The Eponym Dictionary of Birds (1 Viewer)

[Björn Bergenholtz]

(Robert Cecil) Beavan's Bullfinch (continuation)

But ... if we compare all of what's written in post #76 and #77, with other sources, outside The Ibis, off-ornithology, and other Natural History contexts all together, we get the following, regarding ...

The Beavan Brothers
In short: They were both Sons of ("Captain") Robert Beavan, of the 31st Native Infantry Regiment, India (who died in 1855), and his wife Cecilia, née Drury (1822–1896). Their Father supposedly got the rank Captain in 1840 or 1841 (compare; here, here and here), though the Senior Beavan's career as a Captain seems to have been fairly short, with an abrupt ending! Consider this: "memorial of Mr. R Beavan late captain in the 31st native infantry" (here, from May 1846), which would be "late" as a captain (not in Life), due to a Court martial(!) in 1844 (here) ... !?

[The two Sons were probably both educated at "Druries", Harrow (boarding School, for boys), in London (though only confirmed by the link in #74, so take this certain piece with a sound bit of scepticism)]

And if we look at the two Sons, a bit more in detail, we find:


Robert Cecil Beavan
• Born 14 August 1841, in (the State) Uttar Pradesh, India, either in "Cawnpore" (today's Kanpur), or/alt. in "Mynporie" (today's Mainpuri). Different location/s in various sources.

Enlisted (as either Cornet or ensign" 4 November 1858.

1859 Received the rank Lieutenant 1st March 1859 (here).

[...]

1866 (February) ... still "Lieutenant R. C. Beavan" in (here).

1866 (April): "Lieutenant R. C. Beavan appointed to officiate as 1st Doing Duty Officer, ..." (here).

1868 (Summer) ... still Lieutenant in (here).

1869 (February): "Appointment of Lieutenant R. C. Beavan, Staff Corps to officiate as Quartermaster" (here).

1869 (Summer and Autumn/Fall) ... still Lieutenant (here and here).

1869 (December): "Granting leave of absence to Lieutenant R.C. Beavan of the Staff Corps to remain at Darjeeling from the 31st October to the 15th December 1869 on medical certificate" (here).

• 1870: Died, at Sea (aboard the ship 'Nile'), 3rd of February 1870, on his way "home" to England – at the age of 28. Titled Lieutenant in the Death note (as earlier shown).

To me, all of this looks like the closest he got to being Captain would be as a temporary rank, as a Surveyor, in direct connection to his assignment (during service) in the Bengal Survey itself, (and as such he became known among naturalists, just like Laurent suggested), though in the Indian regular Army/Infantry he (simultaneously) still remained a "simple" Lieutenant ... or?


Reginald Beavan
• Born 20 September 1843, in Londour, Uttarakhand, Bengal (India).

Ensign 4th of May 1860 (here), in about the same age as his older brother was (when he joined the Army).

Arrived (in/to India?) 11 June 1860, Lieutenant in (January or November?) 1862 (here versus here).

Lieutenant Reginald Beavan joined the Bengal Staff Corps in 1867 (here).

Still " Lieut. Reginald Beavan" in 1868 (according to his older Brother above).

.... after the Death of his older Brother Robert Cecil Beavan (in 1870), Reginald himself kept going, and started climbing the ranks; (here) he joined the Topographical Survey dept., first as assistant Surveyor, afterwards in various Surveys, served in Afghanistan 1878, in Charge of the Baluchistan Survey in July 1880, accompanied the Marri field force and the Bozdar ditto in 1880–81, and onwards ... all the way until he retired, in June 1892 (as Colonel), and returned "home" to England.

• Died in May 1927, (either on the 12th of May, at Radnorshire, Wales, or on the 21st of May, at Kensington, Middlesex, England). Dates and places differ. Either way, at the time he was 83 years old.

---

Well, that's them, both seemingly Lieutenants during the period we're looking at (i.e. the major part of the 1860's), in the period when all the Birds commemorating the older Brother were discovered/collected.

Anyone with a different opinion?

/B
--

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Time to wrap it up ...

Conclusion (on my part):
• Regarding 'Beavan's Bullfinch' (which is the only Beavan Bird in my MS, of Swedish Common/Vernacular Names, and as such my main interest in this Topic) I will take the safe, and easy way out. In the end it will hopefully be a book about birds and their names (not about military insignia).

As both the OD and his Death notice (both published in The Ibis, see earlier posts) clearly gives the rank of R. C. Beavan as "Lieut." resp. "Lieutenant" [i.e. from 1st of March 1859, see #58] I will leave his rank/s (and the Captain part) out of his entry all together, simply to avoid either possible confusion and/or doubts for any of my future readers, about to, or having earlier read the OD [or any of the other ODs of the beavani Birds)]. Thus, I will settle with:

= Robert Cecil Beavan (1841–1870), British Army Officer, in the British Native Infantry, Bengal Staff Corps, ornithologist, collector, surveyor, (mainly in/of today's West Bengal, in 1862–1869, and the Andamans 1865), etc., etc.... and onwards (as earlier shown in this thread).

Better safe than sorry!

Not to be confused with his younger Brother Reginald Beavan (1843–1927), who had a somewhat similar career [... but far, far longer, with a wider range (more focused on Ichthyology/fishes than birds)].

Anyone (strongly) recommend me to do otherwise?

If not ... I´m done.

And in any case; thanks guys, for helping me out in this matter! Before we started I didn't know which one of the Beavan brothers Blyth was writing about! :t:

As far as I can tell dear Reginald wasn't commemorated in any Bird name at all, neither in a scientific name nor in any Common/Vernacular Bird name. This would also incl. 'Beavan's Wren Warbler' a k a 'Beavan's Prinia', at times used for today's Rufescent Prinia Prinia rufescens (Blyth, 1847), [a bird described when the Beavan Brothers only were kids] which, as far as I can tell, was a Common/Vernacular name intended (solely/only) for the ssp. Prinia rufescens beavani WALDEN 1866 (here), as "Prinia beavani", collected by: "... Captain Beavan ..." (see the intro, on p.537). In the same PZS Beavan was/is repeatedly mentioned as either "Lieut. R. C. Beavan", or/and "Capt. Beavan"*.


Well, that's it.

Mr. Beavan (and "his" Bullfinch), finally, once and for all ... over and out!

Björn

__________________________________________________
*Except on p.426 where we suddenly find: "Capt. A. C. Beavan"!?! Typo, or not?
Alt. yet another Captain Beavan, this time collecting Mammals, in "Burmah".
Either way, this (last) one I'll gladly leave in the hands of others.

 

[Taphrospilus]

Polatzek, hmm ... looks more Hungarian to me (or of Hungarian Heritage). He could maybe be a; (Johan, János) Polatsek, Polátseck, Polaseck, Polazek, etc. If he was? I sure don´t know. Here I´m simply thinking out loud. If of any help?
-

As there is still open question when and where he is born I just want to add little more. Another obituary is to find here p. 95.

What I think is wrong in The Eponym Dictionary of Birds

Captain R. Johann Polatzek (1839–1927) was an Austrian ornithologist and taxidermistwho collected in the Canary Islands (1902–1905) and Balearic Islands (1910). He published an important series of papers under the title Die Vögel der Kanaren (1908-1909).

No R. as it derived from i. R. (in Rente=in pension). Still not clear if born 1838 or 1839. As he died 89 years old on 7.th February 1927 both seems to be possible.

 

[PScofield]

I would venture that the name is ethnically Hungarian.

The only Baptism record I can find is this:

Name	Joannes Polatzek
Mother	Magdalena Talzin
Baptism	5 ápr. 1840 (5 Apr 1840) Süttő, Esztergom, Hungary

Süttő is only 100km from Wein and was all part of the same country at the time.

He was undoubtedly buried in Wein in 1927

19 Feb 1927
BURIAL	Friedhof Südwest Vienna, Wien Stadt, Vienna (Wien), Austria

P

 

[Taphrospilus]

Have you checked as well the hungarian version Polatzek János?

 

[Taphrospilus]

According to the Eponym Dictionary of Birds (2014), as well as today's HBW Alive Key (!), this Eponym commemorate the British Bird Photographer and aviculturist "Walter Ernest Higham (fl.1936)" ... [i.e. Walter E. Higham, W.E., F.I.B.P., F.R.P.S, M.B.O.U., F.Z.S., he´s the Author of several Bird Photo books, no years found], but I´m not at all convinced it does!

Surely the right man was found which is not Walter Ernest Higham. Nevertheless just wondering if this here is the same person as the British Bird Photographer and aviculturist with no dedication in bird names but author of books like Birds in colour or Birds in Camera: Twenty-five Years of Bird Photography.

 

[Taphrospilus]

Thanks Richard,

I´m looking forward to have a peek at that book …

**Not to be confused with Schlegel's first (also Dutch) wife (often claimed to be her namesake, but her name was) Cornelia Schlegel (1815–1864) born Buddingh, commemorated in the subspecie Cornelia's Eclectus Parrot Eclectus roratus cornelia BONAPARTE 1850 as "Eclectus Cornelia" – explained by Bonaparte himself , in English 1849 (published later in 1850, plate attached): "I have named this beautiful bird after H. Schlegel's virtous and talented wife, whose quick eye detected the species before professed ornithologists themselves, … and I dedicate it to that lady with additional pleasure, as a small testimony of gratitude for the happy hours spent, and the useful information collected, under the hospitable roof of the zoologist, who posseses the deepest knowledge of each and every class of vertebrate animals, and whose literary and truly philosophical attainments are only equaled by his practical and thorough aquaintance with species, the only solid base of our science."

I am just wondering when Schlegel did marry her?

Buddinghia Pollen, 1867 OD here so three years after her death and I assume at that time not any more Buddingh. So maybe for her father/brother (if exists)?

Backround of my question is The Eponym Dictionary of Birds claim:

Asity genus Buddinghia Schlegel & Pollen, 1867 NCR [Now in Philepitta] (See Cornelia)

The Key to Scientific Names

(Philepittidae; syn. Philepitta † Schlegel's Asity P. schlegeli) Cornelia Schlegel née Buddingh’ (1815-1864) Dutch first wife of German ornithologist Prof. H. Schlegel; "PHILEPITTA SCHLEGELI. Pollen, in litteris. — Buddinghia superba, idem. Cette espèce se rattache par sa taille et son organisation à la Philepitta jala ... Son cri a beaucoup de rapports avec celui de la cresserelle malgache, mais il est beaucoup plus fin et se compose des syllabes "cit-cit-ci", qu'il prononce assez vitment. ... Chez les Sakalaves cet oiseau porte le nom d'Asity." (Pollen 1868); "Buddinghia Pollen in Schlegel and Pollen, 1868, Recherches Faune Madagascar, II (Mamm. et Ois.), p. 88. Type, by monotypy, Buddinghia superba Pollen, 1868 = Philepitta schlegeli Schlegel, 1867." (JAJ 2020).

 

[l_raty]

Buddinghia Pollen, 1867 OD here so three years after her death

Not adopted in 1867 however: merely cited there in the synonymy of Philepitta schlegeli, as a name that Pollen had used in litteris for the same bird at an unspecified earlier date -- so possibly before her death or (e.g., if in letters sent to Schlegel from Madagascar) before Pollen learned about it.

(NB - This name was published as a synonym, and was not adopted as the valid name of a taxon or treated as a senior homonym before 1961, hence it is now unavailable (see ICZN 11.5-11.6).)

 

[rollie_nl]

I am just wondering when Schlegel did marry her?

Buddinghia Pollen, 1867 OD here so three years after her death and I assume at that time not any more Buddingh. So maybe for her father/brother (idf exists)?

Backround of my question is The Eponym Dictionary of Birds claim:

The Key to Scientific Names

According to this website, the year of marriage was 1837. Note that Buddingh is first misspelled without h, later on it is correctly spelled with final h. https://www.begraafplaatsgroenesteeg.nl/N_B_personen/Artikel Hermann Schlegel.pdf

 

[PScofield]

Cornelia Buddingh
Birth Date: 17 Juni 1815
Birth Place: Alkemade
Marriage Date: 22 Juni 1837
Marriage Place: Oegstgeest
Father: Stefanus Adrianus Buddingh
Mother: Catharina Elisabeth Caspers
Spouse: Hermann Schlegel
Death Date: 2 Dec 1864
Death Place: Leiden, Vliet

 

[Taphrospilus]

For me still the question if they married 1837 was this name really intended for her (and not e.g. for Stefanus Adrianus Buddingh)? But this is just a loud thought.

 

[rollie_nl]

For me still the question if they married 1837 was this name really intended for her (and not e.g. for Stefanus Adrianus Buddingh)? But this is just a loud thought.

In this PhD-thesis, the brief history of the Buddingh-family is described from page 103: Een Duitse familie in Nederland (1804-1913). Nothing indicates that this family 'was into natural history'. Rather, her father was a pastor and died rather young (and never met Schlegel). According to this text, it was Schlegel who educated his first wife into the natural history. I think we can safely assume that the bird was named after his wife.

 

[l_raty]

n this PhD-thesis, the brief history of the Buddingh-family is described from page 103: Een Duitse familie in Nederland (1804-1913). Nothing indicates that this family 'was into natural history'. Rather, her father was a pastor and died rather young (and never met Schlegel). According to this text, it was Schlegel who educated his first wife into the natural history.

Schlegel was also apparently the person whom Pollen (who would be the one who suggested the name in litt., according to the "OD") was close to (e.g. "mon excellent ami M. le Professeur Dr. H. Schlegel" here). I find it much easier to imagine Pollen, after the discovery of a "superb" new bird, suggesting the name Buddinghia superba to honour his friend's wife, than to honour his father-in-law.

There are four original syntypes, all mounted skins, in Naturalis (Dekker 2003).
The name Buddinghia superba appears on the socle of two of them (with Philepitta schlegeli added in what may be another handwriting; additionally, in one of these two cases, Buddinghia superba is crossed out) -

Multimedia item - RMNH.AVES.88883_5 | Naturalis Bioportal

Image of specimen 'RMNH.AVES.88883' in the Naturalis Biodiversity Center collection.

bioportal.naturalis.nl

Multimedia item - RMNH.AVES.88882_5 | Naturalis Bioportal

Image of specimen 'RMNH.AVES.88882' in the Naturalis Biodiversity Center collection.

bioportal.naturalis.nl

Philepitta schlegeli only is used on the socle of the other two syntypes -

Multimedia item - RMNH.AVES.88880_2 | Naturalis Bioportal

Image of specimen 'RMNH.AVES.88880' in the Naturalis Biodiversity Center collection.

bioportal.naturalis.nl

Multimedia item - RMNH.AVES.88881_6 | Naturalis Bioportal

Image of specimen 'RMNH.AVES.88881' in the Naturalis Biodiversity Center collection.

bioportal.naturalis.nl

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

One short (tiny) question (in my mind there's no doubt regarding the/this dedicatee) ...

Today's Key:

Buddinghia
(Philepittidae; syn. Philepitta † Schlegel's Asity P. schlegeli) Cornelia Schlegel née Buddingh’ (1815-1864) Dutch first wife of German ...

cornelia
● Cornelia Schlegel née Buddingh’ (1815-1864) Dutch first wife of German ornithologist Hermann Schlegel (subsp. Eclectus roratus).
[...]

But, why the ending accent, in her Maiden name ... (double/copied) typo?

Or not?

Björn

 

[rollie_nl]

One short (tiny) question (in my mind there's no doubt regarding the/this dedicatee) ...

Today's Key:



But, why the ending accent, in her Maiden name ... (double/copied) typo?

Or not?

Björn

Typo. In the Netherlands, we do not use accents like this.

 

[vinividivici]

Typo. In the Netherlands, we do not use accents like this.

Would agree that it is a rare sight indeed to see apostrophes used in family names. But apparently this is an exception.
There was a Dutch poet (C. Buddingh' - Wikipedia) with the same last name (incl. apostrophe). And on a sidenote, I see that there have been discussions online on how to combine that idiosyncratic apostrophe with a possessive apostrophe - e.g., would it be “Buddingh’s eponym” or “Buddingh’’s eponym”? 😱

 

[l_raty]

FWIW, there is no apostrophe in her birth (see also her father's signature) or death record.

 

[James Jobling]

Buddingh' = typo copied and pasted - mea culpa

 

[vinividivici]

Thanks Laurent - that sounds very convincing.
The following newspaper notices announcing Hermann Schlegel's and Cornelia Buddingh's daughter (1838), Cornelia's death (1864), and a thank-you for condolences received after her death (1865) all consistently mention her name as "Buddingh" without the apostrophe. And I would presume that her next of kin were directly involved in sending in those to the newspapers, confirming that Laurent's way is right.
Also, Holthuis (1995: 44-45) notes her name as "Buddingh", and I would put great stock into his way of reporting her name - Holthuis was a keen archivist and historian, besides crustacean systematist and nomenclatural expert.

What throws me off now, however, is Schlegel (1884: 12, footnote, 39, 41). This is a biographical sketch of Hermann Schlegel, offered by his son Gustaaf Schlegel, and in part quoting Hermann himself. Here we find the name of Hermann's first wife, and Gustaaf's mother to boot, written as "Buddingh' ", with that final apostrophe.
Also to consider here is Mees (1986: 158), who discusses an early collector of bird specimens on Bangka Island, and states that he is a relative of "Cornelia Buddingh'." (with apostrophe).

I am still on the fence about this one for now.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Re. the question/topic of Buddingh vs Buddingh'

As far as I can tell, according to the (seemingly very thorough) Paper Een Duitse familie in Nederland (1804–1913): Carrièrisme en netwerken van Hermann Schlegel en zijn zonen Gustav en Leander, by Bob van Zijderveld, 2014 (see link in #94), the answer of the use of an ending apostrophe (or/and not) in the surname Buddingh/', might be told on pp. 103–105, 116 ... and onwards (that is if you understand Dutch, of course).

To me (who doesn't) it seems to be lost somewhere between Stephaan Adriaan Buddingh' and the two guy's named "Steven Adriaan Buddingh" (Sr. and Jr.), all prior to "our lady" Cornelia Buddingh.

Note that Cornelia herself never seems to have been written with it. Also see her Brother (by the same given name/s), on p.194.

Either way, this far, in my notes, and MS, I will keep Cornelia's Maiden name as it is/was (without an apostrophe).

For what it's worth (hopefully of some use/help) ...

Björn

PS: And note that this long and exhaustive text (430 pages) doesn't seem to include any "Stefanus Adrianus ...", as Paul wrote the name of her Father, in post #90. Church Latin I assume.