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Who´s commemorated in Caprimulgus fossii ? (1 Viewer)

Björn Bergenholtz

Björn Bergenholtz

(former alias "Calalp")
Sweden
Let´s have a quick (?) look at "Fosse's Nightjahr" a k a "Foss's Nightjahr" and the all obscure eponym ...

fossii as in:
• Square-tailed /Gabon/ Mozambique nightjar Caprimulgus fossii HARTLAUB 1857 (here) as [Caprimulgus] "Fossii, J. Verr." ... no dedication, no explanation, nothing (at least not that I could spot, with my limited knowledge of German, it´s a looong intro).

Today's HBW Alive Key tells us nothing more than:
fossii
W. Fosse (fl. 1856) German collector in tropical Africa (Caprimulgus).
Click to expand...
... in line with the "W. Fosse" (but without the "German" part) in the Eponym Dictionary of Birds (2014), here.

However, clearly we´re aiming for a certain Mr. Fosse in some way linked to Jules Verreaux and/or the Museum/town Bremen, in Germany! The types, from Gabon, (a male and a female) appear to have been housed in "Mus. Brem. [most likely today's UMB (Übersee-Museum Bremen)]. Another specimen collected in Gabon (by an unknown, in 1862) ended up in Museum of Zoology, Strasbourg, France (MZS), here.

Hartlaub also mentioned him here, (JfO, 1861): here, pp.11, 101, 102,, 174, 265, 274, simply as "Fosse".

The only other traces of a Mr. "Fosse" connected/linked to Gabon and Verreaux (that I´ve found) is here and here. And according to this review, of a book by "Du Chaillu", he was French!

Anyone who know any details (whatever small or large) on this guy and this "his" bird?

And: does anyone know where to find the "unjustified emendation of spelling" Caprimulgus "fossei" HARTERT 1897 ... ?

Björn
 
Thanks Laurent, that must be it (even if the years, and author/s doesn't match ... ;))

Unfortunately it gave us no new info (or clues) regarding Mr. Fosse (not that I can tell anyway), ... which was what I´d hoped for (the only reason for adding that question).

Well, well, the search goes on ...
--
 
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It's quite frequent that this type of emendation is repeated again and again. (And it's often not possible to tell for sure whether the successive instances are independent or not.)
"Hartert 1897" is probably the Podargidae-Caprimulgidae-Macropterygidae volume of Das Tierreich [here]. (No additional info there either.)
 
Sorry guys, I cannot get any further on this one. Too many Fosses out there; choreographer Bob Fosse, Author Jon Fosse and whatever water-filled fosse that enemy troops would have to cross. Also a word of its own, in various languages ... sigh!

I´ll leave Monsieur Fosse here, in the dusk.

If anyone still keen on searching: Good luck!
 
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You are a hard guy to follow today, Martin ...

Quote from where? Who claims: "after W. Fosse, a German collector in Gabon (Roberts, 2009, pp.269)" ...!?
What paper by Roberts?
 
Too many maybes, uncertainties and question marks, for my taste ... as of now I feel we're on a slippery slope.

Remember that, this far, that single W (as in post #1) is one of very clues we have on this guy (even if I, as well, don´t know its origin). That single letter (presumably his initial) is all we've got, and the African connection, (+ Hartlaub) of course. That´s all.

In any case: wouldn´t it be wiser to rule out any possible "W. Fosse", before adding any de la/Dela/de La-part to the search? This as no such part (and not even the W) was included in the first, earliest sources that mentioned him (and thereby such later additions may be totally irrelevant). Simply as a start.

Onwards I think it could be worth, a bit more fruitful, to also consider searching for a possible Guillaume Fosse (Guillaume/William/Wilhelm = W.) alt. its respective versions de la/Dela... or a "M." ditto, like this one, here (this as a scribbled W easily could have been turned into an M, or if a Printer had put it upside down). Even consider such an erroneous M. ... as in Monsieur?

Also worth having in mind is; the type location, "Gabon". In those days, (as I understand it!?) it was part of Afrique Équatoriale (Française), French Equatorial Africa, at that point not a Nation of its own.

Just some thoughts ...

Keep digging!

/B

PS. And here´s a real long-shot (on a thinkable, possible clue?): anyone have any idea of what species "Vieta Desfossei" is/was? And from when?
--
 
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Taphrospilus said:
Maybe Roberts Bird Guide?
Click to expand...

That would be "Roberts, 2016" though. If you're looking for a "Roberts" book from 2009 then this one fits the bill. Except that it's about Kruger Park and its surroundings, which makes a link to Gabon unlikely.

However on the plus side, it would have more than 266 pages. Google Books doesn't allow searching the book and it's not available from the libraries I have local access to, so if anybody else wants to look on page 266 of the book they're welcome to do so.
 
Calalp said:
Remember that, this far, that single W (as in post #1) is one of very clues we have on this guy (even if I, as well, don´t know its origin). That single letter (presumably his initial) is all we've got, and the African connection, (+ Hartlaub) of course. That´s all.


Also worth having in mind is; the type location, "Gabon". In those days, (as I understand it!?) it was part of Afrique Équatoriale (Française), French Equatorial Africa, at that point not a Nation of its own.
Click to expand...

If we look here Hartlaub wrote:


Ich folge nur dem Drange aufrichtigster Dankbarkeit, wenn ich hier vor allen Anderen Jules Verreaux nenne. Unvergesslich werden mir die Stunden bleiben, welche ich im glücklichsten Wechselverkehr gleichartiger Bestrebungen und rückhaltlos schöpfend aus dem reichen Quell seiner praktischen Erfahrung,seiner unvergleichligen Specialkenntniss, unter dem gastlichen Dache dieses trefflichen Gelehrten verlebt habe.
Click to expand...

As correctly pointed out post #1 J. Verr. was mentioned as part of OD. So it is possible that Hartlaub used a MS from the esteemed Jules Verreaux and Verreaux was the one have given the name. Verreaux also was in close connection with the MNHN.


Later (same page) Hartlaub wrote:

Der nahe liegende Wunsch, die gerade an africanischen Typen so reiche Sammlung des Jardin des Plantes vor Abschluss meines Manuscriptes noch ein mal vergleichen zu können, führten mich später nach Paris, wo unter so vielen Anderen der durch Neuheit und Mannigfaltigkeit gleich überraschende ornithologische Reichthum Gabon's, die sehr sehr beträchtliche Ausbeute der Brüder Verreaux, ....
Click to expand...

From the OD we do not even know if a collector named Fosse (or however his name was) was active in Gabon. If the label of the specimen contains the name Fosse is unknown to me and even if the bird could come from his private collection without having been at all in Gabon. Therefore it is possible that Hartlaub assumed that there was a collector named Fosse (or whatever name). All W. or German, collector in Gabon is to vague for me.

Note: fossé (french) = ditch. Maybe (even if Björn don't like this word ;)) it is not even an eponym.
 
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