Ptilinopus mercierii (1 Viewer)

cuckooroller · Mar 5, 2012

Rick,
I am with you on this. I read French and that is the sense that I got of it. Monsieur, or initial of the first name, who knows? One can, however, surmise that Mercier was a man, not a woman. A woman doing that sort of work would have been remarked upon back then.

Susan Manchester · Mar 5, 2012

The only reason I mention the possibility of his name being Lemercier or Le Mercier is that I came up on this when searching for him under Botany:
Lemercier
Iles Marquises, Noukahiva
Sticta carpoloma

(Unfortunately, still no first name)
Actually, with the exception of his first name, I almost know more about Mr Mercier or Lemercier than anyone on my list, thanks to all of you!

mb1848 · Mar 5, 2012

His first name starts with a P. See page 222.
http://botany.si.edu/pacificislandbiodiversity/marquesasflora/WagLor1997Intro.pdf .
Perhaps the LeMercier is a confusion with Mister LeBastard who collected plants there in 1844?

Susan Manchester · Mar 5, 2012

I will proceed with the P initial for his first name, mb1848. However, this is the entry that they have for Le Batard (can't find his first name either, I just realized):
Le Batard
Iles Marquises, Noukahiva 1844
chirurguien en second de la Reine Blanche

I could not find a translation for the last line.

SteveO43 · Mar 5, 2012

Susan Manchester said:
I will proceed with the P initial for his first name, mb1848. However, this is the entry that they have for Le Batard (can't find his first name either, I just realized):
Le Batard
Iles Marquises, Noukahiva 1844
chirurguien en second de la Reine Blanche

I could not find a translation for the last line.

I believe it relates to the second doctor (surgeon) on the ship La Reine Blanche (White Queen). From the Lonely Planet website on Tahiti and Polynesia

France was already effectively in control of the Marquesas, and the deportation of the two French missionaries from Tahiti was considered a national insult. Demands, claims, counterclaims, payments and apologies shuttled back and forth until 1842, when Rear Admiral Dupetit-Thouars arrived in La Reine Blanche, pointed his guns at Pape'ete and took power. Queen Pomare was forced to yield to the French, and soldiers and Catholic missionaries were promptly landed.

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/tahiti-and-french-polynesia/history#257489#ixzz1oHZdu2XS

Googling la Reine Blanche will get you a lot of information about the Catherine Deneuve movie and the restaurant in Paris

mb1848 · Mar 5, 2012

"can't find his first name either"
J-B.
page 139 of
http://books.google.com/books?id=dq...la+Reine+Blanche+Batard&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Jean-Baptiste.
Page 442 of
http://books.google.com/books?id=jp...Le+Bâtard+Reine+Blanche&source=gbs_navlinks_s .

Susan Manchester · Mar 6, 2012

Steve, thank you so much for giving me an accurate translation of the information about Le Batard! Now I have another trail to follow. I have so many tabs open for all of this that they cover the whole screen!

Susan Manchester · Mar 8, 2012

MB1848, I was lucky enough to find several sites that gave me great historical information on Rear Admiral Dupetit-Thoars, and the happenings in Tahiti (not so much on Le Batard, but I am still looking). Thank you for the great tip!

Susan Manchester · Mar 24, 2012

I finally found this information. The collector Mercier's name is Marie Philippe, and he is on the list of collectors for the Whitney South Sea Expedition. I will be looking into that further, as he is going on my list of bird names. Jean-Baptiste Le Batard was the surgeon 2nd class on the frigate la Reine Blanche (White Queen).

Capreolus · Mar 25, 2012

The Whitney South Sea Expedition??? That was conducted by the American Museum of Natural History (New York) in the 1920s!!!

Although collectors from the Whitney Expedition visited and collected birds for the AMNH in the Marquesas (including the last specimens of Ptilinopus mercierii, in 1921 and 1922), Mercier couldn't possibly have been one of them...he had been there 73 years before!

Susan Manchester · Mar 25, 2012

I have been looking at this information every single day since I posted this query. When I spotted the information below, I was so excited, I lost my objectivity. When you look at this, you will see why I jumped to the conclusion that I did.

BIRDS OF THE WHITNEY EXPEDITION. XXXIV
Long-tailed Cuckoo (Urodynamis taitensis)
May 28, 1923.-i ec, June 4, 1923.-i 9, Apataki, June 9, 1923.-i c, Takahau,
June 21, 1923 (all Whitney S. S. Exp.).
(5) MARQUESAS ISLANDS:-2 specimens, Nukuhiva, 1848, by M. Mercier (Mus. d'Hist. Nat., Paris)

Fimbristylis juncea var. separanda
http://collections.si.edu/search/results.jsp?q=record_ID:nmnhbotany_2657567

Santalum insulare var. alticola
http://collections.si.edu/search/results.jsp?q=record_ID:nmnhbotany_2649821

Scaevola subcapitata
http://collections.si.edu/search/results.jsp?q=record_ID:nmnhbotany_2647344

Tephrosia purpurea var. purpurea
http://botany.si.edu/pacificislandb...cepithet=purpurea&rank=var.&epithet1=purpurea

Casuarina equisetifolia subsp. equisetifolia, Lycopodiella cernua, Byttneria
http://www.herbier-tahiti.pf/aff_collecteur.php

Nicotiana fatuhivensis
http://botany.si.edu/pacificislandb...&specificepithet=fatuhivensis&rank=&epithet1=

Heliotropium marchionicum
http://persoon.si.edu/pacificisland...&specificepithet=marchionicum&rank=&epithet1=

Taphrospilus · Sep 30, 2016

Maybe it is worth to think about Elysée Mercier de Coppet ( 1802 - 1863 ). Do not have an opinion yet about this botanist and if he worked in Paris before Geneve.

Björn Bergenholtz · Sep 30, 2016

Maybe, maybe not ...

I think the Initials letter of "M. Mercier" (i.e. Mr., Monsieur Mercier) is "J. Mercier" (here)

But it´s just a guess.

---

Taphrospilus · Sep 30, 2016

Calalp said:
Maybe, maybe not ...

I think the Initials letter of "M. Mencier" (i.e. Mr., Monsieur Mencier) is "J. Mercier" (here)

But it´s just a guess.
---

Here is written:

Collector's name: J.Mercier
Collection date: 1978-1

A long life if he is honored already in 1849 here. An Ethiopia is far away from the location where the dove was collected.

Elysée Mercier was at least in 1856 in Paris here.

Björn Bergenholtz · Sep 30, 2016

And here it says "1847".

Not such a long life. And not far away.

Taphrospilus · Oct 1, 2016

The label just shows only M. Mercier 1847 and Îles Marquises (Noukhiva). So J. might be an error on the Web Page based on the Ethiopian collector. But finally I don't know. Anyway the bird in question here. And look as well here E. Mercier 1848 and Valparaiso. And the corvette Venus was in Valparaiso.

Björn Bergenholtz · Oct 1, 2016

Taphrospilus said:
..1848 and Valparaiso. And the corvette Venus was in Valparaiso.

Yes, but in 1837.

This one is to messy for my taste. I give up, and will leave it here.

Good luck solving Mr. Mercier!

Taphrospilus · Oct 1, 2016

I agree very confusing. Neverless brought me back to...

James Jobling said:
PRÉVOST, Florent d. 1870 French naturalist who worked at the natural history museum, Paris from 1832-70 as an artist. A subspecies of Ptilonopus [sic] mercierii was named for him in 1849

Where is this dove described in 1849 honoring Prévost?

Taphrospilus · Oct 10, 2016

Maybe here (French Polynesia and Elysée Mercier) makes him more likely. And here is written:

M. Dr. Mercier de Coppet, physician of the school of Paris

or in french here

Mercier de Coppet, médecin de l'école de Paris

and here

Membres de la Société homoepathique francaise

Nevertheless I think de Coppet is not part of his name but and indication that he was born in Coppet.

JustinJansen · Oct 10, 2016

All I can add that M. Mercier donated birds in June/July 1848 to the MNHN, and that they originate all from the Marquesas, and the total number is 25 birds from that donation. They include the type.
The type is here: http://sciencepress.mnhn.fr/sites/default/files/articles/pdf/z2004n1a8.pdf at page 118.
And it's photo's are here: https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/zo/item/mo-1848-321?listIndex=2&listCount=31

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