There is a brief article with a picture of an isabelline macaroni
penguin in Australian Geographic 59 (Jul-Sep, 2000) p31. The author-
David Everitt records the derivation as follows: "In 1599, Isabella of
Spain married Albert of Austria. Isabella's father, King Philip II of
Spain, had presented the couple with the 17 provinces of the Low
Countries, which make up present-day Belgium, the Netherlands and
Luxembourg. Spain ruled the southern provinces but those in the north
were fiercely independant. Philip dies soon after the wedding and
Isabella, intent on upholding his wish of a united Low Countries, made a
vow- she wouldn't remove her underwear until Albert conquored Ostend,
the northern provinces' port. After three years and 40,000 lives the
city fell and the adjective isabelline, meaning "grey-yellow", was born."
There is a second picture- this time of an isabelline gentoo penguin in
Australian Geographic 61 (Jan-Mar, 2001) p15.
Jeff Crocombe
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
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