The Eponym Dictionary of Birds

The Eponym Dictionary of Birds PDF Author: Bo Beolens
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 147298269X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 624

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Book Description
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.

The Eponym Dictionary of Birds

The Eponym Dictionary of Birds PDF Author: Bo Beolens
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 147298269X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 624

Get Book

Book Description
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.

The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians

The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians PDF Author: Bo Beolens
Publisher: Pelagic Publishing
ISBN: 1907807446
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
New species of animal and plant are being discovered all the time. When this happens, the new species has to be given a scientific, Latin name in addition to any common, vernacular name. In either case the species may be named after a person, often the discoverer but sometimes an individual they wished to honour or perhaps were staying with at the time the discovery was made. Species names related to a person are ‘eponyms’. Many scientific names are allusive, esoteric and even humorous, so an eponym dictionary is a valuable resource for anyone, amateur or professional, who wants to decipher the meaning and glimpse the history of a species name. Sometimes a name refers not to a person but to a fictional character or mythological figure. The Forest Stubfoot Toad Atelopus farci is named after the FARC, a Colombian guerrilla army who found refuge in the toad’s habitat and thereby, it is claimed, protected it. Hoipollo's Bubble-nest Frog Pseudophilautus hoipolloi was named after the Greek for ‘the many’, but someone assumed the reference was to a Dr Hoipollo. Meanwhile, the man who has everything will never refuse an eponym: Sting's Treefrog Dendropsophus stingi is named after the rock musician, in honour of his ‘commitment and efforts to save the rainforest’. Following the success of their Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles, the authors have joined forces to give amphibians a similar treatment. They have tracked down 1,609 honoured individuals and composed for each a brief, pithy biography. In some cases these are a reminder of the courage of scientists whose dedicated research in remote locations exposed them to disease and even violent death. The eponym ensures that their memory will survive, aided by reference works such as this highly readable dictionary. Altogether 2,668 amphibians are listed.

The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles

The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles PDF Author: Bo Beolens
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421402270
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
Who was Richard Kemp, after whom the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is named? Is Wake’s Gecko named after Berkeley’s Marvalee Wake? Or perhaps her husband, David? Why do so many snakes and lizards have Werner in their name? This reference book answers these and thousands of other questions about the origins of the vernacular and scientific names of reptiles across the globe. From Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti, the Florida cottonmouth subspecies named for Roger Conant, to Xantusia, the night lizard genera namesake of John Xantus, this dictionary covers everyone after whom an extant or recently extinct reptile has been named. The entries include a brief bio-sketch, a list of the reptiles that bear the individual’s name, the names of reptiles erroneously thought to be associated with the person, and a summary of major—and sometimes obscure or even incidental—contributions made by the person to herpetology and zoology. An introductory chapter explains how to use the book and describes the process of naming taxa. Easy to use and filled with addictive—and highly useful—information about the people whose names will be carried into the future on the backs of the world’s reptiles, The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles is a handy and fun book for professional and amateur herpetologists alike.

Sharks: An Eponym Dictionary

Sharks: An Eponym Dictionary PDF Author: Michael Watkins
Publisher: Pelagic Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1784270377
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 230

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Book Description
This fascinating reference book delves into the origins of the vernacular and scientific names of sharks, rays, skates and chimeras. Each entry offers a concise biography, revealing the hidden stories and facts behind each species’ name.

Dictionary of Birds of the United States

Dictionary of Birds of the United States PDF Author: Joel E. Holloway
Publisher: Timber Press
ISBN: 9781604691740
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This is the most complete and up-to-date dictionary of names of American birds available. With more than 900 entries, all the resident birds of the 50 states are included, as well as escaped, exotic, and rare visitors. Including the etymologies and meanings of scientific and common names, it will be an indispensable reference for both scholars and amateur birders. Crisply written and extensively cross-referenced for ease of access, the book is graced by more than 25 striking drawings by renowned ornithologist and bird artist George Miksch Sutton. This book is only available through print on demand. All interior art is black and white.

A Dictionary of birds

A Dictionary of birds PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


A Dictionary of Birds

A Dictionary of Birds PDF Author: Alfred Newton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Birds
Languages : en
Pages : 1250

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The Dictionary of American Bird Names

The Dictionary of American Bird Names PDF Author: Ernest Alfred Choate
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780876451175
Category : Birds
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Explains the etymological origins of birds' English common names, along with scientific counterparts.

The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals

The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals PDF Author: Bo Beolens
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 0801893046
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 591

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Book Description
Just who was the Przewalski after whom Przewalski's horse was named? Or Husson, the eponym for the rat Hydromys hussoni? Or the Geoffroy whose name is forever linked to Geoffroy's cat? This unique reference provides a brief look at the real lives behind the scientific and vernacular mammal names one encounters in field guides, textbooks, journal articles, and other scholarly works. Arranged to mirror standard dictionaries, the more than 1,300 entries included here explain the origins of over 2,000 mammal species names. Each bio-sketch lists the scientific and common-language names of all species named after the person, outlines the individual's major contributions to mammalogy and other branches of zoology, and includes brief information about his or her mammalian namesake's distribution. The two appendixes list scientific and common names for ease of reference, and, where appropriate, individual entries include mammals commonly -- but mistakenly -- believed to be named after people. The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals is a highly readable and informative guide to the people whose names are immortalized in mammal nomenclature.

Mrs Moreau's Warbler

Mrs Moreau's Warbler PDF Author: Stephen Moss
Publisher: Faber & Faber
ISBN: 178335092X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
Swallow and starling, puffin and peregrine, blue tit and blackcap. We use these names so often that few of us ever pause to wonder about their origins. What do they mean? Where did they come from? And who created them? The words we use to name birds are some of the most lyrical and evocative in the English language. They also tell incredible stories: of epic expeditions, fierce battles between rival ornithologists, momentous historical events and touching romantic gestures. Through fascinating encounters with birds, and the rich cast of characters who came up with their names, in Mrs Moreau's Warbler Stephen Moss takes us on a remarkable journey through time. From when humans and birds first shared the earth to our fraught present-day coexistence, Moss shows how these names reveal as much about ourselves and our relationship with the natural world as about the creatures they describe.