Talking of which, is this (Naturgeschichte der Land- und Wasser-Vogel des nordlichen Deutschlands) available anywhere online, please? I've found various volumes / editions at google books, but nothing dated 1811; BHL doesn't have it, unless a typo is preventing their rather rigid search system from finding it.
"Nutty", the letter/s ä versus a (or vice versa), might confuse, though normally those dots don't cause any problems for most search systems ('rigid', or not), when trying to find most papers, however the one particular publication you ought to look for seems to be:
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Naturgeschichte der Land- und Wasser-Vögel des nördlichen Deutschlands und angränzender Länder, nach eignen Erfahrungen entworfen, und nach dem Leben gezeichnet Vol. IV, Nachtrag (Supplement) "Heft 4" (1811)
And if you do find it, I would also, just like Laurent (and quite a few others, I assume) certainly be interested to have look at it (I haven't seen the OD myself).
For more details of Johann Andreas Naumann and Johann Friedrich Naumann, and their four volumes, from 1795–1803, with eight supplements (
Nachträge) 1804–1817, see pp. 56–61, in the paper:
The Development of Ornithology and Species Knowledge in Central Europe, by Jürgen Haffer (†), Hans Hudde & Brian Hillcoat, in
Bonn zoological Bulletin – Supplementum 59: 1–116, (2013) =
here (it's well worth the read, even if not interested in any certain Bibliography what-so-ever).
Re. the very start (or re-start) of this topic, the very point (or question of) what's pointing ...
Back to this old topic about the etymology of Acrocephalus...
According to James Jobling's dictionary: "Gr. akros topmost, highest (ake point); kephale head;"
The Great Read Warbler often sings on top of a read in a very vertical position with its head at the top.
The scientific name could thus mean "head at the top". Does this make any sense?
I'd always understood it to be derived from acer, acris, 'sharp' / 'pointed', and referring to the pointed shape of the head?
I've seen that description, although the head is not really pointed at the top, is it?
Regardless of our present knowledge and interpretation, "pointed head" is how the authors regarded this warbler; "Gattung: Spitzkopf. (Rohrsänger.) ACROCEPHALUS ... Kopf: Mit gestreckter, flacher und schmaler Stirn, — so daß der Kopf von allen Seiten nach dem Schnabel zu sehr spitz zuläuft." (Naumann & Naumann 1811).
3
Pointed along the bill!
And also note the reprinted Plate, in the Paper by Haffer, Hudde & Hillcoat (on p. 58), with two
Acrocephalus Warblers (both Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus and Aquatic Warbler
A. paludicola) pointing both up, and right (respectively).
If also the type species itself (for all
Acrocephalidae), according to James's
MS Key entry, today's Great Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus arundinaceus, and all the other four (all in all seven) species mentioned/listed in Naumann's OD for the genus
Acrocephalus (according to the
Richmond card,
here) were equally depicted by Naumann (Jr.) in the same
Nachtrag is unknown to me, but I would think so, as Haffer, Hudde & Hillcoat writes "The differences between several similar
Acrocephalus species are outlined, illustrated by Johann Friedrich’s magnificent color plates." (and note; 'plates', in Plural). Also equally indicated/verified in the quotation of the OD itself, in James's latest reply (post #13, from
Key MS).
Either way; good luck finding a digitized copy (of both the text and the Plates).
Björn (with dots, on top)
PPS. In Naumann's later
Naturgeschichte der Vögel Deutschlands ... , Vol. 3 (1823) his "
großer Spitzkopf" was depicted on Plate 81 (fig.1)
here, though
still (!?) as "
Sylvia turdoides" (today's
Acrocephalus arundinaceus, supposedly not to be confused with fig.2; '
Sylvia arundanicea' ...
?!?), with all its text, all in German, in those (hard-to-read) Fraktur 'font'/letters, on p.597–613,
here), which (last in the list of synonyms) has a reference to his own old (
alte) Work (from back in 1797) and "
Der Große Rohrschirf" (
here), though in this text itself without any scientific/binomial names, however in the Register (
here) listed as "große Rohrschirf ...
Turdus arundinaceus (L.)", however the (
Kupfertafeln) 'Tabula XXXXVI', in the latter work is unseen by me.
And: Good luck understanding it all.
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