Mr Clay, and "his" two Birds ... (1 Viewer)

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Nothing new, nothing additional (and certainly nothing contradictory), only some more info, some 'flesh on the bones', of Mr Gervas Clay (whose full name was Gervas Charles Robert Clay), commemorated in the Scientific name ...

clayi as in:
• the invalid (African) Green Pigeon ssp. "Vinago australis clayi" WHITE 1943 (here):

Named after Mr. G. Clay, District Commissioner, Isoka, who made it possible for my collector [Kabali Muzeya*] to make a small but interesting collection at Isoka.

• the invalid (Red-winged) Francolin ssp. "Francolinus levaillantii clayi" WHITE 1944 (here):

[...]
Distribution.— ... Two birds collected by Mr. G. Clay at Mankoya show ...
[...]
Remarks.— ... . Named after Mr. G. Clay, who was the first to preserve specimens of it from Mankoya, to whom I am indebted for information about the characters of his specimens.

In short: Born 16 April 1907 ... died 18 April 2009 (at the age of 102!): "Death by chocolate! WHAT a way to go !"

All in line with what's told in today's Key:

clayi
Gervas Charles Robert Clay (1907-2009) British colonial administrator in Northern Rhodesia, Commissioner in Barotseland 1960, Director of Rhodes-Livingstone Mus. 1961-1964 (syn. Scleroptila levaillantii kikuyuensis, syn. Treron calvus salvadorii).

On top of this, we find an extremely detailed Memory page: "A Tribute to Gervas (Charles Robert) Clay", and his long life, compiled by "Robin Clay, Gervas's eldest son" (here). And don't miss the Guest-book comments (here), for example, the one about "Gervas Clay, Ornithologist", by Bob Dowsett (dated 15 November 2009).

Enjoy!

Björn

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*The collector (of the Pigeon) was earlier, back in 2021, dealt with in thread Mirafra africana kabalii White, CMN, 1943 (here).