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NOW FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE…
VEREIN DER VOGELFREUNDE
translated
CLUB of the BIRD FRIENDS
JANUARY 21. - 23., 1888
ESSLINGEN GERMANY
BRONZE MEDALLION
32mm
SIGNED "WM"
WILHELM MAYER of STUTTGART
COIN DEPICTS BIRDS OF ALL KINDS
CHICKEN, DUCKS, GEESE, PARROTS, FALCONS, HAWKS, DOVES, ETC
CELEBRATING ORNITHOLOGY
THE CARE & PRESERVATION OF AVIARY SPECIES
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FYI
Mayer & Wilhelm (Biographical details)
Mayer & Wilhelm (sculptor/medallist; manufacturer/factory; German; Male; 1860; founded)
Also known as
Mayer & Wilhelm; Mayer, Wilhelm; Wilhelm, Frantz; Stuttgarter Metallwaren Fabrik
Biography
A die sinking establishement which was founded in 1860 by Wilhelm Mayer who was a sculptor and engraver. In 1876 his brother in law Frantz Wilhelm joined the firm. Wilhelm Mayer was born in 1840, Franz was born in 1846 and was an engraver by trade. Often appears on medals as Mayer & Wilhelm st. or M. & W. ST.
Bibliography
P Attwood, 'Acquisitions of medals (1983-1987)', British Museum Occasional Paper 78, London, 1991.
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Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. The word "ornithology" derives from the ancient Greek ????? ornis ("bird") and ????? logos ("rationale" or "explanation"). Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds. Most marked among these is the extent of studies undertaken by amateurs working within the parameters of strict scientific methodology.
The science of ornithology has a long history and studies on birds have helped develop several key concepts in evolution, behaviour and ecology such as the definition of species, the process of speciation, instinct, learning, ecological niches, guilds, island biogeography, phylogeography and conservation. While early ornithology was principally concerned with descriptions and distributions of species, ornithologists today seek answers to very specific questions, often using birds as models to test hypotheses or predictions based on theories. Most modern biological theories apply across taxonomic groups and the number of professional scientists who identify themselves as "ornithologists" has therefore declined. A wide range of tools and techniques are used in ornithology, both inside the laboratory and out in the field, and innovations are constantly made.
Etymology
The origins of the word ornithology come from the Greek ornithologos and late 17th-century Latin ornithologia meaning "bird science".
History
The history of ornithology largely reflects the trends in the history of biology, as well as many other scientific disciplines, including ecology, anatomy, physiology, paleontology, and more recently molecular biology. Trends include the move from mere descriptions to the identification of patterns, and thus towards elucidating the processes that produce these patterns.
Early knowledge and study
Humans have had an observational relationship with birds since prehistory, with some stone age drawings being amongst the oldest indications of an interest in birds. Birds were perhaps important as a food source, and bones of as many as 80 species have been found in excavations of early Stone Age settlements. Waterbird and seabird remains have also been found in shell mounds on the island of Oronsay off the coast of Scotland.
Cultures around the world have rich vocabularies related to birds. Traditional bird names are often based on detailed knowledge of the behaviour, with many names being onomatopoeic, many still in use. Traditional knowledge may also involve the use of birds in folk medicine and knowledge of these practices are passed on through oral traditions (see ethno-ornithology). Hunting of wild birds as well as their domestication would have required considerable knowledge of their habits. Poultry farming and falconry were practised from early times in many parts of the world. Artificial incubation of poultry was practised in China around 246 BC and around at least 400 BC in Egypt. The Egyptians also made use of birds in their hieroglyphic scripts, many of which, though stylized, are still identifiable to species.
Early written records provide valuable information on the past distributions of species. For instance Xenophon records the abundance of the ostrich in Assyria (Anabasis, i. 5); this subspecies from Asia minor is extinct and all extant ostrich races are today restricted to Africa. Other old writings such as the Vedas (1500–800 BC) demonstrate the careful observation of avian life histories and includes the earliest reference to the habit of brood parasitism by the Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopacea). Like writing, the early art of China, Japan, Persia and India also demonstrate knowledge, with examples of scientifically accurate bird illustrations.
The use of field glasses or telescopes for bird observation began in the 1820s and 1830s with pioneers like J. Dovaston (who also pioneered in the use of bird-feeders), but it was not until the 1880s that instruction manuals began to insist on the use of optical aids such as "a first-class telescope" or "field glass."
The rise of field guides for the identification of birds was another major innovation. The early guides such as those of Thomas Bewick (2 volumes) and William Yarrell (3 volumes) were cumbersome, and mainly focused on identifying specimens in the hand. The earliest of the new generation of field guides was prepared by Florence Merriam, sister of Clinton Hart Merriam, the mammalogist. This was published in 1887 in a series Hints to Audubon Workers:Fifty Birds and How to Know Them in Grinnell's Audubon Magazine. These were followed by new field guides including classics by Roger Tory Peterson.
The interest in birdwatching grew in popularity in many parts of the world and it was realized that there was a possibility for amateurs to contribute to biological studies. As early as 1916, Julian Huxley wrote a two part article in The Auk, noting the tensions between amateurs and professionals and suggested the possibility that the "vast army of bird-lovers and bird-watchers could begin providing the data scientists needed to address the fundamental problems of biology."
Organizations were started in many countries and these grew rapidly in membership, most notable among them being the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in Britain and the Audubon Society in the US. The Audubon Society started in 1885. Both these organizations were started with the primary objective of conservation. The RSPB, born in 1889, grew from a small group of women in Croydon who met regularly and called themselves the "Fur, Fin and Feather Folk" and who took a pledge "to refrain from wearing the feathers of any birds not killed for the purpose of food, the Ostrich only exempted." The organization did not allow men as members initially, avenging a policy of the British Ornithologists' Union to keep out women. Unlike the RSPB, which was primarily conservation oriented, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) was started in 1933 with the aim of advancing ornithological research. Members were often involved in collaborative ornithological projects. These projects have resulted in atlases which detail the distribution of bird species across Britain. In the United States, the Breeding Bird Surveys, conducted by the US Geological Survey have also produced atlases with information on breeding densities and changes in the density and distribution over time. Other volunteer collaborative ornithology projects were subsequently established in other parts of the world.
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