Tichodroma 24: 109–114 (2012) ISSN 1337­026X Early ornithological expeditions to Syrmia and Banat (1809–1855) Rané ornitologické expedice do Syrmie a Banátu (1809 – 1855) Jiří Mlíkovský Department of Zoology, National Museum, Václavské náměstí 68, CZ­115 79 Praha 1, Czech Republic; e­mail: [email protected] Abstract. A report of early ornithological expeditions to Syrmia and Banat is presented. These lands currently belong to the southern Vojvodina, Serbia, but in the past, they were a less safe region at the border between the Habsburg Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. The first who collected birds in the territory of Syrmia and Banat was Johann Natterer, an Austrian collector, in 1809. In 1834, Johann Salomon Petényi assumed the position of a curator of zoological collections in the Hungarian National Museum, and his activities opened the territory Hungary to foreign ornithologists. Simultaneously, the situation in Syrmia and Banat turned to the better and became more suitable for ornithological visits. Ornithological expeditions visited Syrmia and Banat in 1835 (Naumann), 1838 (Landbeck), 1840 (von Loebenstein), 1852 (Frič) and 1853–1855 (Zelebor). A first ornithologist, Ettinger, settled in the region in the mid-1850s. Consequently, the expedition era of ornithological explorations of Syrmia and Banat took its end and the era of standard ornithological research was commenced. Key words: ornithology, history, faunistics, Serbia, Romania, Hungary Introduction The first and for a long time the only orni­ thologist who visited the region probably was Syrmia and Banat are neighboring historical Johann Centurius von Hoffmannsegg in 1794 regions, the largest parts of which currently (see below), but first ornithological work was belong to the Vojvodina Province, Serbia. done there by Johann Natterer in 1809 (see be­ During most of the 19th century, they formed low), the same man, who later became famous southernmost part of Hungary, which in turn due to his research in Brazil (Vanzolini 1993, was part of the Central European Habsburg Schmutzer 2011). The situation markedly chan­ Empire. Lying at the border with the Ottoman ged in the 1830s when the situation in Syrmia Empire, these regions were rather wild until the and Banat started to improve and when János 1830s (Naumann 1837, pp. 109–110). Salamon Petényi (1799 – 1855; also Johann Extensive wetlands in Syrmia and southern Salomon von Petényi, Ján Šalamún Petian) Banat were the closest place where Central was appointed as a curator of zoology at the European ornithologists could encounter Hungarian National Museum in Pest (December Mediterranean wetland and water birds. 1834). Petényi immediately started a campaign However attractive, the region was difficult to for the development of Hungarian natural his­ reach and considered dangerous in those days, tory (Herman 1891, p. 30). His close contacts so that very few ornithologists visited these with Austrian and German ornithologists soon regions prior to the 20th century. resulted in several expeditions to Syrmia and Tichodroma 24 (2012) 109 Banat. Petényi participated in the expeditions Perlez, Central Banat, Vojvodina, Serbia; of 1835 and 1838, but only acted as advisor for 45.21°N, 20.38°E. the expeditions of 1840 and 1852. Below I give Sremska Mitrovica (Mitrovitza), Syrmia, brief account of these expeditions. Vojvodina, Serbia; 44.98°N, 19.61°E. Museum acronyms are as follows: IZH = Stajićevo (Etska), Central Banat, Vojvodina, Institut für Zoologie, Halle/Saale, Germany; Serbia; 45.29°N, 20.46°E. NMK = Naumann­Museum, Köthen, Germany; Zemun (Semlin), Syrmia, Vojvodina, Serbia; NHMW = Naturhistorisches Museum, Wien, 44.84°N, 20.40°E. Austria; NMP = National Museum, Praha, Czech Republic; RMNH = Naturalis (for­ The expeditions merly Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden, The Netherlands; SMND = Staatliches Below I list five ornithological expeditions to Museum für Naturkunde, Dresden, Germany; Syrmia and Banat from the beginnings (1809) SMNG = Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, to the end of the expedition era (1855). Brief Görlitz, Germany; ZMB = Museum für visits by travelers are not considered below. Naturkunde, Leibniz­Institut für Evolutions­ However, two of them deserve a mention: und Biodiversitätsforschung, Humboldt­ First, Johann Centurius von Hoffmannsegg Universität, Berlin, Germany. (1766–1849), a well known German naturalist, visited the region briefly in July 1794, crossing Gazetteer it from Petrovaradin to Zemun on the way to Băile Herculane (see Hoffmannsegg 1800, Below I list localities from Banat, Syrmia and pp. 165ff.). Although Hoffmannsegg collected adjacent parts of Europe, which are mentioned birds on other places during his expedition (see in the text below. Alternative spellings and Hoffmannsegg 1800, pp. 126ff., Stresemann names are given in parentheses. Geographic 1950, p. 44, footnote) I found nothing regar­ coordinates are given in the decimal system. ding his ornithological activities in what is Spelling of toponyms follows NGA (2012) now Vojvodina. Second, Herman (1891, p. 31) where possible. mentioned that Graf [= Count] Vieregg (perhaps Baziaş, Caraş­Severin Province, Romania; Karl Mathäus von Vieregg, 1798–1864, who 44.81°N, 21.39°E. was of „correct“ age and had close connections Băile Herculane (Mehadia), Caraş­Severin with Hungary; cf. Gángó 1999, pp. 13ff.) visited Province, Romania; 44.88°N, 22.41°E. “Banat” in 1835 (before Naumann did; see be­ Bela Crkva, South Banat, Vojvodina, Serbia; low for dates) in Petényi’s company. I was not 44.92°N, 21.43°E. able to find anything more about this expedition. Beograd, City of Beograd Province, Serbia; 44.82°N, 20.47°E. 1809: Natterer Expedition Jakovo (Jacowa, Jakowa), Syrmia, Vojvodina, Johann Natterer (1787–1843) was an Austrian Serbia; 44.76°N, 20.26°E. collector. He visited Banat and Syrmia in 1809. Kovilj, Central Banat, Vojvodian, Serbia; His itinerary was not published, but he visited 45.23°N, 20.02°E. Stajićevo and Perlez in Central Banat, Opovo Kupinovo (Kubinova, Kupinowa), Syrmia, and Pančevo in South Banat, and Zemun in Vojvodina, Serbia; 44.71°N, 21.35°E. Syrmia (see J. Natterer in Herman 1891, pp. Obrež, Syrmia, Vojvodina, Serbia; 44.74°N, 105–106). Collected birds were deposited 19.97°E. in the NHMW (Fitzinger 1868, p. 1053). Opovo (Oppowa), South Banat, Vojvodina, Ornithological results of this expedition were Serbia; 45.05°N, 20.43°E. not published (but see Pelzeln 1874, p. 562 for Pančevo, South Banat, Vojvodina, Serbia; a record of Phalacrocorax pygmeus (Pallas, 44.87°N, 20.64°E. 1773) from Perlez). 110 Tichodroma 24 (2012) 1835: Naumann Expedition published on this expedition and described his Johann Friedrich Naumann (1780–1857) was own observations, making no further mention a famous German ornithologist (Gebhardt of his brother) arrived in Pest in April 1838 and 1964), while his fellow traveler Ludwig August stayed there until mid­July. He continued on Neubert (1799–1880) was an apothecary in 13–14 July downstream the Danube. He lived Leipzig, Germany. in Banat and Syrmia at least from 16 July to 18 Naumann and Neubert started their journey October, mostly in Jakovo, with visits to Zemun in Leipzig on 8 August 1835, reaching Pest via and Kupinovo. On 21 November 1838 he tra­ Praha, Wien and Pressburg [= Bratislava] on 20 velled through Hungary homewards. Herman August (they stayed in Wien for several days). (1891, p. 33) wrote that Petényi accompanied There they met Petényi, who accompanied the Landbek brothers on their trip to Banat, but them until their homeward departure from Pest Landbeck (1842a, b, 1843) did not mention almost five weeks later. After some collecting Petényi. in the vicinity of Pest, they went on 27 August The fate of the Landbeck collection is unk­ to Zemun, from where they made excursions to nown to me. Ornithological observations were various places in Syrmia and Banat. They conti­ published by Landbeck (1842a, b, 1843). nued their way on 9 September on land through Banat and further northwards to Pest, which 1840: von Loebenstein Expedition they reached on 14 September. They explored Alexander Robert von Loebenstein (1811–1855; the vicinity of Pest until 3 October, when they also spelled Löbenstein) was a landlord at set off homewards. They reached Leipzig on 9 Lohsa, Silesia, while Robert Ottomar Tobias October. For a detailed itinerary see Naumann (1810–1889) was a taxidermist at Görlitz, (1837, pp. 70–72; see also Naumann 1836, Silesia (both these cities lay now in Saxony, pp. v–viii). Germany). Both were primarily interested in the Naumann probably retained most specimens avifauna of their native Silesia (e.g. Gebhardt he collected in his own collection, but he did 1964). Nevertheless, in 1840, von Loebenstein not mention this in his reports (Naumann1836, organized an expedition to Banat, on which he pp. v–viii, 1837). Large parts of the Naumann was accompanied by Tobias as hunter and ta­ collection are now deposited in IZH and NMK xidermist. No detailed expedition account was (Roselaar 2003). Ornithological observations published, but basic data are included in two were published by Naumann (1837); in addi­ letters written by Tobias to Eugen Ferdinand tion Naumann (1836, 1838, 1840, 1842, and von Homeyer (1809–1889), dated in Görlitz on 1844) included them in the volumes of his 28 July 1840 and 21 January 1841, respectively Naturgeschichte der Vögel Deutschlands pub­ (Homeyer 1881, pp. 250–254). lished after his expedition. Von Loebenstein und Tobias left Lohsa on 8 April 1840 and traveled via Dresden 1838: Landbeck Expedition and Wien (which they left on “Ostertag” = 19 Christian Ludwig Landbeck (1807–1890; also April) to Pest, where they met Petényi (Tobias spelled Landbek) was a German ornithologist, in Homeyer 1881: 251). It remains unknown active mainly in Württemberg and after 1852 in what they discussed with him and what Petényi Chile (Gebhardt 1964). He was accompanied advised them, but their further trip was ornitho­ on the expedition by his brother, whose name logically successful, although Petényi did not is unknown to me.