birdman
Орнитол&
I do get vexed over the most pointless things sometimes.
I know I do – but that's the kind of guy I am.
Anyone who has read my threads in the past may have gathered that I have this fixation about names – and Bird Names are no exception.
A particular kind of Bird's Name that keeps me awake at nights, is the "Blogg's Bird" variety.
I expect what has occurred is that (almost invariably) Mr. "Victorian Ornithologist" has gone a-traipsing around the colonies, pulling this birdie and that birdie out of the sky by one method or another – and has stumbled across yet another new species, which he has them named after himself, or perhaps his sponsor or benefactor.
I don't object to Scientific names of the type Birdicus bloggsi, and I am sure there are a few similar common names that are less obvious (although the only one I know of is Gouldian Finch), but the Blogg's Bird type just strike me as crass lack of imagination! (Or maybe a guarantee of future funding!)
I suppose I should be grateful that this generally happened 100+ years ago, and not today, otherwise we would doubtless have Ronald McStint, Kentucky Fried Bowerbird, and, heaven forfend, Gates's Boubou (otherwise known as Windows 2000, I believe.)
However, I doubt we would have ended up with Microsoft Sunbird!
I suppose we Europeans are used to Temminck's Stint – (but what about Babbler, Courser, Lark, Seedeater, Sunbird and Tragopan) – and Cetti's Warbler rolls easily off the tongue – (although (Signor?) Cetti doesn't appear to make another appearance).
Mr. Temminck is not No. 1 in the list however. That accolade would seem to belong to a (Monsieur?) Cassin.
Cassin's Alseonax – (Cassin's WHAT?), Cassin's Auklet, Cassin's Finch. Cassin's Hawk-Eagle, Cassin's Honeyguide, Cassin's Kingbird, Cassin's Sparrow, Cassin's Spinetail and Cassin's Vireo
Apart from simply being unimaginative, the names range from the odd, for example Mrs. Moreau's Warbler (or in French, Bathmocerque de Winifred!) to the downright ungainly; Middendorff's Grasshopper-Warbler, or Donaldson-Smith's Sparrow-Weaver.
I don't know, maybe I should try and get some sleep tonight, and in the morning, I might have a life!
I know I do – but that's the kind of guy I am.
Anyone who has read my threads in the past may have gathered that I have this fixation about names – and Bird Names are no exception.
A particular kind of Bird's Name that keeps me awake at nights, is the "Blogg's Bird" variety.
I expect what has occurred is that (almost invariably) Mr. "Victorian Ornithologist" has gone a-traipsing around the colonies, pulling this birdie and that birdie out of the sky by one method or another – and has stumbled across yet another new species, which he has them named after himself, or perhaps his sponsor or benefactor.
I don't object to Scientific names of the type Birdicus bloggsi, and I am sure there are a few similar common names that are less obvious (although the only one I know of is Gouldian Finch), but the Blogg's Bird type just strike me as crass lack of imagination! (Or maybe a guarantee of future funding!)
I suppose I should be grateful that this generally happened 100+ years ago, and not today, otherwise we would doubtless have Ronald McStint, Kentucky Fried Bowerbird, and, heaven forfend, Gates's Boubou (otherwise known as Windows 2000, I believe.)
However, I doubt we would have ended up with Microsoft Sunbird!
I suppose we Europeans are used to Temminck's Stint – (but what about Babbler, Courser, Lark, Seedeater, Sunbird and Tragopan) – and Cetti's Warbler rolls easily off the tongue – (although (Signor?) Cetti doesn't appear to make another appearance).
Mr. Temminck is not No. 1 in the list however. That accolade would seem to belong to a (Monsieur?) Cassin.
Cassin's Alseonax – (Cassin's WHAT?), Cassin's Auklet, Cassin's Finch. Cassin's Hawk-Eagle, Cassin's Honeyguide, Cassin's Kingbird, Cassin's Sparrow, Cassin's Spinetail and Cassin's Vireo
Apart from simply being unimaginative, the names range from the odd, for example Mrs. Moreau's Warbler (or in French, Bathmocerque de Winifred!) to the downright ungainly; Middendorff's Grasshopper-Warbler, or Donaldson-Smith's Sparrow-Weaver.
I don't know, maybe I should try and get some sleep tonight, and in the morning, I might have a life!
)
