janvanderbrugge
Well-known member
Namasté, comrades and readers. When I joined this subforum I would never have thought that several colleagues here would dig so far in the origin of eponyms and the history with details of the attached persons. And now, in these days of possibly contagious contacts, I find myself stuck in the same fascination (for some years already). Well, to the point. There is a series of margaretae/margarethae eponyms, listed in James Jobling's HBW Key.
The text below is from my own files, based in part on HBW Key information
and Richmond Index:
margaretae (Passer montanus, Pratincola rubetra): Margareta Johansen (fl.1900), Danish ornithologist and explorer. Professor Hans Johansen named the whinchat after his mother, Margaretha, in 1903.
The name Passer montanus m. is mentioned by Johansen as a MS name of Peter Zaleski (Ssaleski) in Journ.f.Orn., vol.92, 1944, p.65 (Passer montanus in W.Siberia).
Passer montanus margaretae (ex Zaleski MS.) Hans Johansen, Jour.f.Ornith., vol.92, 1944, p.65 (Western Siberia).
Pratincola rubetra margaretae H.Johansen, Ornith.Jahrbuch, XIV, Heft 5-6, Oct.23, 1903, 232. For his mother. Type locality: Tomsk, Siberia. Type: Colln. H.Johansen, ♂, May 1/14, 1903; P.A.Schastowskii. [R.I.]
In these references the difference in years struck me. If Johansen named a new Whinchat subspecies after his mother in 1903, would he then give the same dedication for a Tree Sparrow subspecies in 1944, which is 31 years afterwards? Or would this Peter Zaleski perhaps have dedicated the bird to Johansen's mother ??
I tried to figure out this in the OD of the sparrow. Rather disturbing. Here is Johansen's text from Journ.f.Orn.:
"Ich finde aber in dem von Peter Salesski mir zugeschickten handschriftlichen Material den Namen Passer montanus margaretae Salesski für westsibirische Vögel ohne näherere Beschreibung und nehme an, dass er diesen Namen unterdessen veröffentlicht hat; andernfalls sei es hier ex MS. geschehen."
Translation:
However, in the hand-written material sent to me by Peter Salesski I find the name Passer montanus margaretae Salesski for West-Siberian birds without further description and I suppose he will have published this name in the meantime; if not this is done here ex MS."
ex MS = from the manuscipt, so the hand-written text of Salesski.
The year of Peter Salesski's manuscript is not given, but Johansen's remarks show that he was alive and might publish something ca. 1944.
To make things clear, this extra information:
johanseni (Anser fabalis): Hans Johansen (1897-1973), Danish-Russian zoologist, professor of zoology and conservator of the Zoological Museum of the University of Tomsk, West Siberia. Publ. Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens, 1955.] Well, I see now that according to this reference he must have named the Pratincola after his mother at an age of only 6 years . . . Quite a juvenile ornithologist!
There is an ornithology author Zaliesski, but that is I.M.Zaliesski, who in 1917 described Alauda arvensis kiborti, in Messager Ornithologique. There is a Peter Zaleski, economist at Villanova University, but that's actuality.
Russian riddles here to solve for whoever shares my etymological troubles.
Spasibo, herzlichen Dank,
Jan van der Brugge
The text below is from my own files, based in part on HBW Key information
and Richmond Index:
margaretae (Passer montanus, Pratincola rubetra): Margareta Johansen (fl.1900), Danish ornithologist and explorer. Professor Hans Johansen named the whinchat after his mother, Margaretha, in 1903.
The name Passer montanus m. is mentioned by Johansen as a MS name of Peter Zaleski (Ssaleski) in Journ.f.Orn., vol.92, 1944, p.65 (Passer montanus in W.Siberia).
Passer montanus margaretae (ex Zaleski MS.) Hans Johansen, Jour.f.Ornith., vol.92, 1944, p.65 (Western Siberia).
Pratincola rubetra margaretae H.Johansen, Ornith.Jahrbuch, XIV, Heft 5-6, Oct.23, 1903, 232. For his mother. Type locality: Tomsk, Siberia. Type: Colln. H.Johansen, ♂, May 1/14, 1903; P.A.Schastowskii. [R.I.]
In these references the difference in years struck me. If Johansen named a new Whinchat subspecies after his mother in 1903, would he then give the same dedication for a Tree Sparrow subspecies in 1944, which is 31 years afterwards? Or would this Peter Zaleski perhaps have dedicated the bird to Johansen's mother ??
I tried to figure out this in the OD of the sparrow. Rather disturbing. Here is Johansen's text from Journ.f.Orn.:
"Ich finde aber in dem von Peter Salesski mir zugeschickten handschriftlichen Material den Namen Passer montanus margaretae Salesski für westsibirische Vögel ohne näherere Beschreibung und nehme an, dass er diesen Namen unterdessen veröffentlicht hat; andernfalls sei es hier ex MS. geschehen."
Translation:
However, in the hand-written material sent to me by Peter Salesski I find the name Passer montanus margaretae Salesski for West-Siberian birds without further description and I suppose he will have published this name in the meantime; if not this is done here ex MS."
ex MS = from the manuscipt, so the hand-written text of Salesski.
The year of Peter Salesski's manuscript is not given, but Johansen's remarks show that he was alive and might publish something ca. 1944.
To make things clear, this extra information:
johanseni (Anser fabalis): Hans Johansen (1897-1973), Danish-Russian zoologist, professor of zoology and conservator of the Zoological Museum of the University of Tomsk, West Siberia. Publ. Die Vogelfauna Westsibiriens, 1955.] Well, I see now that according to this reference he must have named the Pratincola after his mother at an age of only 6 years . . . Quite a juvenile ornithologist!
There is an ornithology author Zaliesski, but that is I.M.Zaliesski, who in 1917 described Alauda arvensis kiborti, in Messager Ornithologique. There is a Peter Zaleski, economist at Villanova University, but that's actuality.
Russian riddles here to solve for whoever shares my etymological troubles.
Spasibo, herzlichen Dank,
Jan van der Brugge
