has nothing to do with the Auk.

l_raty said:

... But Richmond suggests this is but a spelling mistake for the previous one, and this makes sense to me (cf. Benicken's 1824 description: "Das ganze Gefieder rußfarbig schwarz, am unterleibe etwas in Graue übergehend, die Schwungfedern bräunlich schwarz", "The whole plumage sooty black, on the underparts grading somewhat into grey, the flight feathers brownish black"). If so the name has no separate availability (and of course there is no reason to expect it to be described the proper way anywhere, nor to look for a "Mr. Mansfeld" that would be associated to this bird).

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Nutcracker said:

At a guess, mansfeldi could be a typo / misremembered spelling for motzfeldi?

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On the "Mansfeld" subject (if there ever was such a person!?) I have nothing to add, though I find it a very odd typo, or missrememberance!?

However; "Mansfeld" will be left in the shades (... at least by me).

Once again: thanks!
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Yet another amendment

Calalp said:

PS. The Motzfeldt Sø alt. Motzfeldt Lake (i. e. Kangerdluarssúngûp Taserssua) is commemorating Peter Motzfeldt (1910–71), most likely a late relative of "our guys" wife. It, or he, has nothing to do with the Auk.

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Commenting myself ... even if not important regarding the Auks.
:h?:
Slip of tounge. Of course not a relative of his "wife" (i. e. Emilie Wilhelmine, born Ernst) ... Peter Motzfeldt (1910-1971) is most likely a late relative of them both.

PS. Obituary of him (here), in Danish.

And finally (!) the one, the very one eponym that started me on this whole, lingering, seemingly "never-ending" thread:

troille/troile
● … in the invalid "Colymbus Troille" LINNAEUS 1761, "Uria Troille" BRÜNNICH 1864 and the subsequent (misspelled or not) "Colymbus Troile" LINNAEUS 1766 [all three syn. Uria lomvia LINNAEUS 1758] as well as "Uria troile" OGILVIE-GRANT 1898 and "Uria troille troille" RIDGWAY 1919 [both syn. Uria aalge PONTOPPIDAN 1763]
= most likely the Swedish Politician, Priest, Bishop and Dr. (PhD in theology) Samuel von Troil (1706–1764)*, whose original name (before he was ennobled in 1756) was "simply" Samuel Troilius – Bishop in Västerås from 1751 to 1758 and thereafter Archbishop of Uppsala till his death.

When Linnaeus coined this name (without any dedication whatsoever, no hints, no nothing) I think it simply was a polite (or fussy?) gesture to the (fairly) new Archbishop in Uppsala (Upsala), Sweden, where Linnaeus lived, worked and wrote (the second edition of) his Fauna Svecica 1761 – where the name appeared for the first time. It might also be worth considering the fact that this von Troil at that time, recently had been appointed a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (founded in 1739 by Linnaeus et al.) as the well-known fact that Linnaeus (himself from a family lined with Priests) always was aware of the very need and great importance of keeping a good relation to Men of Power (both Earthly and Heavenly) as, if for no other reasons, Sponsors in spe. Who knows?

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The BOU (1915) surely must have assumed wrong when they noted troile/troille as: "Possibly a compliment to Troil, the Icelander"!?

That "Troil" was (as I understand it): Uno von Troil (1746–1803), the Son of the above, but I find it hard to belive that Linnaeus should have commemorated him in any way. He, Uno, was only 15 years old when Linnaeus coined the name "Colymbus Troille" in 1761. And Uno made his famous journey to Island (together with Joseph Banks, the Linnaean disciple Daniel Solander and others) in 1772, and the notes from this trip wasn´t published until five years later (Bref rörande en resa till Island) 1777, thereafter translated to several languages incl. German, French and English (Letters on Iceland 1780). First thereafter could he ever had been known as anything like "The Icelander". Clearly making it impossible for him to be in any connection to either Island or this bird at the time when Linnaeus coined the name.

More noteworthy is also that the latter, Uno (and his other siblings) wasn´t introduced into Swedish Nobility (on their fathers behalf) until 1776. Before that his name was "simply" Uno Troilius. The BOU suggestion might be a little bit more understandable considering that Uno also became Archbishop in Uppsala (1786–1803), then known as Uno von Troil.

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*Not to be confused with his grandson (and Uno's nephew) Samuel von Troil (1803–1880)

Continuation of the last one ...

... the invalid "Colymbus Troille" LINNAEUS 1761 and "Colymbus Troile" LINNAEUS 1766 [syn. Uria lomvia LINNAEUS 1758]

The simple reason why Linnaeus didn´t place this bird with the other Auks in Alca was that he had no experience of this species himself (not in 1761, nor later), simply trusting earlier authors. Linnaeus's main source was a certain Mr. Martin [= Anton Rolandsson Martin (1729–1785), the first Swedish Natural history explorer that visited Spitsbergen in 1758] who in his Diary, that Linnaeus clearly had access to (even if it wasn´t published until 1882), wrote:

"Ett nytt species Colymbus sköts här på havet emellan isarne, som icke förr blifvit rätt beskrivet. […] Han skall heta Colymbus glacialis, pedibus palmatis tridactylis, corpore nigro, subtus albo, remigibus secundariis apice albis. Synonym. Martens. 57 tab. M. fig. a.: sedermera upptagen i Linn. Fauna svec., nya edit., under n 149 med namn Colymbus Troille."

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… that would be translated to something like:

"A new species of Colymbus was here shot at sea, between the ices, that has not before been properly described. […] He shall be named Colymbus glacialis, pedibus palmatis tridactylis, corpore nigro, subtus albo, remigibus secundariis apice albis. Synonym. Martens. 57 tab. M. fig. a.: thereafter included in Linnaeus's Fauna svec. new edition [1761], under No. 149 by name Colymbus Troille."

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In this text Mr. Martin gives a very detailed and fully accurate description of today's Uria lomvia. Noteworthy is that he himself calls it: "… denna lom …" ("… this Loon …"). The last sentence in the quote is naturally added later.

Linnaeus thereby placed this "Troille" with the other "Divers" in Colymbus – together with more familiar species. as for example; "Colymbus arcticus" (today's Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica a k a Arctic/Black-throated Loon) and "Colymbus cristatus" (today's Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus) … similar-shaped bills, similar body-shapes, all excellent divers.

Note: In Linnaeus's correspondence with Edwards we find Confirmation that Linnaeus did receive the info by Mr. Martin (here), in 1758.

Cheers!

Round off ...

Time to "wrap it up" ...

Who could have expected this, a tread of this many posts regarding various etymologies of Auks … I sure didn´t! It all started with one single eponym, a simple try hoping to figure out and trace down the latter, that certain Swedish Arch Bishop!? I sure hope the next eponym is a bit more straight-forward.

Thanks to all you guys "out there"; Laurent, Niels, Richard, Edward, Paul and "Nutcracker", helping, responding and questioning in this matter! :t:

Well, that´s all ... at least on my behalf. I´m done (… on this one).

The Auks … over and out!

PS. Please feel free to expand and re-open this thread anytime, whenever needed … with whatever small (or large) etymological addition or with any Auk not yet included.

PPS. And just for the fun of it; check out Chester Reed's The Bird Book 1915. There´s apparently quite a few Auks out there!

Not a scientific name, but what about Tystie (UK) / Tejst (DK) / Teista (IS) / Teisti (FO) / Teiste (NO) ?

Nutcracker said:

Not a scientific name, but what about Tystie (UK) / Tejst (DK) / Teista (IS) / Teisti (FO) / Teiste (NO) ?

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... and tejst in Swedish dialect's, on the West Coast! In line with its Norwegian teist and Icelandic teista (þeisti alt. þeista). Even the Danes call it tejst or tejste.

It is probably an Old Norse name [for the Black Guillemot (Uria) Cepphus grylle], most likely onomatopetic after its fine, piping sound ("like small mice", according to Lars Svensson).

The Finnish-Swedish Etymologist Ivar Hortling compared this sound as similar to the: ist ist of the meadow pipit Anthus pratensis.

Just a suggestion …

I saw that Jobling is hesitating, or reluctant, regarding Mr. Franks (or Francs) in …

● francsii (see post No. #34, #35 and# 41) … this eponym is, at this point, not even included in his HBW Alive Key?

Can we be looking for this" Captain Frederick Franks R.N." (Royal Navy), Father of the well-known Museum keeper and collector Augustus Wollaston Franks (1826-1897)?

The latter Franks (Sir Wollaston Franks) was connected to British Museum for a period of 46 years, and has been called "… arguably the most important collector in the history of the British Museum, and one of the greatest collectors of his age".

Sir Wollaston Franks's mother was Frederica Anne (née Sebright). Mayby a way to find the years of "our" Frederick? If it´s him … ?

Just an idea?

And: Good luck trying to trace him!

I am still hesitant about Fred. Franks RN (on the basis of the original description I have edited the Key entry from franksii to francsii). I would be happier if Capt. Franks was known to be on patrol/duty in the North Sea in the early 19th century.

Ok, James ...

James Jobling said:

I am still hesitant about Fred. Franks RN (on the basis of the original description I have edited the Key entry from franksii to francsii). I would be happier if Capt. Franks was known to be on patrol/duty in the North Sea in the early 19th century.

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So he did was present, hiding under (a now deleted?) "franksii", and not, like today, under francsii … that´s why I couldn’t find him in the HBW Alive Key!

I hope you noted my several question-marks in Post No. #50. I´m also reluctant if "our" Frederick Franks is, or was, in any way, related to Sir Wollaston Franks. It was no claim, just an idea, an opening for a "wild-goose-chase" … sometimes worth the effort. Sir Wollaston Franks's Father might be a simple namesake, with no link whatsoever to the Auk [and by the way, in any case; he didn´t "fl. 1844", like I stated there, he died that year!].

I sure also would like to see any link to the North Atlantic before even starting to suggest he´s our guy! Your hesitation is most definitely understandable!

All we know, for certain, regarding francsii is no more than what I claimed in Post No. #34: i. e. Mr. Frederick Franks [+ Esq.] ... and nothing more! No occupational title, no years, no nationality. Not for sure, not this far, anyway. Also see two later articles by Leach himself, in the Journal Annals of Philosophy 1819 here and here.

However; I wouldn´t write "… who discovered Brünnich’s Guillemot near the Faeroes" … easy to interpret as he was the person that discovered the Species (today's U. lomvia).

Cheers!

And; Good luck trying to find him! Also to anyone else giving it a try ...

Björn

PS. I will have to leave dear old Mr. Franks here, in the dusk, but check the following links: here (... in company with "Captain [Henry] Kater") and here. It might give anyone some little clues to keep digging!?

Thanks for the interesting links. Fancy finding Franks in the accounts for the House of Commons! I think we may safely claim that this is the Franks we are after, since he was in the North Sea/North Atlantic in the right period. I have edited the HBWAlive Key accordingly. Franks was probably the first collector to come across Brünnich's Guillemot on the Færoes, but have amended 'collected' to 'shot.' Sir Wollaston is of no interest to us in ornithology (altho' he is very famous), but Fred was undoubtedly his father.

You´re welcome, James!

Sorry, I couldn´t stay away! When you confirmed that this ball is rolling it´s simply impossible to keep ones fingers still …

I knew it! Or at least I had a hunch ... I did thought so!

francsii
● … in the invalid "Uria Francsii" LEACH 1819 [syn. Uria lomvia LINNAEUS 1758]
= the British (English) Naval Officer, later Captain Frederick Franks (1793/4-1844), that (as Lieutenant) accompanied his colleauge Captain Henry Kater on an Expedition to the Færoe Islands in 1818 (for determining the length of the pendulum). At the same time he shot specimens of various birds (for example an Oystercatcher, a Common Gull, a skua and this "his own" "Franks's Guilemot") that promptly was delivered to Leach and the British Museum.

Captain Frederick Franks could also title himself drafter, draughtsman, printer and Artist, or painter; mostly water colourist – with works (from the Færoe's, North America and Italy) present in various Art collections.

He was born in 1793 or 1794 (no dates), and he later apparently married two (!?) daughters of the (7th) Baronet Sir John Saunders Seebright (1767–1846); first he married Emily in 1822 (she died the same year) and then her older sister Frederica Anne, with whom he had six children, two Sons and four daughters, his eldest son (was indeed!) Augustus (later the famous Museum keeper Sir Wollaston Franks), born 1826 in Genoa (Genova), Italy … etc. etc. and Frederick Franks died 8th of May 1844, "… in Baker-st., Portman-sq.", London, at the age of 50.

Voilà! That´s him!

Mr. Franks … finally, over and out!
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Leach thought his name was Francs?
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/13691#page/626/mode/1up .
Sabine called him Franks.
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/13691#page/575/mode/1up .

Yes, Mark, you apparently haven´t read the full thread … no wonder, it is looooong.

The first mentioning ever of his name (yes, as "Francs", as noted way back, in post No. #34) is not really by Leach. It´s from a series of short notes ;"Exctract from the Minute-Book of the Society" where the Secretary (whomever he was?) tells us what happened on the Meeting (Nov. 3) when Leach presented this bird …

Leach coined the name, and was quoted as above, and Sabine used it (the proper way). Both was published, some pages apart, in Transactions of the Linnaean Society, Volume XII (Part the Second, Part II)

See all the other Links, also the ones by Leach personally, where he himself wrote it "Franks".

Björn Bergenholtz said:

You´re welcome, James!
francsii
● … in the invalid "Uria Francsii" LEACH 1819 [syn. Uria lomvia LINNAEUS 1758]
= the British (English) Naval Officer, later Captain Frederick Franks (1793/4-1844), that (as Lieutenant) accompanied his colleauge Captain Henry Kater on an Expedition to the Færoe Islands in 1818 (for determining the length of the pendulum). At the same time he shot specimens of various birds (for example an Oystercatcher, a Common Gull, a skua and this "his own" "Franks's Guilemot") that promptly was delivered to Leach and the British Museum.

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The Eponym Dictionary of Birds claims:--

Franks's Guillemot Uria francsii Sabine, 1817 [Alt. Brünnich's Guillemot/Thick-billed Murre; JS Uria lomvia]
A man named Frederick Franks (DNF) sent a specimen of the guillemot to William Leach (q.v.), who exhibited it at the Linnean Society, London, unaware that it had been described by Linnaeus as Alca lomvia.

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Just re-open as the year of birth seems still not clear. Therefore a next try.

Frederick Franks
Record information.

I just came across this amazing thread, which ties in with some research I'm doing and raises some questions and observations.

auk
W. B. Lockwood (in his Oxford Dictionary of Bird Names, 1993) states that Old Norse alka originally means 'neck', and that the bird is named for its neck-stretching and swaying display on return to its rocks. The mentions the English proverb 'drunk as an auk'.
I see no justification for this in any discussion here. Is it to be dismissed?

Michel Desfayes dismisses this and says the name (auk/alka) is of acoustic origin and that it describes the bird's call ( The Origin of English Names of European Birds and Mammals, 2008). What do you think?

fratercula

The Puffin has this epithet because it looks like a little Brother, or Monk, or Friar, ie a resident of a monastery, a portly white man in a black hood and black cape! Lots of black-capped, black-hooded or black-caped birds have these provincial or dialectal names, (my recent discoveries are Marsh Tit, Blackcap and Avocet).

torda
The agreement seems to be this refers to the bird being associated with a turd, a lump, a small package.
Was there any history in Scandinavia of collecting the 'guano' of these birds, making it a dung-bird?
Or did it just remind (distant) observers of a floating turd in the sea? Or more generally of a lump of something?
Seems very vague and unsatisfactory to me, especially since Linnaeus describes the birds being fearless and swimming to the boat at close range, murmuring! They would have had detailed views of the birds.

Why did Linnaeus describe them in the same sentence as torderna and alca? Is alca the Swedish name and torderna the Gotland dialect name? [And doesn't this look like the odd tadorna referring to the Shelduck? Some of its French variants in Rolland are almost identical, if memory serves me...]

Tord- and tort- in English (from Latin torquere) have the sense of 'twisting', 'turning', 'winding'; do they have no shade of this meaning in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Old Norse?

Oddly the word turd in the Oxford English Dictionary is also a variant of turn, 'to twist'. But this could be a coincidence, and the English/Latin may have no connection to the Scandinavian roots and elements...

tyrdil - [my apologies for being unable to reproduce the characters here]

This I think may be a missing link to the bizarre "turtle [-dove]" and "Greenland dove" and "dovekie" names used for the auks. This to my knowledge has never been explained, and I always thought Irish and Scottish Gaelic dubh (pronounced 'dove') meaning 'black' was the undiscovered link. But this link seems, if anything, stronger, meaning 'a little auk, a little torda'.

colymbus/columbus

Is it therefore possible that the odd connection between dive/dove, Latinised as colymbus/columbus, could be explained by your little auk, tyrdil? Until now I thought that the rising and falling flight-display of the dove might be the link, as it dives from a great height in the air as the others dive through the watery element. But playing on this word as "turtle", as in turtle-dove, would explain everything!

I'd be grateful for any thoughts!

Michael

wiktionary mentions Indo-European "bird" as the basis for auk: this also seems a bit tenuous.
I would guess that the call makes most sense. Lexicographers are rarely birders.