Somogyi Múzeumok Közleményei 3. (1978)

Természettudomány - Keve András: Xántus János az ornitológus

XÁNTUS JÁNOS AZ ORNITHOLÓGUS 527 satisfied with just this note. The reason for this lack of knowledge is that Xántus reserved the right of publication for himself, but did not publish his results (Sándor, 1970); the records, unfortunately, were destroyed by fire in 1956. Dr. I. Allodiatoris, keeper of the historical collection of the Hungarian Museum of Natural History, who found a packing list in the hand of Xántus, authorized Horváth and me to publish the data (1977), for which generosity we thank her very much. The part concerning Java and Sumatra is missing from this list, but we found an incomplete catalog of the old collection of the Museum and in it we discovered some data on Java and Sumatra. Sándor (1970) narrated in detail the history of the expedition of 1868-70. Wishing to establish commercial relations with the states of Eastern Asia, the Austro—Hungarian Monarchy despatched two warships with a delegation of officials. Two questions were in dispute: should Hungarians participate in the mission, and should the mission present an opportunity for scientific research, as the succesful expedition of the Novara had one. The answer to the first question was in the affirmative, but the second was decided negatively. The warships sailed from Trieste in October, 1868, but the illness of some participants compelled a reassessment which resulted in the inclusion of scientific collecting. The new participants were to go by mail ships via Suez to Singapore to join the warships which had to sail around Africa. Xántus was appointed a director by Eötvös, the Hungarian Minister of Education, while the Austrian delegation was led by Dr. Karl Scherzer; the two had already had controversies in America. Xántus hesitated to accept the appointment, but eventually departed from Budapest on 31 December 1868; he met his colleagues in Trieste and proceeded via Suez to Aden. He stayed for a month in Ceylon, but did not collect birds. He went ashore for a short time in the Penang Islands and in Malacca. Reaching Singapore before the arrival of the warships, he returned to Malacca, where he bought a collection of birds. He then proceeded to Bangkok, where the warships overtook him. His itinerary thereafter was Saigon-Hong-Kong-Shanghai (a longer stay enabling Xántus to visit the Yangtsekiang River and the Rugged lslands)-NagasakiHirado—Hioga—Yokohama. The time available for collecting was quite restricted, and a dispute over the destination of the material arose; Scherzer desired that all the material be sent to Vienna while Xántus maintained that his collection should go to Budapest. In addition, the naval discipline on the warships was not agreeabl to him. Xántus, therefore, separated from the expedition on 21 October 1869; his example was followed later by others. With the sponsorship of Eötvös he returned to Singapore. His principal stay was in Borneo, where he remained from January until May, 1870, and in Java from June until September, 1870. From Java he made a short visit to SumatraFinishing his researches there, he returned via Singapore and Trieste to Budapest in November, 1870. According to old inventory books, the collection of birds consisted of 771 skins and 220 clutches (KeveSámuel, 1969) but, in collaboration with Horváth (1977), we found data only for 338 skins. Xántus's list refers to 93 clutches and four further specimens (a couple of Gallus gall us and Argusianus argus) which he bought in Malacca. The same calatogue contains these additional data: Aviceda leuphotes (? Saigon, 1870); Tarsiger cyane (Sinagar, Java, 8 October 1870). There are fourteen specimens in the collection from Borneo which Smythies (1960) believes are not common, and the collection from Java has two skins of species which are not listed by others (Pycnonotus cyaniventris, Turdus pallidus). On returning from this expedition Xántus lost interest in birds and even the material which he had obtained remained unpublished. His interest was confined to etnography, but shortly before his death his name cropped up among ornithologists as a member of the organizing committee for the Second International Ornithological Congress in 1891. Xántus made many mistakes which throw shadows on his pioneer activity in California and Mexico, and yet his work, in spite of everything, remains alive today in the United States. In Hungarian scientific activity he also won our everlasting gratitude by developing the bird room of the Museum of Natural History, by founding the Budapest Zoological Garden, the Museum of Ethnography, and partly the Museum of Applied Arts. Xántus was much indebted to Hammond and Baird who assisted him at the beginning of his career which was to lead to the esteem shown by his membership in three academies, the Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia, 1856), the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Budapest, 1861), and the Academia Germanica (Dresden, 1872). We must repeat the words of Sándor (1970): „Don't look for his oeuvre in his papers, but find it in his collecting activities." My best thanks for help with my study to Dr. H. M. Madden (Fresno), to Professor Dr. E. Schuz (Stuttgart), and to Dr. M. D. F. Udvardy (Sacramento). A. Keve