Boros István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 3. (Budapest 1953)

Szunyoghy, J.: The harvest mouse in Hungary, I

The Harvest Mouse in Hungary, I. By J. Szunyoghy, Budapest Some Remarks Regarding the Scientific Name of the Harvest Mouse The systematic examination of the harvest mouse in Hungary is a problem long awaiting solution. Hungarian zoological literature bears witness that our scientists have unanimously accepted the determination of the authoritative and generally used Miller Catalogue, according to which Micromys minutus pratensis Oeskay occurs in the countries Hungary and Rumania (Miller: Cat. Mamm. West. Eur. 1912. p. 846). They simply took note of the fact that O c s k a y's Mus pratensis became, by the favour of Barret-Hamilton, a mere subspecies, but nobody was interested in the fate of this small rodent in Hungary. Something, though, was not right, and it found expression, for instance, in the work of Otto Wettstein - W e s t e r s h e i m on the Mammals of Europe. There is the following statement in this book : »Es ist sehr auffallend, dass alle Stücke der Rasse soricinus anzugehören scheinen, obgleich man im Osten Österreichs und in Ungarn hungaricus Földi erwarten sollte. Besonders gilt dies für das Exemplar von Neusiedl am See, da diese Gegend bereits dem ungarischen Becken angehört und noch mehr für jenes aus Budapest. Aus dem Pressburger Komitat, vom linken Ufer der Donau führt Miller (p. 846) hungaricus an«. (0. Wet tstein-Westersheim: Beiträge zur Säugetierkunde Europas, II, 1926. p. 121.) It can be seen from the above lines that W e 11 s t e i n's attention was attracted by the fact that in the places where Micromys minutus pratensis or hungaricus should be, soricinus can be found. Wettstein regards his harvest mouse specimen as Micromys minutus soricinus even from Budapest. As regards Hungarian literature, the last scientist to discuss the harvest mouse, though not from a systematic but of a purely nomenclatural point of view, was G. H o r,v á t h, the excellent entomologist. Gleaning the older Hungarian zoological literature he believed to have.found the first description of the Hungarian harvest mouse in the characterization of Sorex hungaricus by Földi in his Natural History (1801), and so, calling to his aid the law of priority, introduced the name hungaricus Földi instead of pratensis Oeskay. He wrote : »The international regulations of zoological nomenclature bind the validity and acceptability of a given name to two conditions, viz. that the name be followed by a description and that it be in conformity with the principles of binaer nomenclature. Now, the name given by Földi is in conformity with both conditions and so it can be accepted without any restrictions*. (Horváth, G: A törpe egér magyarországi alakjának tudományos neve, Állatt. Közi., 14, 1915. p. 3.) »There is no doubt therefore«, he writes further, »that the small rodent described as Sorex hungaricus by Földi is really the harvest mouse, that is, the Hungarian form of Mus pratensis of 0 c s k a y. This statement can by no means be shaken by the unessential fact that Földi, in his description of the life of the animal, ascribed the winter stores of Mus spicilegus Petényi to his nesting species* (op. cit. p. 3.). In connection with J. F ö 1 d i's description, the worthy scientist of our inland mammals, J. S. Petényi, wrote : »Under the name of Sorex hungaricus