Osbert Salvin

Osbert Salvin is a British ornithologist , born in 1835 and died in 1898.

Its name is related to that of his/her best friend, Frederick DuCane Godman (1834-1919), also ornithologist. They meet in Cambridge where Salvin studies the Mathématiques and Godman the Droit. They then decide to be dedicated only being studied of the birds.

Salvin, generally with Godman, fact of very many voyages: in the north of the Africa, in Central America (1857-1860, 1861-1863, 1873-1874) and in many European countries .

It obtains the station of conservative of the department of ornithology (the Strickland collection) of the university of Cambridge of 1874 with 1882.

It takes part, with Godman and other ornithologists, with the foundation of the British Ornithologists' Union in 1858. The Godman-Salvin medal, decreed by this institution and rewarding for work on the birds, commemorates their memories.

Towards 1863, they decide to join their ornithological collections and then undertake the drafting of a great work on the fauna and the flora of Central America and which also treats Archéologie. Nearly fifteen years later starts to appear Biologia centrali-americana (1879-1915) and which will count sixty-three volumes. The two men are very influenced by the ideas darwiniennes.

Starting from 1885, they start to offer their collection to the British Museum, this one is rich of 55.500 skins (including 346 standard S) and more than 3.000 eggs. To improve the representation of the species of North America, Salvin is devoted to various purchases of collections, representing more than 16.000 specimens.

They also carry out important entomological collections.

Salvin dies of a cardiac disease, can be poisoned by the products containing Arsenic which it handles for the conservation of the skins of birds.

List partial of the publications

1887 : with Frederick DuCane Godman, Biologia Centrali-Americana. Insecta. Lepidoptera-Rhopalocera. Duleau & Co., Bernard Quartrich (London), 2 , 1-112, pls 48-56.

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