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François Levaillant (later in life as Le Vaillant, ''"The Valiant"'') (6 August 1753 – 22 November 1824) was a French author, explorer, naturalist, zoological collector, and noted ornithologist. He described many new species of birds based on collection he made in Africa and several birds are named after him. He was among the first to use colour plates for illustrating birds and opposed the use of binomial nomenclature introduced by Linnaeus, preferring instead to use descriptive French names such as the bateleur (meaning "tight-rope walker") for the distinctive African eagle. ==Biography== François Le Vaillant was born in Paramaribo, the capital of Dutch Guiana (Surinam), the son of a wealthy French merchant from Metz who had taken up a position as the French Consul. Growing up amid forests, he took an interest in the local fauna, shooting birds. When his father returned to Europe, in 1763, he studied natural history at Metz. He spent about two years in Germany and seven years in the Lorraine region. In 1777, a visit to Paris allowed him to examine cabinets of natural history and his interest in ornithology was greatly increased. He was sent by Jacob Temminck through the Dutch East India Company to the Cape Province of South Africa in 1781, and collected specimens there until 14 July 1784 when he made his way back to Holland. 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. During the first expedition his ship was attacked and sunk by the English leaving him with little more than a collecting gun and some money. He was in Paris during the time of the French Revolution and was taken prisoner in 1793. He was however released after the overthrow of Robespierre after which he retired to an estate at La Noue, near Sézanne. 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.〔 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. Le Vaillant died in poverty in La Noue, near Sézanne (Marne). Le Vaillant married thrice. He had ten children three of whom were illegitimate. He was a grand uncle of the French poet Charles Baudelaire. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「François Levaillant」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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