Ferdinand Heine

Ferdinand Heine senior ( born March 9, 1809 in Halberstadt, † March 28, 1894 ) was a German ornithologist. Until the 1860s, he amassed one of the then largest private bird collections in Central Europe in Halberstadt. His collection forms the basis for the ornithological museum Heineanum Halberstadt, now extensive collections of bird specimens (of which still over 11500 Skins of Heine's collection ) houses, eggs / nest and skeletons, and bellows of small mammals.

Life

Ferdinand Heine's father Jacob Gottlieb Heine (1759-1836) was councilor and owned some land. Ferdinand Heine sen. studied as his two older brothers Jura and took up a position at the Higher Regional Court. After the death of his father, the three brothers bought yet in 1836 the convent of St. Burchardt ( Burchardikloster ) at Halberstadt. Later sugar factory and distillery were added.

He married in 1839; 1840 was born as the youngest of eight children of Ferdinand Heine junior. This later went on to work on the collection of birds and caring for her security.

Heine began in 1830 with the construction of an ornithological collection. At that time, you could easily buy bird products, if you had the money for it. As a result of many research trips to all parts of the world came large amounts of natural history specimens to Europe. He tried quickly to arrange his collection of scientific and systematic. Therefore, he visited at least twice the ornithological department of the Zoological Museum in Berlin and established friendly relations with the museum director M. H. C. Lichtenstein. The recommended him Jean Louis Cabanis, who had introduced the new order and determining criteria here. 1846 Cabanis sighted for the first time Heine bird collection that impressed him in its scope. Thus began between Cabanis and Heine, a lifelong collaboration and friendship. Heine arranged to 1855 on the collection and bought added all the time, where he could rely on the technical expertise of his friend.

He joined in 1852 had been started in 1850, the German Ornithological Society ( DO- G) at. 1853 was the VII Annual Meeting in Halberstadt place - at the latest by the Heineanum became widely known. The concept of the museum comes from the first Catalogue, " Museum Heineanum, list of ornithological collection ... ", which until 1863 was published in five volumes in 1850. He was of Cabanis, later together with Ferdinand Heine jun., Processed but remained unfinished. Since such a scientific catalog in those days was a major exception, it increased the prestige of the collection significantly in the art.

Since the early 1860s Heine withdrew more and more from the line of goods back and concentrated his work on the collection, which he still enlarged. But after the mid-1860s, there were only small increases. The ornithological library of the most important German magazines as well as the English " The Ibis " and many important works of the 18th and 19th centuries has been extended.

1890 appeared a shorter aggregated, but complete catalog, the so-called " Nomenclator Musei Heineani " that lists almost 12,000 copies in 5187 species. It was written by F. Heine sen., Reviewed by Cabanis and young Anton Reichenow and Ferdinand Heine. edited.

1892 chose the DO-G Heine sen. as president, he had to decline due to health reasons but this office. In his will he appointed Ferdinand Heine jun. to the heirs of the Heineanums. It ensured the preservation of the collection and that it was publicly exposed in 1909.