Gonolek (1 Viewer)

[jmorlan]

Does anybody know the origin of the name "Gonolek." I cannot find anything at all other than that it seems to date back to Linneas or even before. Thanks.

 

[Paul Clapham]

Certainly Linnaeus gave the name Lanius barbarus to a bird which subsequently became the type species of genus Laniarius Vieillot 1816. However I don't believe either of those gentlemen gave an English name to that species.

On the other hand... after a bit more web searching it appears that Vieillot did indeed name the genus "Gonolek". A French name instead of an English name, but clearly borrowed into English. Here's the link which Wikipedia provided for the OD: Vieillot's OD

The document says "Gonolek, Buff" so perhaps the name came from something by Buffon?

 

[Paul Clapham]

... and if you search the web you'll find a lot of dealers selling art work attributed to Buffon including a bird labelled "Le Gonolek". Example here: Le Gonolek et al. I assume the word must come from an African language.

 

[Paul Clapham]

... and more searching produces a book which says that Buffon "noted that its meaning was 'feeder on insects' in a Senegalese language". The original source for that was Buffon's Histoire Naturelle volume 1 (?).

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Does anybody know the origin of the name "Gonolek." I cannot find anything at all other than that it seems to date back to Linneas or even before. Thanks.

...
On the other hand... after a bit more web searching it appears that Vieillot did indeed name the genus "Gonolek". ...

... says that Buffon "noted that its meaning was 'feeder on insects' in a Senegalese language". The original source for that was Buffon's Histoire Naturelle volume 1 (?).

Quick one ... (even if nothing much to add)

All in line with what's told in Jobling's Key to Scientific Names (here):

gonolek
Apparently a Senegalese name, meaning 'insect-eater,' for this bush-shrike; from “Le Gonolek” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (syn. Laniarius barbarus).

In my own (Swedish) notes, and MS (re. the Swedish Common/Vernacular Bird names – of all the Birds of the World), I have it as something like (in short, and in English):

From Buffon's non-binary (French) name Le Gonolek (1770). Buffon, in his turn, got it from Monsieur Adanson [*] who had told/informed him that this Bird was called gonolek by the locals in Senegal, meaning ”mangeur d’insectes”.

And Paul, the original source is/was indeed Buffon's Histoire naturelle des oiseaux, Vol. 1 (from 1770): page 249 [here, with the "planche 56" (Plate 56) here].

Enjoy!

Björn

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*Monsieur Adanson = the French naturalist, primarily botanist, Michel Adanson (1727–1806), who collected in Senegal 1748–1753 (here)

 

[jmorlan]

Thanks so much everyone! I eventually found the Jobling source on my own, but this extra detail is brilliant.