François Levaillant

François Levaillant or Le Vaillant (6 August 1753 – 22 November 1824) was a French author, explorer, naturalist, zoological collector, and noted ornithologist.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Bird names 3 Works 4 References 5 Further reading

Biography

François Le Vaillant was born in Paramaribo, the capital of Dutch Guiana (Surinam), the son of the French consul. When his father returned to Europe, in 1763, he studied natural history at Metz. He was sent by the Dutch East India Company to the Cape Province of South Africa in 1781, and collected specimens there until 1784. He made three journeys, one around Cape Town and Saldanha Bay, one eastwards from the Cape and the third north of the Orange River and into Great Namaqualand.^[1]

On his return he published Voyage dans l'intérieur de l'Afrique (1790, 2 vols.), and Second voyage dans l'intérieur de l'Afrique (1796, 3 vols.), both of which were translated into several languages. He also published Histoire naturelle des oiseaux d'Afrique (1796–1808, 6 vols.) with drawings by Jacques Barraband, Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis (1801–06), Histoire naturelle des cotingas et des todiers (1804) and Histoire naturelle des calaos (1804). Levaillant’s illustrations often influenced scientific names given by, among others, Vieillot, Stephens and Wilkes.^[2]

Over 2,000 bird skins were sent to Jacob Temminck, who had financed the expedition, and these were later studied by his son Coenraad Jacob Temminck and included in the collection of the museum at Leiden. Other specimens were kept in the cabinet of Joan Raye, heer van Breukelerwaert. This collection was bought by the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie in the late 1820s, which is now the Naturalis in Leiden.^[3]

Le Vaillant died in poverty in La Noue, near Sézanne (Marne).

Bird names

Le Vaillant was opposed to the systematic nomenclature introduced by Carolus Linnaeus and only gave the new species he discovered French names. Some of these are still in use as common names, such as Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus. Other naturalists were left to assign binomial names to his new discoveries. Some of these honoured Le Vaillant:

• Levaillant's Barbet[1]
• Levaillant's Cisticola
• Levaillant's Cuckoo
• Levaillant's Parrot[2]
• Levaillant's Tchagra[3]
• Levaillant's Woodpecker

Works

• François Le Vaillant: Voyage de M. Le Vaillant dans l'Intérieur de l'Afrique par Le Cap de Bonne Espérance, dans Les années 1783, 84 & 85. Paris Leroy, 1790, 2 volumes.
• François Levaillant: Second voyage dans l'intérieur de l'Afrique, par le Cap de Bonne-Espérance, dans les annees 1783, 84 et 85. Paris H.J. Jansen et Comp., An III (1795), 3 volumes. vol.1 [4], vol. 2 [5], vol 3 [6]
• Histoire naturelle d'une partie d'oiseaux nouveaux et rares de l'Amérique et des Indes : ouvrage destiné par l'auteur à faire partie de son ornithologie d'Afrique. Paris 1801. 1. vol. [7]
• Histoire naturelle des perroquets, Paris Levrault, Schoell & Cie, An IX-XII (1801–1805), 2 volumes. vol.1 [8], vol. 2 [9]
• Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis et des rolliers, suivie de celles des toucans et des barbus, Paris, Denné le jeune & Perlet, (1801–1806), 2 volumes.
• Histoire naturelle des promérops et des guêpiers (et des couroucous et touracos, faisant suite à celle des oiseaux de paradis), Paris Levrault, (1806) 1807, (1816 ou 1818) 3 volumes.
• Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux d'Afrique. Paris, Delachaussee, XIII-1805-1808. 6 volumes vol. 1 [10], vol. 2 [11] vol. 4 [12], vol. 5 [13], vol. 6 [14]
• Partie Méridionale de l'Afrique depuis le Tropique du Capricorne jusqu'au Cap de Bonne Espérance contenant les Pays des Hottentots, des Cafres et de quelques autres Nations / dressée pour le Roi sur les observations de M. Le Vaillant par M. de Laborde, ancien premier valet de chambre du Roi, gouverneur du Louvre, l'un des Fermiers généraux de Sa Majesté [15]

in English translation:

• Francois Le Vaillant: Travels into the interior parts of Africa, by way of the Cape of Good Hope; in the years 1780, 1781 82, 83, 84, and 85. London 1796
• Francois Le Vaillant:New travels into the interior parts of Africa, by way of the Cape of Good Hope, in the years 1783, 84 and 85. London 1796

References

• Barbara and Richard Mearns - Biographies for Birdwatchers ISBN 0124874223
• Francois Le Vaillant: Traveller in South Africa and His Collection of 165 Water-Colour Paintings 1781-1784.Cape Town 1973

Further reading

• Olsen, Penny (March 2009). "The independent ornithologist". The National Library Magazine 1 (1): 18–20. http://www.nla.gov.au/pub/nlanews/2009/mar09/the-independent-ornithologist.pdf. Retrieved 18 January 2011. 

Persondata
Name	Levaillant, Francois
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	6 August 1753
Place of birth
Date of death	November 22, 1824
Place of death