Vig Károly: Zoological Research in Western Hungary. A history (Szombathely, 2003)
1 INTRODUCTION Scientific exploration of the flora of Hungary began in Western Transdanubia, within the historical bounds of Vas County. By the end of the 19th century, the findings were such that this could be called the part of the country whose flora was best known. 1 Distinct emphases and periods of scientific history can be found, for instance, in the history of botanical research in the Kőszeg Hills. 2 The line of development in the history of botany in the West Hungarian border region and the lives and work of the outstanding botanists there have already been covered in detail. 3 On the other hand, there has never been a comprehensive account of the zoological researches in the region, apart from a few short communications from the author of this book. 4 The object in this book, therefore, is to outline the history of research into the fauna of the West Hungarian border region, based on the available publications. Several uncertainties arise when it comes to defining more precisely the area covered by this study. Disregarding the storms of history and the passage of time (and concomitant border changes), several names spring to mind for the region along the western borders of Hungary: Western Transdanubia (Nyugat-Dunántúl), the West Hungarian border region (Nyugat-magyarországi-peremvidék), the Western 'marches' ('nyugati végek'), the Hungarian sub-Alpine region (Magyar Alpokalja), the subAlpine region or Praenoricum (Alpokalja), for instance. The areas they cover are similar but not the same. Those who live in these parts know that sub-Alpine region is the most popular attribute and most frequently applied. The term West Hungarian border region is preferable in a stricter context of descriptive geography. And it seems to be the most suitable term for the purposes of this book, although it can be argued that the West Hungarian border region does not describe a region as such, simply a combination of areas with 1 GOMBOCZ, E. 1936. Л magyar botanika története. A magyar flóra kutatói (History of Hungarian Botany. Researchers into the Hungarian Flora). Budapest: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia (Hungarian Academy of Sciences). 2 BARTHA, D. 1994. A Kőszegi-hegység flóra- és vegetációkutatásának története (History of research into the flora and vegetation of the Kőszeg Hills). In BARTHA, D. ed. A Kőszegi-hegység vegetációja (Vegetation of the Kőszeg Hills), 13-26. Kőszeg/Sopron. 3 SZABÓ, Т.Д. ed. 1992. The beginnings of Pannonian ethnobotany: Stirpium nomenclator Pannonicus edited by S(tephanus) B(eythe) (1583), Carolus Clusius (1584), David Czvittinger (1711). Collecta Clusiana 2:1-144. 4 VIG, K. 1997. A Nyugat-magyarországi-peremvidék állattani kutatásának rövid története (Brief history of zoological research into the Western Hungarian border region). Vasi Szemle 51:267-84; idem 1999. Vas megye élővilágának megismerése, jelenkori természeti emlékei (Exploration of the living world of Vas County and its present-day natural assets). Savaria a Vas megyei Múzeumok Értesítője (1998) 25(2):7-82; idem 1998. Szombathely és Kőszeg környéke állattani kutatásának története (A kezdetektől 1950-ig) (History of faunistic exploration of the Szombathely and Kőszeg district— from the beginnings to 1950). Állattani Közlemények 83:135-57.
