Mr. Lear in Anodorhynchus leari … (2 Viewers)

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Here´s another tricky Eponym … regarding a certain Mr. Lear!?

There seem to be some confusion, and opposite views, regarding the man behind leari/learii … as in:
● Indigo Macaw Anodorhynchus leari BONAPARTE 1856 a k a "Lear's Macaw"

Any ideas or suggestions?

There are several different claims of whom this Mr. Lear might be, so: What do we know? For sure?

Let´s start with what is mostly considered as the Original description itself (even if it is hard to call it a "description!?): Bonaparte 1856, in: Naumannia : Archiv für die Ornithologie Vorzugsweise Europa's : Organ der Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft 6. Appendix I (8 Pages). Attached as pdf.

Does this tell us anything whatsoever … The leari is found on the first fold-out-page, top left Column 1; "Subfam. Macrocercinae, 1. Anodorhynchus, Sp. : No. 2. Meager is the word!

What exactly does the cited "hyacinthinus LEAR" (being "Macrocercus hyacinthinus LEAR 1828" I assume) has to do with the whole matter? If the latter does have anything to do with the name leari how does this work with the most often claimed Mr. Lear (as in for example, on HBW Alive)? Born in 1812!

Also compare with what Otto Finsch wrote in 1863, regarding the "Lophochroa Leari" [Syn. Cacatua ducorps PUCHERAN 1853] in his: Naamlijst der in de Diergaarde Levende Papegaaijen ten dienste der bezoekers van den tuin ingerigt. Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor De Dierkunde 1. VI-XXIV, where he (on page XXIII) says:

”Eene nieuwe soort, die zich aan de voorgaande aansluit, doch door het ontbreken van een rood gezigt en den veel duidelijker blaauwachtigen oogkring dadelijk onderkennen laat. Vaderland onbekend. Ter eera van den Heer LEAR genoemd.”

Link to full volume (here)

Let´s dig into it!

PS. Also (if you do, I do not, understand French) see this link: Original description of Lear's Macaw Anodorhynchus leari by Prince Charles Bonaparte in Iconographie des perroquets (1857-8)

 

[l_raty]

It is actually Macrocercus hyacinthinus sensu Lear, 1832 (which made him 20, not 16 yo).

Lear (1832) illustrated a bird, calling it Macrocercus hyacinthinus, which is a name of Latham, 1790.
Bonaparte noted that this represented another, still unnamed species, and named it Anadorhynchus leari, Bp.
In the table, "(hyacinthinus, Lear)" is an indication--a reference pointing to Lear's work where the bird is illustrated. This is what makes the name available from there.


The cockatoo quote by Finsch says:
”A new species, which is related to the previous one, but allows itself to be identified immediately by the absence of a red face and a much more obvious bluish eye ring. Homeland unknown. Named in honour of Mr. LEAR.”
This one was not illustrated by Lear, it's just a standard dedication.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Laurent, so you say ...

If so; 20 is, for sure, a bit different than 16!

I need to dig further.

I´ll be back!

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Even if Edward Lear was 20 years old in 1832, he must have been one somewhat precocius young man. Executing that book of Parrots, illustrating those 42 Plates "… from live and on stone" is not made in a twinkling. Lithographic work is, and was, particularly at that time (made on limestone), a slow and time-consuming process. Even with the most dextrous pen it must have taken him years, at least quite a while.

I don´t say it´s impossible, though at least very impressive!

What does the "A.L.S." in "Edward Lear, A.L.S", from the Title Page (attached), stands for?

 

[l_raty]

[Here], you'll find a chronology of his life. (Mostly, even if not entirely part of the book's preview.) This suggests the first two folios of Illustrations of the family of Psittacidae or parrots were actually published in 1830 (thus when he was only 18). 1832 was the date when the book was published as a single complete volume.
A.L.S. should mean Associate of the Linnean Society, I think.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Thanks Laurent!

I have loads, and loads, of info regarding the Life and works of Edward Lear (1812–1888), him being an author and illustrator like myself.

I just wanted to make sure if he´s the man we should be looking for ...

A.L.S. as in "Associate of the Linnean Society" sure make sence!

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

And what does the following French quote tell us?

From Bonaparte's entry of "L'ANODORHYNQUE DE LEAR" in his, shortly after the "OD", published "Iconographie des Perroquets" (1857-1858):

L'ANODORHYNQUE DE LEAR

MACROCERCUS HYACINTHINUS, Vieill., Gal. des Ois., pl.24 (la figure); la description doit etre rapportée à l'Anodorhynchus glaucus., - Lear, Ill. of Psitt., pl.9
MACROCERCUS (CYANOPSITTA) GLAUCA, von Souancé, Rev. zool., 1856, p 56.
ANODORHYNCHUS LEARI, Bp. Consp. Psitt., 1856, sp. Musée de Paris

Cet oiseau, intermédiare entre l'Anodorhynque glauque et l'Anodorhynque hyacinthe, à la tête, la nuque et les parties inférieures d'un bleu glauque; les ailes, le croupion et la queue d'un beau bleu; le bec et les pieds noir. La teinte de son plumage le distingue de l'Anod. glauque, qui tend au vert de mer, et a les joues, la gorge et la poitrine lavées de noirâtre; et de l'Anod. hyacinthe, qui est entièrement d'un beau bleu violet intense; les parties nues de la face de notre espèce ont la même configuration que celles de l'Anod. glauque, mais le bec diffère de celui de cette espèce, parce qu'il est moins haut; et les doigts, de la même longueur que ceux dudit oiseau, sont beaucoup plus grêles.

Longueur, depuis l'extrémité du bec jusqu'à la base de la queue, 38 centimètres; aile 38 centimètres; bec, 50 millimètres; tarses 40 millimètres.

Sa provenance est inconnue.

Une grande confusion a régné jusqu'à présent entre les Aras à plumage entièrement bleu. L'A. glauque, d'abord distingué de l'A. hyacinthe par Vieillot, fut plus tard considéré par ce naturaliste comme un simple variété de ce dernier, dont notre A.leari n'avait jamais été séparé. Depuis que nous avons signalé à l'attention des Ornithologistes l'individu du Musée de Paris, S.A Monseigneur le prince Charles Bonaparte en a vu un second exemplaire vivant au Jardin zoologique d'Anvers. Place à côté d'un magnifique Ara hyacinthe, qui provenait de la vente faite à Knowsley après la mort de lord Derby, la frâicheur du plumage de ces deux oiseaux faisait encore mieux ressortir la différence de coloration que nous avons signalé entre les deux espèces. Nous avons pensé utile de faire représenter l'Anodorhynque glauque sur la même planche, pour donner une idée exacte des teintes vertes de l'aile et du noir de la gorge qui le caractérisent. [Transcription from the last link in Post No. #1]

Anyone of our French knowing friend feel to explain? Or translate?

Cheers!

PS. If the latter, please, as true or correctly as possible* as I might use, and translate, the quote myself, in my turn to Swedish.

*Laurent, you already know, you´ve seen this ever-repeated-French-blah-blah-blah-phrase too many times! )

 

[l_raty]

"THE LEAR'S MACAW

MACROCERCUS HYACINTHINUS, Vieill., Gal. des Ois., pl.24 (the figure); the description is to be related to the Anodorhynchus glaucus., - Lear, Ill. of Psitt., pl.9
MACROCERCUS (CYANOPSITTA) GLAUCA, von Souancé, Rev. zool., 1856, p 56.
ANODORHYNCHUS LEARI, Bp. Consp. Psitt., 1856, sp. Paris Museum.

This bird, intermediate between the Glaucous Macaw and the Hyacinth Macaw, has the head, neck and lower parts of a glaucous blue; the wings, rump and tail of a beautiful blue; the bill and feet black. The colour of its plumage differs from the Glaucous Macaw, which tends towards the sea green, and has the cheeks, throat and breast washed out with blackish; and from the Hyacinth Macaw, which is entirely of a beautiful intense violet-blue; the bare parts of the face of our species have the same configuration as those of the Glaucous Macaw, but the beak differs from that of this species, by being less high; and the fingers, of the same length as those of said bird, are much more slender.
Length, from the tip of the bill to the base of the tail, 38 centimetres; wing 38 centimetres; bill, 50 millimetres; tarsus 40 millimetres.
Its provenance is unknown.
A great confusion has reigned so far among the Macaws with wholly blue plumage. The Glaucous Macaw, initially distinguished from the Hyacinth Macaw by Vieillot, was later considered by this naturalist as a mere variety of the latter, from which our A. leari had never been separated. Since we brought to the attention of Ornithologists the specimen of the Paris Museum, His Highness Prince Charles Bonaparte saw a second exemplar living in the Antwerp Zoo. Placed next to a beautiful Hyacinth Macaw, which came from the sale at Knowsley after the death of Lord Derby, the freshness of the plumage of these two birds highlighted all the more the colour difference that we have noted between the two species. We thought it useful to have the Glaucous Macaw represented on the same plate, to give an exact idea of the green hues of the wing and the black of the throat which characterize it."

(There are a few typos/mistakes in the French text, ia, "intermédiare" should be "intermédiaire", "à la tête" should be "a la tête", "les pieds noir" should be "les pieds noirs", "Place à côté" should be "Placé à côté", "frâicheur" should be "fraîcheur", "que nous avons signalé" should be "que nous avons signalée". Some of these could reflect the original, though, which I have not seen.)

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Thank you, Laurent!

Once again you deliver! Quick as ever ...

It´s good to see that there are more transcriber than me with sloppy fingers, ending up with those awkward blue's all over the place!

Don't worry to check out the Original text, I will not use the quote (due to the lack of any explicit dedication), but it was sure worth reading it, to get the grip on, and understand how, and why, this Parrot became "Lear's".

Once again: thanks!

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Ok, time to "wrap this one up" as well …

Too many, much too many sources point in the same direction. I guess my erroneous note of "Macrocercus hyacinthinus LEAR 1828" (that Laurent pointed out, in Post No.#2, as being "1832" instead!) and BHL's claim that "("Lear, Edward, 1812-1888") did some of the illustrations in the first and second volume of Jardine's (et .al.) Illustrations of ornithology I & II (… that was published in four volumes 1826-1843) made me go on a totally unnecessary "wild-goose-chase" …

I now think it´s more than safe to claim that leari in:
● Indigo Macaw Anodorhynchus leari BONAPARTE 1856 a k a "Lear's Macaw" (based on Plate No. 9: Macrocercus hyacinthinus LEAR ca. 1831)
● as well as the synonymous ""Lophochroa Leari" FINSCH 1863 [Syn. Cacatua ducorps PUCHERAN 1853]"

… does commemorate the almost entirely self-taught, quite well-known English Artist, author, writer, Poet and painter (of both classical landscapes in oil, as well as illustrations and lithography works of Natural History items) as well as tutor and frequent traveler Edward Lear (1812–1888).

Born 1812, in mid-May (12th or 13th. dates vary) in Holloway, London, son (and youngest surviving child) of the stockbroker Jeremiah Lear and his wife, Ann. He had 20(!) siblings. … In 1830, to be exact; the 16th of June 1830, he was given permission to make drawings of the parrots in the Garden of the Zoological Society of London, resulting in that Illustrations of the family of Psittacidœ, or parrots : the greater part of them species hitherto unfigured, containing forty-two lithographic plates, drawn from life, and on stone, published in 12 Folio parts (most of them in 1831, the last in the spring of 1832) by himself, (only 100 copies was ever printed … for his 175 subscribers!) that made him quite a celebrated Natural History illustrator, thereafter working with several famous ornithologists, like William Jardine, John Edwards Gray, Lord Stanley the Earl of Derby, John Gould et. al. … [the rest of his life is easily found elsewhere] … and he died, sick and lonely, in San Remo, Italy, of heart disease, 29 January 1888.

I can only establish and agree that Jobling and most other sources got it right from the start.

But it was sure worth (both knowledgeable and fun) checking it out!

That´s it, that´s all I need to know of Mr. Lear and "his Parrot.

Lear … over and out!

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

A quick bounce back and forth ...

Just to make things a little bit clearer ...

Some of these could reflect the original, though, which I have not seen.)

Me neither, but if anyone feel like digging any further (I don´t need to) I think the text, by the aviculturist's, claimed as the: "Original description of Lear's Macaw Anodorhynchus leari by Prince Charles Bonaparte in Iconographie des perroquets (1857-8)" (by me re-quoted, in Post Nr. # 1, not the true OD, that´s apparently Bonaparte's short [very short indeed!] entry in Naumannia 1856, also posted in No. # 1, but), is instead:

de Souancé, C. 1857 (-1858). Iconographie des perroquets non figurés dans les publications de Levaillant et de M. Bourjot Saint-Hilaire. [by Charles de Souance] /avec la coopération de S.A. le prince Bonaparte et de M. Émile Blanchard/ ... Histoire naturelle des perroquets. P. Bertrand, Paris.*

*With some reservation; though I can´t find it fully accessible anywhere on the internet. In any case not to be confused with the earlier issues of (in the same series?); Histoire naturelle des perroquets, vol I & II by Levaillant 1801 & 1805.

That´s all ...

Cheers!