Geokichla piaggiae hadii Macdonald, 1940 (1 Viewer)

[Taphrospilus]

Geokichla piaggiae hadii Macdonald, 1940 OD here

Remarks.-Named in honour of Mohamed Abdel Hadi, taxidermist of the Sudan Government Museum, who obtained the first speciemen in the Imatong Mts.

The Eponym Dictionary of Birds claims:

Abyssinian Ground Thrush ssp. Zoothera piaggiae hadii J. D. Macdonald, 1940
Muhammad Abdel Hadi (DNF) was a Sudanese collector and taxidermist at the Sudan Government Museum (1949).

The Key to Scientific Names

Muhammad Abdel Hadi (fl. 1940) Sudanese collector, taxidermist (subsp. Geokichla piaggiae).

Maybe difficult to find his life dates and maybe even some Arabic language skills required?

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

I also gave it a (quick) try, as little progress seems to have been made on this eponym ...

In today's Key explained as:

hadii
Muhammad 'Abd al-Hadi (fl. 1940) Sudanese collector, taxidermist (subsp. Geokichla piaggiae).

Here, and/alt. here (from 1947) he's mentioned as; "Mohammed Eff. [Effendi] Abdel Hadi, Taxidermist, has continued the preparation and mounting of specimens for exhibition". ...

And, one year earlier (in 1946, here) it's written: "Mohamed Eff. Abdel Hadi", with single-m, just like Macdonald wrote it in the OD (and again, just like in 1947, in connection with his assistant Ibrahim Fadl).

Which version of his name is truly correct ... well, that's far, far beyond me. At this point I'd go for Macdonald's version ... Mr (Effendi) Mohamed Abdel Hadi (fl.1947) ... or ditto 'Abd al-Hadi (of course), alt. 'Abd el-Hadi.

Either way, also in Sudan Notes and Records, Vol. 27 (1946), a Mr. F. O. Cave reports of SOME INTERESTING BIRDS FROM THE SOUTHERN SUDAN , in which we find him as [my blue bolds]:

[...]
7. Geokichla piaggiae hadii, Macdonald. (Orange Thrush).
This genus was first discovered in the Sudan by Mr. J. D. Macdonald in January 1939 in the Imatong Mountains. A little later he and I each obtained a specimen in the forests at the top of the Dongotana Mountains, and in December 1939 I secured another five specimens from the top of the Imatong Mountains. On the strength of this series Mr. Macdonald described this as a new race in Bull. B. O. C. LX. 1940 p. 98, and named it after Abdel Hadi Effendi, the skinner who was lent to him by the Sudan Government, and who obtained the first specimen. These thrushes are extremely shy forest birds.

[here]​

So we're dealing with a guy by the name: Muhammad/Muham(m)ed Abdel/'Abd al/el(-)Hadi ... sigh!

Thus, (without any Arabic, or Sudanese, skills what-so-ever) I simply don't know what to think. Or how to find him. Sorry. Awkward customer!

Well, that's it. That's just about all (not much) I could find of this obscure guy.

Anyone luckier? Or with better searching skills?

Either way, good luck finding him (in full) ...

Björn

PS. Also note that there's a General Abdel Hadi Abdalla (fl. 1995), here, making it somewhat harder to search for "our guy".

 

[James Jobling]

Effendi is a Turkish title, equivalent to Mr or Esq. I have commented elsewhere on the free-for-all in transliterating Arabic names which do not fit our systems.