Walter Buller

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Walter Buller, 1897
Portrait of Walter Buller (1903), painting by Ethel Mortlock (1878–1928)

Sir Walter Lawry Buller (born October 9, 1838 in Pakanae , Far North District , New Zealand , † July 19, 1906 in Fleet , Hampshire , England ) was a New Zealand lawyer and ornithologist . His book A history of the birds of New Zealand , published for the first time in 1873 and in an expanded version in 1888 , became a standard work on New Zealand's bird life.

biography

Walter Buller was on 9 October 1838 as the second of ten children of from Cornwall originating missionary Reverend James Buller in the Wesleyan Mission Station Newark in Pakanae on Hokianga Harbor born. Buller's parents belonged to the middle class in Helston , Cornwall, but had emigrated to Australia in 1835 to escape their difficult economic situation. After a brief stint in Pakanae, Buller's father served as a missionary in Tangiteroria near Kaipara for fifteen years and later served in church offices in Wellington , Christchurch , Auckland and Thames .

Walter Buller grew up in Tangiteroria and received his education at Wesley College in Auckland . In 1855 he moved with his parents to Wellington, where he became friends with the naturalist William John Swainson . Since Buller mastered the Māori language , he got a job as a translator at the Magistrate Court. He later moved to the Native Department and was appointed Native Commissioner for the southern provinces in 1859 .

In 1862 he married Charlotte Mair in Whangarei . The marriage had four children.

In 1871 he traveled to England and was inducted into the Inner Temple , a bar association in England, and was thus admitted to the bar to practice law. He returned to Wellington three years later and worked there as a lawyer.

During his time in London he published his work A History of the Birds of New Zealand , with illustrations by John Gerrard Keulemans and Henrik Grönvold . In 1882 he published the Manual of the Birds of New Zealand as a cheaper and therefore popular alternative. In 1905 he published the two-volume Supplement to the History of the Birds of New Zealand to bring the first work up to date.

Buller helped organize New Zealand's scientific exhibition at the Paris World's Fair and was appointed officer of the Legion of Honor by the French President in November 1889 .

He ran several times unsuccessfully for a seat in parliament: in 1876 for the constituency Manawatu (beaten by Walter Johnston ) and in 1881 for the constituency of Foxton (where he finished fourth of six candidates) and by-election in 1891 for Te Aroha, where he of William Fraser was beaten .

He emigrated to England and died on July 19, 1906 in Fleet, Hampshire.

Wellington-based writer Nick Blake wrote a play about Buller's life, Dr Buller's Birds , which premiered at the 2006 NZ International Arts Festival .

Honors

Bird species named after him

Works

  • Printed for the Commissioners by Fergusson and Mitchell (Eds.): Essay on the Ornithology of New Zealand . Wellington 1865 (English).
  • On the New Zealand Council. . In: Printed for the Commissioners by Fergusson and Mitchell (Eds.): Transaction of the New Zealand Institute . Volume 3 . Wellington 1870, p. 1–4 (English, online (PDF 527 kB)).
  • A History of the Birds of New Zealand . John van Voorst , London 1973 (English, online - 2nd edition published in 1887).
  • Colonial Museum and Geological Survey Department (Ed.): Manual of the Birds of New Zealand . Wellington 1882 (English, online ).
  • Supplement to the History of the Birds of New Zealand . 1905 (English, 2 volumes).

literature

Web links

Commons : Walter Lawry Buller  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d Bagnall : Buller, Sir Walter Lawry, NZC, KCMG, FRS . In: An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand . 1966.
  2. ↑ 1873, Walter Buller: A history of birds . New Zealand Herald , October 9, 1873, accessed February 26, 2015 .
  3. ↑ a b c d Ross Galbreath. 'Buller, Walter Lawry', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 5-Jun-2013
  4. ^ M. Brewer, 'New Zealand and the Legion d'honneur: Officiers, Commandeurs and Dignites', The Volunteers: The Journal of the New Zealand Military Historical Society, 35 (3), March 2010, p. 136.
  5. ↑ a b Death of Sir Walter Buller - a Noted ornithologist . In: The Evening Post . Volume LXXII, Issue 17 . Wellington July 20, 1906, p.  6 (English, online ).
  6. ↑ Wellington . In: Wanganui Chronicle , Jan 13, 1876, p. 2. Retrieved January 30, 2013. 
  7. ^ The Manawatu Election . In: The Evening Post , January 11, 1876, p. 2. Retrieved January 30, 2013. 
  8. ^ Foxton . In: Thames Star , December 13, 1881, p. 2. Retrieved January 31, 2013. 
  9. ↑ Te Aroha Election . In: Thames Star , July 10, 1891, p. 2. Retrieved June 29, 2011. 
  10. ↑ Play shows bird man's treachery . nzherald.co.nz. February 25, 2006. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  11. ^ Walter Buller: Puffinus Bulleri. - (Buller's Shearwater.) . In: A History of the Birds of New Zealand 1888 (Retrieved November 13, 2014).
personal data
SURNAME Buller, Walter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Buller, Walter Lawry
BRIEF DESCRIPTION New Zealand lawyer and ornithologist
DATE OF BIRTH October 9, 1838
PLACE OF BIRTH Pakanae , Far North District , New Zealand
DATE OF DEATH July 19, 1906
Place of death Fleet , Hampshire , England