Vig Károly: Zoological Research in Western Hungary. A history (Szombathely, 2003)

Historical survey 3 5 to the beauties of nature. FERENC CHERNÉL (1778-1864), who joined the Kőszeg appeal court in 1858, still found time to make a name for himself as a sheep-breeder. He was a keen ornithologist in his spare time and built and maintained an aviary for several species in his garden.

112 Historian KÁLMÁN CHERNÉL (18221891) (Figure 2.14) was also interested in the natural sciences, especially birdwatching. His book The Past and Present of the Royal Free Town of Kőszeg (CHERNÉL 1877) (Figure 2.15) includes an account of animal life in the town: The number of creatures is smaller by comparison with the quantity of plants, but without their existence or absence being conspicuous in the district or causing a significant gap. Nonetheless... as they provide an aid to characterizing individual districts, I think it is essential to present the animal life of Kőszeg and district in systematic order, as I myself have in part gathered experience of them through some 36 years of diligent observations.' However, the author's catalogue is much more than a list, for he includes detailed observations of their occurrence and distribution for most species. The section on birds is the lengthiest of course, and the author confines himself to vertebrates, failing to list invertebrate organisms: 'It would take us far from our objective if the genera and species of insects (Insecta), spiders and allies (Arachnidae) and worms (Vermes) were to be listed in detail. Suffice it to say that most spiders and insects of the plains and hills of central Europe, especially Coleoptera (beetles), Hymenop112 PALATÍNUS, J. 1911. Vasvármegyei nemes Families). Szombathely. Figure 2.16. ISTVÁN CHERNÉL (1865-1922), the celebrated Hungarian ornithologist, whose activity extending far beyond the country's borders gained him fame throughout Europe at the turn of the 20th century tera (wasps), Orthoptera (orthopterous insects), Hemiptera (bugs), Neuroptera (lacewings), Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and Diptera (two-winged flies) in the insect class, from greater or lesser families and single or multiple swarms and species are presumably indigenous to the areas within the borders and the district.' The chapter on the animal kingdom ends with an account of the animal species bred in the Kőszeg district or of commercial importance there. It has to be added that the botanical chapter is much more detailed than the zoological. This is explained by the fact that ALFONZ FREH'S book on the flora of Kőszeg had already appeared and was taken over in its enticsaládok története (History of Vas County's Noble