Otocorys parvexi Taczanowski, 1876 (1 Viewer)

[Taphrospilus]

Otocorys parvexi Taczanowski, 1876 OD here

The Eponym Dictionary of Birds claims:

Horned Lark Otocorys parvexi Taczanowski, 1876 NCR [JS Eremophila alpestris brandti]
Alfons Xavier (Ksawery) Parvex (1833–at least 1890) was a Polish-born Swiss amateur ornithologist who took part in the Polish uprising while working as a clerk in a paper factory. He was exiled with Godlewski (q.v.) to Siberia (1863–1868) where he studied and collected with Dybowski (q.v.) (1865–1868). He worked in a pet shop in Paris (1879), then collected in Canada and Brazil (1881–1882). The Verreaux Brothers (q.v.) in Paris employed him as a taxidermist (1883). There is no record of him after 1890. He is also commemorated in the name of a sponge.

The Key to Scientific Names

Alfons Ksawery Parvexa (1833-?1890) Swiss/Polish ornithologist, taxidermist, exiled to Siberia 1864-1868, collector in Canada and Brazil 1881-1882 (syn. Eremophila alpestris brandti).

Polish Wikipedia gives 1890 as death (no question mark). If correct is unknown to me.

 

[l_raty]

Polish Wikipedia gives 1890 as death (no question mqrk).

I doesn't, actually. It gives "po 1890" = after 1890.

(FWIW: "Parvexa" as used in the Key, if taken from a Polish site, might be a genitive. "of Alfons Ksawery Parvex" = "Alfonsa Ksawerego Parvexa".)

 

[Taphrospilus]

In http://www.kulturalowiecka.pl/artykuly_prasowe/psy_sybirakow.pdf a picture of him.

Alfons Parwex – przed zesłaniem pracował w przemyśle papierniczym, ładnie rysował, preparował ptaki u W. Taczanowskiego. Na Syberii malarz S. Wroński nauczył malować Parvexa akwarelami, co pozwoliło mu rysować okazy fauny syberyjskiej dla Dybowskiego i gabinetów zoologicznych. Był
myśliwym, ze względu na słaby wzrok słabo strzelał, nie polował na grubego zwierza. Właściciel setera angielskiego.

Anyway when was he born 1833 in Warsaw?

If he went to Chile as this document from 1895 claims (there is a chance it is him) I doubt that he was Polish (born in Suisse)

 

[PScofield]

Not him sorry - This man was 33 in 1895 i.e. born c.1863.

Indeed the Chilean immigrant was Louis Alphonse Parvex born 7 April 1862 in Muraz son of Jean Louis and Françoise Lonfat.

However our man was supposedly "Born in Warsaw, the son of a Polish mother and a Swiss father, he worked as a clerk at the Paper Mill in Jeziorna near Warsaw."

Parvex is a surname almost exclusively from Muraz, Collombey-Muraz, Valais, Suisse.

In 1881 there is listed a "M. Parvex de Muraz, naturaliste, 4 08, rue Mouffelard, Paris" in the Bulletin de la Société zoologique de France thus suggesting the link to Muraz was strong. Note it does not say "de Varsovie"

An Alphonse Parvex (son of Casimir & Pauline Donet) died on 27 Oct 1900 in Muraz. Whilst I accept that Wikipedia says his father was Piotr not sure what the source is. I can't get past the fact the father's name was Casimir which is a Latin version of the Polish male name Kazimierz). Casimir's father in turn was Pierre.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Nothing much to add (even if both verbose and lengthy, as well as somewhat tedious), posted simply for completeness sake (and, as also I had a quick look at Mr Parvex) ...

The OD of the invalid (Horned) Lark "Otocorys Parvexi" TACZANOWSKI 1876 (link to the OD in post #1) tells us only:

Je propose pour cet oiseau le nom d’O. Parvexi, en honneur de mon ami, qui pendant quelques années, ...,

... and it incl. three references to Dybowski's "O. albigula", in; "J. O [Journal für Ornithologie] 1868, p. 334. [here, by "Dr. B. Dybowski und A. Parrex" (sic!)] — 1873, p. 86 [here] — 1874, p.335 [here] ... though note that the name of the dedicatee was written as "Herr A. Parvex ..." in a footnote, on p. 118, in JfO 1873 [here].

Also see the following comment here re. the name/spelling Parrex versus (the correct) Parvex.

In Taczanowski's (French) Faune ornithologique de la Sibérie Orientale (oeuvre postume), 1893, his name was/is written: "Alphonse Parvex" [here, as well mentioned on p.3], as well as in the Austrian/German journal Ornis, 1888 (though equally written in French) [here], ... versus "Alfonsem Parvex" [which I assume is a grammar/linguistic/inflected form/version of his true Given name (Alfons)?] in the Polish Journal Pamietnik Fizyjograficzny, 1888 [here alt. here].

And, in the Polish Gabinet Zoologiczny (from Muzeum Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, here) he's mentioned (as of/in March of 1964) as: "Alfonsa Parvexa", together with "Wiktora Godlewskiego" [a k a "Wiktor Godlewski (1831–1900) in the Key, here], and "Michała Jankowskiego" [i.e. Michał Jankowski (1842–1912) in ditto, here].

Also the same (Polish) spelling here (in context with Dybowski). And here (on p.69).

Re. Paul's quoted phrase (in post #4):

...
In 1881 there is listed a "M. Parvex de Muraz, naturaliste, 4 08, rue Mouffelard, Paris" in the Bulletin de la Société zoologique de France thus suggesting the link to Muraz was strong. ...
...

... which [at least according to here] ought to have been: 108 rue Mouffetard

Also, note that this was/is from a "Séance de 24 mai 1881", and that a Mr Parvex (de Muraz) as well seems to have been present (?) at the "Séance de 14 juin 1881" (here), "Séance de 28 juin 1881" (here), and "Séance de 11 octobre 1881" (here).

And the same guy was still listed at the same address both in 1882 and 1883 (here resp. here):

... 108, rue Mouffetard, à Paris

However, in 1884 (here) he's address seems to have been:

... PARVEX DE MURAZ, 17 rue Git-le-cœr, à Paris.

And in 1885 (here):

... PARVEX DE MURAZ, 15 rue des Écoles, à Paris

Followed by, in 1886, 1887 and 1888 [here, resp. here and here]:

... PARVEX DE MURAZ, 48 rue Notre-Dame de Nazareth, à Paris.

🚦Either way, if this particular guy, in Paris, truly is/was "our guy" (?) is unknown to me. It might be, or simply not. To me, in those cases, it does look like "de Muraz" is/was included in that guy's Surname/Family name ... or?

Also see here, (where "our guy" was/is mentioned as nothing but "Parvex"), or here (as ditto).

As well, equally as such, in the German journal Ornithologisches Centralblatt (1878):

Parvex, Alfons, geboren 1833 in Warschau, wohnhaft in der Schweiz. Vom Jahre 1864—1868 als Naturforscher in Ostsibirien thätig. Seine ornithologischen Sammlungen wurden dem Warschauer zoologischen Museum sowie anderen europäischen Museen übergeben. Er beschäftigt sich vornehmlich mit oologischen Studien.

[here]
​

Also note that Gabriel Brzęk (1999) wrote his name (in Polish) as: "Alfons Ksawery Parvex (1833—1890?)" here (on pp. 170–171), with various inflected forms: "Alfonsa Parvexa" (on p.134), alt. "Alfonsem Parvexem" (on p.151), etc., etc:

Jednym z pierwszych współpracowników Dybowskiego nad Bajkałem był Alfons Ksawery Parvex (1833-1890?). Urodził się we Francji z ojca Francuza i matki Polki. Młodość spędził w Szwajcarii, stąd też będąc później na Syberii, legitymował się obywatelstwem szwajcarskim, aczkolwiek uważał się za Polaka. Po śmierci ojca wraz z matką przybył do Polski i zamieszkał w Jeziornej pod Warszawą, gdzie był urzędnikiem w fabryce „bankowych papierów". ... and onwards

Google Translate:

One of Dybowski's first collaborators on Baikal was Alfons Ksawery Parvex (1833-1890?). He was born in France to a French father and a Polish mother. He spent his youth in Switzerland, hence, when later in Siberia, he had Swiss citizenship, although he considered himself a Pole. After the death of his father, he came to Poland with his mother and settled in Jeziorna near Warsaw, where he was a clerk in a "bank paper" factory. ...

All in all (with my limited language skills), I cannot find any traces of him post/after the above, thus nothing re. the Death of Mr Parvex (neither with, nor without, the de Muraz part). Nor do I understand if he ("our guy") truly was born in France, or in Warsaw (Poland).

As well there's a guy (in 1882) by the name: "Alphonse Parvex" (d'Illarsaz) mentioned/listed here (on page 1895). If relevant?

Either way, take the above for what it's worth (if anything at all). Hopefully of some help/use ...

And: Good luck finding him in full.

Björn

PS. Mr Parvex is not dealt with in the new Biographies for Birdwatchers,
by Mearns & Mearns (Revised and Expanded edition, 2022).

 

[l_raty]

Re. inflection :
Masculine nouns/names in Polish usually receive an -a ending in the genitive. Thus: "Alfonsa Parvexa" = of Alfons Parvex, Alfons Parvex's.
Masculine adjectives, however, receive an -ego ending in the genitive, and quite a few personal names actually follow the adjectival declension. This is the case, in particular, with all the names that end in -ski. (-ski is actually an adjectival suffix -- i.e., "polski" = Polish in Polish.) Thus: "Taczanowskiego" = of Taczanowski, Taczanowski's.
Masculine nouns/names usually receive an -em ending in the instrumental case. Thus: "Alfonsem Parvexem" = with / by Alfons Parvex.
(In all the above aspects, Polish is actually very close to Russian.)

"z. p. Alfonsem Parvex" as written by Taczanowski in 1888, on the other hand, is a bit peculiar : here, Taczanowski appears to have inflected the given name (instrumental case), while treating the family name as undeclinable -- maybe because he did not perceive the name as Polish.

It might be, or simply not. To me, in those cases, it does look like "de Muraz" is/was included in that guy's Surname/Family name ... or?

It certainly looks like this to me as well.
I'm not clear that "Parvex de Muraz" ever existed as a name, however -- e.g., Filae or Familysearch do not seem to have any trace of any individual who would have been so named.

 

[PScofield]

Adolf Alfons Parvex
Date of death: Tuesday, November 25, 1890 ("old style": November 13, 1890)
Age: 55 (so born around 1835)
Cemetery: Warsaw, cm. Bródnowski
Confession: Roman Catholic

Details from death certificate:


...yesterday, at five o’clock in the evening, in Pepumabis on the streets of Csapoe Moreto at number fifty-one, the death of Adolphe Xavier Parvex/ Adolf Ksawery Parvex /single, merchant of fifty five year born in the city of Moudon, Switzerland...

 

[l_raty]

Intriguing that he is given different names in the two documents. Do they come from a single common source ?
I won't pretend I can read the Russian in the death record easily, but the transcription doesn't exactly look perfect either.

"in the city of Moudon, Switzerland" = = въ городѣ Монтай въ Швейцаріи = in the city of Montay in Switzerland. (= Monthey in Valais ? Next to Muraz.)

In the death record, the parents are called Piotr (as claimed in the Polish Wikipedia) and Serafina.

 

[PScofield]

Thanks Laurent, Both are from Adolf Alfons Parvex ~1835–1890 - Nekrologia Minakowskiego. My transcription is just Google Lens so appreciate your ability to read the Russian at all!! At this time Monthey was the district within the canton that Collombey-Muraz was in so that makes perfect sense. Alphonse is listed in the 1837 census of Collombey-Muraz as a 1st Class citizen with Serafine and a few Pierres a few rows below.

 

[l_raty]

My transcription is just Google Lens

Thanks Paul -- I wasn't even aware that Google would do this type of thing.

One weakness may be that in some cases the program appears to fall back to the Latin alphabet for words written in Cyrillic, with some improbable results. Thus :
"in Pepumabis on the streets of Csapoe Moreto" = = въ Варшавѣ по улицѣ Старое Мѣсто = in Warsaw in the street of Stare Mesto.


But it's certainly useful as a help.
(Cursive is difficult, because you have to guess where the letters of a word start and end, which is particularly hard when you don't already know the words. I'm awfully slow at it.)