Birdtober Day Three: Eastern Rosella

 

 

Source: eBird.com

Eastern Rosella

 

George Shaw, in his office in London on a morning in 1792,
examines the skin of a newly arrived Australian species.
Someone has sent the remains of the dead bird from Sydney
and Shaw describes it scientifically,
giving it the Latin name Psittacus eximius.

It’s not the first name of this bird, and it won’t be the last.
The indigenous people called it after its habit of nesting in holes
and said it symbolized lifelong fidelity.
Inhabitants of the Rosehill suburb of Sydney
will later dub them Rose-hillers, which will become Rosellas.
Their scientific name will become Platycercus eximius
and their common name, Eastern Rosellas.
Some will say they’re pests.
Those who will live in cages around the world
will have names, too,
like Polly.

George Shaw, at the British Museum,
looks up from the bright red, yellow, and green feathers
to see the grey sky outside his window.
At this point, in 1792, Shaw hasn’t yet done what will make him famous,
describing the Platypus for the first time.
He’ll be skeptical of that one, wondering if the specimen is a fake,
but the bird in front of him today is clearly real.
Before it was shot and sent to London to be properly classified
by a founder of the Linnean Society,
it was probably enjoying a lovely, sunny Australian afternoon,
perhaps eating a juicy piece of fruit or a crunchy insect,
and completely unconcerned with nomenclature. 

 

©Ruth Bowen Hersey