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

Historical survey 41 Figure 2.22. A scientific exhibition at Vas County Museum in 1914. The prepared exhibits had been donated to the institution by ISTVÁN CHERNÉL and LAJOS MOLNÁR published them was prepared to develop an 'Austro-Hungarian observation network',

126 which came into being at the express desire of Crown Prince RUDOLF. The annual reports for 1882-7 contain extremely valuable faunistic and migration data in whose collection the country's best ornithologists took part, including ISTVÁN CHERNÉL in the West Hungarian border region.

127 This great age of research into bird migration featured a famous debate between JOHAN AXEL PALMEN (1845-1919) and EUGEN F. HOMEYER (1809-1889). It seems probable that the latter, on one of their Danube bird-watching trips, gave Crown Prince RUDOLF the idea of establishing a worldwide bird-observation system that could settle the dispute. Although the tragic suicide of RUDOLF in 1889 prevented the plan from being implemented, a Permanent International Ornithological Committee (PIOC) was set up. This had two important consequences for Hungary. One was to create a network of observers among ornithol126 TSCHUSI, V. 1882. Utasítás a Magyar-Osztrák Birodalomban levő madártani megfigyelő állomások tagjai részére—

Instruktion für die Mitglieder der ornithologischen Beobachtungsstationen in Österreich und Ungarn. Translated by GYULA MADARÁSZ. Vadász Lap 3:314-16. 127 TSCHUSI, V. 1883. Jahresbericht (1882) des Comités für omithologiche Beobachtungsstationen in Österreich und Ungarn 1. Wien; TSCHUSI, V., and K. DALLA-TORRE. 1885. Ibid., ÍJ. Omis. 1:497-576; idem 1887. Op. cit. III. (1884). 3:1-360; idem 1888. Op. cit. IV. (1885). 4:1-368; idem 1888. Op. cit. V. (1886). 4(Suppl):l-346; idem 1889. Op. cit. VI. (1887). 5:343-610; idem 1890. Op. cit. (1890) 6:33-154.