Albert Stewart Meek
Encyclopedia
Albert Stewart Meek was an English
bird
collector and naturalist
. The name Alfred S. Meek which can be read in several publications is referred to Albert Stewart Meek.
, the son of a merchant
in natural history items. In 1893 he travelled to Australia
and he spent some time at George Barnard’s cattle station Coomooboolaroo, the only place in Australia where the now extinct Paradise Parrot
had occurred. It is not known if Meek ever saw this species. In 1894 he began collecting bird and insect specimens for the well-known zoologist Lionel Walter Rothschild, first in England, then in Australia, and later in the Pacific region (in particular the Solomon Islands
, New Guinea
and Bougainville
, where he was the first naturalist who observed the birdlife). In addition he became a dealer in feather
s and insect
s. In 1904 he travelled to Choiseul
where he collected the last specimens of the Choiseul Crested Pigeon
. But due to the horrible reputation of the islanders as cannibals he was protected by an armed escort to bring the skins to his vessel. At an expedition in New Guinea in 1906 he discovered and shot the first specimen of the Queen Alexandra's Birdwing
(Ornithoptera alexandrae), the largest butterfly in the world. While being on a visit with the Papua he estimated that the headdress of the chief needs the feathers of more than 23 killed birds (e.g. Birds of Paradise) to create the middle alone.
His collection of bird skins and insects belongs to the most important exhibits in the Natural History Museum
in London. Specimens from Meek's collections can be also seen in the American Museum of Natural History
.
Species named after Meek include seven full bird species:
Choiseul Crested Pigeon
(Migrogoura meeki), Meek's Lorikeet
(Charmosyna meeki), Meek's Pygmy Parrot (Micropsitta meeki), Bougainville Crow
(Corvus meeki), White-throated White-eye
(Zosterops meeki), Olive-streaked Honeyeater
(Ptiloprora meekiana), and the Manus Hawk Owl
(Ninox meeki).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
collector and naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
. The name Alfred S. Meek which can be read in several publications is referred to Albert Stewart Meek.
Biography
Meek was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the son of a merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
in natural history items. In 1893 he travelled to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and he spent some time at George Barnard’s cattle station Coomooboolaroo, the only place in Australia where the now extinct Paradise Parrot
Paradise Parrot
The Paradise Parrot was a colourful medium-sized parrot native to the grassy woodlands of the Queensland - New South Wales border area of northeastern Australia. Once moderately common within its fairly restricted range, the last live bird was seen in 1927...
had occurred. It is not known if Meek ever saw this species. In 1894 he began collecting bird and insect specimens for the well-known zoologist Lionel Walter Rothschild, first in England, then in Australia, and later in the Pacific region (in particular the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and Bougainville
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
, where he was the first naturalist who observed the birdlife). In addition he became a dealer in feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. In 1904 he travelled to Choiseul
Choiseul Province
The Choiseul Province is one of the nine provinces of the Solomon Islands. It lies between the island of Bougainville and Santa Isabel in the west of the Solomon Islands....
where he collected the last specimens of the Choiseul Crested Pigeon
Choiseul Crested Pigeon
The Choiseul Crested Pigeon is a presumedly extinct pigeon which was only known on the Solomon island of Choiseul in the Pacific. This species was first described by Walter Rothschild in 1904 and named in honour of Albert Stewart Meek. The Choiseul islanders called that species kukuru-ni-lua which...
. But due to the horrible reputation of the islanders as cannibals he was protected by an armed escort to bring the skins to his vessel. At an expedition in New Guinea in 1906 he discovered and shot the first specimen of the Queen Alexandra's Birdwing
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing is the largest butterfly in the world.The species was named by Lord Walter Rothschild in 1907, in honour of Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
(Ornithoptera alexandrae), the largest butterfly in the world. While being on a visit with the Papua he estimated that the headdress of the chief needs the feathers of more than 23 killed birds (e.g. Birds of Paradise) to create the middle alone.
His collection of bird skins and insects belongs to the most important exhibits in the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
in London. Specimens from Meek's collections can be also seen in the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
.
Species named after Meek include seven full bird species:
Choiseul Crested Pigeon
Choiseul Crested Pigeon
The Choiseul Crested Pigeon is a presumedly extinct pigeon which was only known on the Solomon island of Choiseul in the Pacific. This species was first described by Walter Rothschild in 1904 and named in honour of Albert Stewart Meek. The Choiseul islanders called that species kukuru-ni-lua which...
(Migrogoura meeki), Meek's Lorikeet
Meek's Lorikeet
The Meek's Lorikeet is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family.It is found in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
(Charmosyna meeki), Meek's Pygmy Parrot (Micropsitta meeki), Bougainville Crow
Bougainville Crow
The Bougainville Crow is a species of bird in the crow family Corvidae.It is found in on the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea and the neighbouring Shortland Islands in the Solomon Islands...
(Corvus meeki), White-throated White-eye
White-throated White-eye
The Tagula White-eye or White-throated White-eye is a species of bird in the Zosteropidae family.It is endemic to Papua New Guinea.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 27 July 2007....
(Zosterops meeki), Olive-streaked Honeyeater
Olive-streaked Honeyeater
The Olive-streaked Honeyeater is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
(Ptiloprora meekiana), and the Manus Hawk Owl
Manus Hawk Owl
The Manus Boobook, Ninox meeki, is a small owl. It has an unmarked brown facial disk, rufous crown and back, barred white flight feathers and tail, and whitish underparts with rufous streaking....
(Ninox meeki).
Literature by and about Albert S. Meek
- Rothschild, M. 1983. Dear Lord Rothschild: Birds, butterflies and history. Balaban, Philadelphia. xx + 398 pp. Mentions Walter Rothschild's collectors in New Guinea, including William DohertyWilliam DohertyWilliam Doherty was an American entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera and later also collected birds for the Natural History Museum at Tring ....
, Albert S. Meek, Ernst MayrErnst MayrErnst Walter Mayr was one of the 20th century's leading evolutionary biologists. He was also a renowned taxonomist, tropical explorer, ornithologist, historian of science, and naturalist...
, etc.
- Rothschild, W., and E. Hartert. 1913. List of the collections of birds made by Albert S. Meek in the lower ranges of the Snow Mountains, on the Eilanden River, and on Mount Goliath during the years 1910 and 1911. Novitates Zoologicae 20:473-527. Notes on Lepidoptera collected by Albert S. Meek in Irian Jaya during 1910 and 1911, including descriptions of localities
- Barbara and Richard Mearns, The Bird Collectors, Academic Press, 1998, ISBN 0-12-487440-1
- Albert S. Meek, A Naturalist in Cannibal Land, 1913, Fischer Unwin, London