Paul Sparrow

Paul Wilhelm Heinrich Spatz (1865–1942) in the Steglitzer Anzeiger 1926

Paul Wilhelm Heinrich Spatz (born November 30, 1865 in Diemitz ; † May 4, 1942 in the Schöneberg district in Berlin ) was a German zoologist and explorer .

Live and act

Visiting card for his mother's company with the house where Paul Spatz was born

Spatz was born in the Freyimfelde house in Diemitz, an estate that had passed into their family property in 1857. His father Leonhard Heinrich Spatz (1828–1877) was the founder of the Leonh company . Heinr. Spatz & Co in Freiimfelde . His mother Marie Auguste Eleonore geb. Daneel (1839–1914) continued the company after the death of his father under the name LH Spatz Wwe . Contrary to the customs of the time, it was not the first-born Paul who later took over the family business, but his brother Leonhard Heinrich (Harry) Spatz . Paul Spatz was the first of six siblings. This was followed by the siblings Walter Hermann Louis (1868–), Victoria Emma Frieda (1870–), Karl Martell (1872–), Leonhard Heinrich (1875–1931) and Eleonore Dorothee (1877–). On July 28, 1888, Spatz married Emma, ​​nee. Driehaus (1868–1891), with whom he had the children Lilli Marie Emilie (later Kluge) (1889–), Walter Wilhelm Heinrich Spatz (1890–) and Leopold Martell Spatz (1891–1891). Presumably his wife died giving birth to the lastborn. On June 19, 1901, he married Elisabeth Agnes Pauline, b. Mohs in hall. Their son Richard (1908–) comes from the second marriage. Through his sister Frieda, who was married to Anton Adolf Emil Driehaus (1864–), and their son Harry Werner Driehaus, Spatz had family connections in the Ludwig Kathe & Sohn company . His nephew was married to Ilse Franziska Berta Kathe, who in turn was a daughter of Alfred Kathe, the head of the company.

His love of nature and his thirst for freedom brought him to Tunisia and Algeria for the first time in 1884. Both countries became a second home for Spatz and he lived there for many years or visited the countries on numerous trips. His fluent French and Arabic, coupled with an enormous knowledge of the customs and traditions of the local population, enabled him to work there successfully.

Spatz began his professional career in various trades, but gradually turned to the natural sciences. He led hunting and scientific expeditions in the steppes and deserts of the northern Sahara. He mainly collected zoological objects, but ethnographic and prehistoric exhibits were also among his collectibles. He was particularly interested in ornithology.

With Alexander Koenig and his wife Margarethe geb. Westphal he was from February 28 to May 28, 1891 in Tunisia on a collecting trip. As early as 1885 he supported the couple in preparing an earlier expedition.

Carlo von Erlanger learned the techniques of desert travel by Spatz while participating in his first expedition through southern Tunisia in 1893. Spatz was the leader of the expedition. The journey took them on March 8, 1893 from Gabès to El Hamma , the Chott el Fedjadj , Kebili to Douz . Her way back went via Kebili, the Chott el Djerid to Gafsa and finally over fertile landscapes, the so-called Seggi, to Gabès at the end of June. Spatz himself announced the trip in ornithological monthly reports as follows:

“Mr. Paul Spatz has started a new collecting trip to Tunisia. At the time in Tunis, the traveler intends to go from there to Gabes and then collect especially in the desert districts of the interior of Tunisia. The return is planned for late April or early May. Any special orders for hides, eggs and live birds, which are forwarded to the traveler, must be sent to Paul WH Spatz in Halle a. S. "

Paul Spatz sitting in the right tent on the right by the Gabès oasis

In 1896 von Erlanger organized another research trip to Tunisia. On October 30, von Erlanger and his helpers Johann Michael Holtermüller (1865–1931) and Carl Hilgert (1866–1940) reached Gabès. Here Spatz was already waiting for the group. Von Erlanger wrote about Spatz:

"Mr. Spatz, who should probably be known to most readers through his many expeditions in that country, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks again, as I have made a large part of the success of my trip, his experiences made through many years of stay in Tunisia, as well as the most intimate knowledge of the country and its people. The same obliges me to give me the greatest thanks through his help with words and deeds. It was not enough that he made all the necessary preparations for the trip, the recruitment of the natives, the procurement of the necessary dromedaries, horses and donkeys, as well as the canned goods to be carried, he even made his own tents available to me in a friendly manner and looked after me during the trip even the most important office of an interpreter "

The trip itself was carried out in three stages. The starting point for each stage was Gabès. On November 3, 1896, the group left Gabès for the first time. The way to Ghannouch led to Wadi Akarit via the Djara oasis . From here they hiked through the Sabcha region to the west of Nadour . We continued along the coast to Skhira , from there to Mahrès . The plan was to go to the Kneiss Islands with a cutter on November 8th , but bad weather prevented a crossing. So they collected in the area and could only implement the project on November 12th. They did not leave the islands until November 16, only to return to Gabès a day later.

The second expedition started on December 9th. After crossing the Djebel Dahar Mountains, they reached El Hamma . They later gathered in the wadi and the Jabal aţ Ţabaqah mountain range . From Wadi Nachla the route led to the source of the Nebsch-ed-Dib after Saidane and on to the Limaguess oasis . The caravan moved on to the Bahir mountain range , which formed the watershed between the Chott el Fedjadj and the Chott el Djerid near the oases of the Nefzaoua region . The next destinations were Kebili , Jemna and Douz , in order to move on from there to the Sahara . Due to heavy rain, the group stayed in Douz before moving on to Ain Djabar. On December 24th, the group rested in Chadames. We went on to Dakamis al Kabir to explore the mountain range. The next step was a difficult fight over various sand dunes to the Gur-el-Areif. First the group had to fill up with water in Bir Aouin, about 10 kilometers away . Further stations were Galb-el-Assued southwest of Douiret , Bou Kartouf , the Gar-Rham Mountains, the Sanger Valley, the French colonial administrative city of Tataouine and Medenine . On January 25, 1897, Spatz made a trip to the Djerbel Souenia with Hilgert, von Erlanger and two Arabs, which led them into a crater-like cave. This expedition finally ended on January 27th in Gabès via Mareth and Kettana .

It was not until February 22nd before they finally set off on a third expedition. Via Oudref the caravan swiveled west towards Oglet Telemine. After heavy rainfall, they crossed the Fedjadj late . The further journey took them via Bir Al Huffay and Bi'r Mehamla , the Seggi, to Bir Selousa, the Bir Mrabat mountain pass, Gafsa , the 960 meter high Djebel Tfel, back to Gafsa, the Djebel Sidi Ali Ben Aoun , the Djebel Sidi Aich , back to Djebel Sidi Ali Ben, Djebel Guettar , Bou Omrane , the Bir Soelousa , Gafsa, the French protected area Ain Draham , Madjen bel Abbès , Fériana , Kasserine , Bi'r Bu Hayyah , Oued Sarath, Souk El Arba . From here the group wanted to take the train to Tunis. From June 30th to July 6th, group excursions around Souk El Arba followed. After Spatz had sold the beasts of burden, the troops returned to Tunis on July 7th.

Spatz, Hilgert, von Erlanger, the Arabs Ali and Haffeid set off from La Goulette on July 13 for a last boat tour to the island of Nemoura . While Erlanger wanted to explore the coast with a few others by boat, Hilgert and Spatz stayed behind on the island. Erlanger got caught in a storm and was driven to the Tunisian coast. Hilgert and Spatz only met their companion and friend again on July 18 in Tunis, with great concern.

Otto Eduard Graf von Zedlitz and Trützschler traveled to Tunis in 1904, 1905 and 1906 . Together with Spatz and Alfred Blanchet (1872–1944), he traveled to Tunisia together. Von Zedlitz's travels lasted from February 19 to March 28, 1904, from March 7 to May 15, 1905 and from January 5 to April 12, 1906, a total of 204 days. His travels focused particularly on the Chott el Djeril. In the spring of 1913 he traveled through Algeria with his old companion. Both explored the areas that Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild and Ernst Hartert had not yet explored.

With Hans Geyr of Schweppenburg he was on 13 December 1913 to 14 June 1914 from Touggourt full six months and 3,000 kilometers on the back of a dromedary Oasis Ideles and back on the road. Geyr von Schweppenburg described the trip in 1917 in his report To the Land of the Tuareg .

When the First World War broke out in 1914 , Spatz was surprised by this event in Algeria. He went to jail and lost the entire collection from that trip. In four years as a prisoner of war his health also suffered considerably.

Back in Germany, he didn't stay in his home country for long. So he broke to travel a. a. to Crete , Tripoli , Mauritania , lower Senegal and Rio de Oro. In the first half of 1925, Spatz was collecting in Crete. From February to May 1926 he visited the Spanish colony of Río de Oro with the Berlin taxidermist Fritz Bock . From February to July 1928 he made a trip with Bock and his son Richard from Dakar via Saint-Louis to the area of ​​the lower reaches of the Senegal River . The mammal, bird, reptile and insect yield from these trips was intended for the Zoological Museum of the University of Berlin. Another trip into the interior of the French Senegal colony was at least planned.

Spatz brought back many pictures and observations from his numerous journeys, which he used for numerous articles in daily newspapers and entertainment papers or in various lectures. His lectures were very much appreciated and he spoke on the radio more than 80 times. He published some scientific articles, but mostly focused on collecting on behalf of museums and private collectors.

Spatz died in the Auguste Victoria Hospital in Berlin-Schöneberg.

Memberships

Paul Spatz was a founding member of the German Society for Mammal Studies . He had been a member of the German Ornithological Society since 1893 .

Dedication names

Anton Reichenow named the rock grouse subspecies ( Alectoris barbara spatzi ) in his honor in 1895 , Hans Geyr von Schweppenburg in 1916 named a desert tern subspecies ( Ptyonoprogne obsoleta spatzi ) and Erwin Stresemann in 1926 named the African ostrich subspecies ( Struthio camelus spatzi ). The latter is now often viewed as a synonym for the nominate form . Ernst Ahl dedicated the reed frog species Hyperolius spatzi to him in 1931 . Mabuya perroteti spatzi Ahl , 1933 is now considered a synonym for the Trachylepis species Trachylepis perrotetii ( Duméril & Bibron , 1839).

Alcedo Spatzii Koenig , 1892 is now synonymous with the Kingfisher ( Alcedo atthis ), Certhia brachydactyla spatzi Stresemann , 1926 as a synonym to nominate the garden tree runner , Charadrius alexandrinus spatzi Neumann , 1929 as a synonym to nominate the Kentish Plover and pratincola rubetra spatzi Erlanger as a synonym for the nominate form of the whinchat ( Saxicola rubetra ).

Publications (selection)

• Collective trip to Tunis . In: Ornithological monthly reports . tape 1 , no. 2 , 1893, p. 36 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• Biological results from Gabes and the island of Gerba . In: Journal for Ornithology (=  5 ). tape 2 , no. 1 , 1895, p. 110-111 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• Notes from Tunis . In: Ornithological monthly reports . tape 3 , no. 4 , 1895, p. 60-62 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• About Cursorius eggs . In: Ornithological monthly reports . tape 7 , no. 5/6 , 1899, pp. 174-132 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• The reign of Tunis, a guide for tourists . CA Kaemmerer, Halle an der Saale 1903.
• The reign of Tunis, a guide for tourists . 2nd Edition. Impr. Nouvelle, Tunis 1906.
• Some remarks on North African animals and the relationship of the natives to them . In: Meeting reports of the Society of Friends of Natural Sciences in Berlin . 1913, p. 362–364 ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).
• Observations at Lake Fetzara in Algeria . In: Journal of Ornithology . tape 62 , no. 1 , 1914, p. 166-167 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• My trip to Rio de Oro. Travel report and observations on mammals . In: Journal of Mammals . tape 1 , 1926, pp. 23–28 ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).
• About North African gazelles and antelopes . In: Journal of Mammals . tape 2 , 1927, pp. 27–29 ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).

literature

• Ernst Ahl: Amphibia. Anura III. Polypedatidae . In: Das Tierreich - A compilation and identification of recent animal forms . 55th delivery. Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin, Leipzig 1931.
• Ernst Ahl: Description of a new lizard from the Senegal area . In: Zoologischer Anzeiger . tape 101 , no. 11/12 , 1933, pp. 326-329 . ZDB ID 398-0
• German Ornithological Society: Directory of members of the German Ornithological Society 1931 . In: Journal of Ornithology . tape 79 , 1931, pp. V – XXVI ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).
• Carlo von Erlanger: Contributions to the avifauna of Tunisia . In: Journal for Ornithology (=  5 ). tape 48 , no. 1 , 1900, p. 1-105 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• Carlo von Erlanger: Like a look into the land of a more beautiful Eden . Ed .: Angelika Schulz-Parthu. Leinpfad, Ingelheim 1997, ISBN 3-9805837-1-6 .
• Helga Gemegah: Buildings by Andreas Schlueter outside of Berlin? In: XXVII. German Art Historians' Day, Leipzig University, 12. – 16. March 2003 . 2003 ( researchgate.net [PDF; 1.7 MB ]).
• Uwe Hildebrand: Carlo von Erlanger (Ingelheim) and the preparation collection from Ingelheim in the Natural History Museum Mainz - collection report . In: Mainz natural science archive . tape 42 , 2004, p. 267–278 ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).
• Alexander Koenig: Second contribution to the avifauna of Tunis . In: Journal for Ornithology (=  4 ). tape 40 , no. 200 , 1892, pp. 329-416 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• Hans Nachtheim: The dead of the mammal society 1939–1951 . In: Journal of Mammals . tape 19 , 1954, pp. 43 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• Oscar Neumann: About the circle of forms of Charadrius Alexandrinus . In: Novitates Zoologicae . tape 35 , 1929, pp. 212-216 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• Hermann Pohle: I German society for mammal studies . In: Journal of Mammals . tape 1 , no. 1 , August 31, 1926, p. 1-12 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• Anton Reichenow: Report on the November meeting, 1894 . In: Journal for Ornithology (=  3 ). tape 43 , no. 1 , 1895, p. 108-111 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• Goetz Rheinwald: The vertebrate collections of the Alexander Koenig Museum . In: Bonn Zoological Monographs . No. 19 , 1984, pp. 1–239 ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).
• Hans Rohde: German international and marine research since the world war . ES Mittler and Son, Berlin 1931.
• Hans Freiherr Geyr von Scheppenburg: New forms from northern Africa . In: Ornithological monthly reports . tape 24 , no. 4 , 1916, pp. 56-60 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• Hans Freiherr Geyr von Scheppenburg: Into the land of the Tuareg . In: Journal of Ornithology . tape 65 , no. 3 , 1917, pp. 241-312 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• Hans Freiherr Geyr von Scheppenburg: Paul Spatz . In: Ornithological monthly reports . tape 50 , no. 4/5 , 1942, ISSN  0375-0221 , p. 123-125 .
• Max Schönwetter: The eggs of Struthio camelus spatzi Stresemann . In: Ornithological monthly reports . tape 35 , no. 1 , 1927, pp. 13–17 ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).
• Karl Martell Spatz: Family book of the sex association of the sparrows . CA Starke, Görlitz 1926.
• Erwin Stresemann: The treecreeper from Crete . In: Ornithological monthly reports . tape 34 , no. 1 , 1926, pp. 15 ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).
• Erwin Stresemann: The bird yield of Mr. Paul Spatz in Rio de Oro . In: Ornithological monthly reports . tape 34 , no. 5 , 1926, pp. 131–139 ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).
• Erwin Stresemann: The Sahara as a migration area for European birds . In: Ornithological monthly reports . tape 52 , no. 5/6 , 1944, ISSN  0375-0221 , p. 126-132 .
• Otto Eduard Graf von Zedlitz and Trützschler: Ornithological observations from Tunisia, especially the Chott area . In: Journal of Ornithology . tape 57 , no. 2 , April 1909, p. 121-211 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• Otto Eduard Graf von Zedlitz and Trützschler: Ornithological observations from Tunisia, especially the Chott area . In: Journal of Ornithology . tape 57 , no. 3 , July 1909, p. 241-322 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• Otto Eduard Graf von Zedlitz and Trützschler: Ornithological results of Paul Spatz's trip to the Algerian Sahara in the summer of 1912 . In: Novitates Zoologicae . tape 20 , 1913, pp. 164-186 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
• Otto Eduard Graf von Zedlitz and Trützschler: Notes sur les Oiseaux observés et recueillis en Algérie par Paul Spatz et par moi d'avril à juillet 1912 et de janvier à juillet 1913 . In: Revue française d'ornithologie . tape 3 , no. 58 , February 7, 1914, p. 225-335 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).

Web links

Commons : Paul Spatz  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Important companion of Carlo von Erlanger's expeditions

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Helga Gemegah.
2. ↑ Karl Martell Spatz.
3. ↑ Hans Geyr von Schweppenburg (1942), p. 123.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d} Hans Geyr von Schweppenburg (1942), p. 124.
5. ↑ Goetz Rheinwald (1984), p. 59.
6. ↑ Goetz Rheinwald (1984), p. 64.
7. ↑ Uwe Hildebrand (2004), p. 268.
8. ^ Carlo von Erlanger in Angelika Schulz-Parthu, p. 9.
9. ^ Paul Spatz (1893), p. 36.
10. ^ ^{A b} Carlo von Erlanger in Angelika Schulz-Parthu, p. 10.
11. ↑ Carlo von Erlanger in Angelika Schulz-Parthu, pp. 11-13.
12. ^ Carlo von Erlanger in Angelika Schulz-Parthu, pp. 15-25.
13. ↑ Carlo von Erlanger in Angelika Schulz-Parthu, pp. 26–47.
14. ^ Carlo von Erlanger in Angelika Schulz-Parthu, p. 48.
15. ^ Carlo von Erlanger in Angelika Schulz-Parthu, p. 49.
16. ^ Otto Eduard Graf von Zedlitz and Trützschler (1909), p. 121.
17. ↑ Otto Eduard Graf von Zedlitz and Trützschler (1914), pp. 225–335.
18. ↑ Erwin Stresemann (1944), p. 127.
19. ↑ Hans Geyr von Schweppenburg (1917), pp. 241-312.
20. ↑ Hans Rohde (1931), p. 76.
21. ↑ death certificate SU 1660/1942 from P Rep. 163 no. 37 (Berlin)
22. ↑ Hermann Pohle, p. 11.
23. ↑ German Ornithologists Society, p. XXIII.
24. ^ Anton Reichenow (1895), p. 110.
25. ↑ Hans Geyr von Schweppenburg (1917), pp. 59–60.
26. ↑ Erwin Stresemann (1926), p. 138.
27. ↑ Ernst Ahl (1931), p. 406.
28. ↑ Ernst Ahl (1933), p. 327.
29. ↑ Alexander Koenig (1892), p. 367.
30. ↑ Erwin Stresemann (1926), p. 15.
31. ↑ Oscar Neumann (1929), p. 213.