Beolens, B, Watkins, M & Grayson, M 2014, The eponym
dictionary of birds, Christopher Helm, Exeter, England.
From publisher's website
http://www.bloomsbury.com/au/the-eponym-dictionary-of-birds-9781472905734/#sthash.wRrG20W8.dpuf
:
Birdwatchers often come across bird names that include a person’s
name, either in the vernacular (English) name or latinised in the
scientific nomenclature. Such names are properly called eponyms, and
few people will not have been curious as to who some of these people
were (or are).
Names such as Darwin, Wallace, Audubon, Gould and (Gilbert) White
are well known to most people. Keener birders will have yearned to
see Pallas’s Warbler, Hume’s Owl, Swainson’s Thrush, Steller’s Eider
or Brünnich’s Guillemot. But few people today will have even heard
of Albertina’s Myna, Barraband’s Parrot, Guerin’s Helmetcrest or
Savigny’s Eagle Owl. This extraordinary new work lists more than
4,000 eponymous names covering 10,000 genera, species and subspecies
of birds. Every taxon with an eponymous vernacular or scientific
name (whether in current usage or not) is listed, followed by a
concise biography of the person concerned. These entries vary in
length from a few lines to several paragraphs, depending on the
availability of information or the importance of the individual’s
legacy. The text is punctuated with intriguing or little-known
facts, unearthed in the course of the authors’ extensive research.
Ornithologists will find this an invaluable reference, especially to
sort out birds named after people with identical surnames or in
situations where only a person's forenames are used. But all birders
will find much of interest in this fascinating volume, a book to dip
into time and time again whenever their curiosity is aroused.
==========
Note: the authors have also published The eponym dictionary of
reptiles, The eponym dictionary of mammals and The eponym dictionary
of amphibians.
David
--
David McDonald
1004 Norton Road
Wamboin NSW 2620
Australia
T: (02) 6238 3706
M: 0416 231 890
F: (02) 9475 4274
E: m("dnmcdonald.id.au","david");">
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