[NHCOLL-L:4422] bird researching

[BESSON Ludovic]

Dear Sir,

 

Inventoring the ornithological collections of the Natural History Museum of Bourges (Cher) France, I discovered in the collection of Albert Maes (1845 - 1914) a Dusky Friarbird / Philemon fuscicapillus (Wallace, 1862) - Handbook of the Birds of the world, Lynx ed. Vol.13, page 679).

 

The identification was not a problem, because I could compare this specimen with 6 skins preserved in the National Natural History Museum in Paris. The Handbook indicates 26 specimens in other international collections, all dated before 1950 and coming from the Morty island (or Morotai island) / Indonesia. But I would be very grateful for fuller details about all this material. Do you have this species in your collections? Can you send photographs to me? Our specimen also comes from this island and I'd like to know if it is the number 27 or not!  I'm also looking for all papers and bibliography in relation to this poorly known species.

 

 Albert Maës give his name to Garrulax maesi and Ampelis maesi.

 

Moreover, we* are looking  for another species.

*:Mellier Benoît  (Muséum des sciences naturelles d'Angers) and Besson Ludovic

 

We are currently working on a red Partridge population (Alectoris rufa) mutatio Atro-rufa who developed in Western France in the mid-nineteenth century and who has now disappeared. We found some of these specimens: 6 specimens in 2 collections of the department of Maine et Loire and 2 specimens in the collections of the National Natural History Museum  in  Paris. Mayaud (1947), a French ornithologist who worked on the issue, only knew the 4 specimens of Cholet (Maine-et-Loire). This mutation occurred in the early twentieth century in England and the British Museum preserves 3 specimens (Bateson & Bateson, 1925). We would like to publish a more exhaustive study on this mutation to supplement work of Bateson and Mayaud. Do you have this mutatio in your collections? Could you send us photographs of your specimens (profile, face and back) in order to compare them with our material ? 

 

References :

BatesonW. & G. (1925) - On Certain Aberrations of the Red-legged Partridges Alectoris rufa and saxatilis. Journ. Of Genetics, XVI, nov 1925, p. 101-123, pl XI à XIV, col.

Mayaud N. (1947) - Réflexions sur quelques mutations de Perdrix. Alauda, XV, Vol.2. pp. 221-242. 

 

 

Looking forward to hearing from you

 

 

Ludovic Besson

Responsable des collections

Muséum Gabriel Foucher

Les Rives d'Auron - Allée Ménard

18000 Bourges (France)

Tél.: 02 48 65 37 34

http://www.museum-bourges.net/

 

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