University of Glasgow

Roderic Page

> The taxonomic literature is like the web without Google :(
>
> --- Roderic Page (@rdmpage) [May 31,
> 2012](https://twitter.com/rdmpage/status/208207172079853570){data-datetime="2012-05-31T14:43:52+00:00"}

  
While exploring ways to visually compare classifications I came across
the Australian snake name *Demansia atra*, and ended up reading a series
of papers in the *Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature* discussing the
status of the name (more fun than it sounds, trust me). For example,
Smith and Wallach [Case 2920. *Diemenia atra* Macleay, 1884 (currently
*Demansia atra*; Reptilia, Serpentes): proposed conservation of the
specific name](http://biostor.org/reference/75208) asked the ICZN to
conserve the name, whereas Shea [On the proposed conservation of the
specific name of *Diemenia atra* Macleay, 1884 (currently *Demansia
atra*; Reptilia, Serpentes)](http://biostor.org/reference/3001) argued
that *Hoplocephalus vestigiatus* was the correct name for the snake (OK,
perhaps not that much fun.)  
  
The reason I bring this up is that the original description of
*Hoplocephalus vestigiatus* was published in an Australian newspaper,
the *The Brisbane Courier*, 13 September 1884 (!). This newspaper has
been digitised and is available in [Trove](http://trove.nla.gov.au/), a
digital archive hosted by the National Library of Australia. The
description of *Hoplocephalus vestigiatus* appears in an account of a
meeting of the Royal Society of Queensland:
<http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/3434083>.  
  
The Trove newspaper archive has both scanned images and OCR text, rather
like BHL, but also enables users to correct OCR errors. The original
text looked like this:  
  

    Mr De Vis then read a communication en
    titled " Desciiptioua of >icw Snakes' -
    This papei fe ive the descriptions of four
    udditions to our Austi alian snake fauna,
    and was prefaced by a synopsis and ditfii ential
    characters of the genoa Huplo fjihaliui, to
    which two of the anakca were referred-a genus
    which Mr De Via stated w as out of all propor
    tion larger than any other of anakea in Aus
    traha, and, though consisting for the most
    deadly reptile of Queensland-the brown
    banded or "tiger snake " The new sn ikes were
    Hoplocephalus snlcans-the furrow snake, so
    called from the faculty the reptile has of con
    verting ita ventral surface into a continuous
    furrow, forwaidcd by Mr. C W de Burgh
    Birch from the Mitchell district Hnplore
    phalus lestigialiis, the foot punt snake, a name
    of the white mai kings upon its back to tracks
    of feet, Cacoplm, Wari o from Warroo station,
    in the Port Curtía district, where it was
    collected by Mi Llackman, one of the mern
    bcis of the soeietj , and IJrarln/ioma Snther
    lundi, a snakefrom Carl Creek, Norman River,
    dcdicatcel to Mi J Sutherland, of normanton,

  
  
A few quick edits in Trove and it looks like this:  
  

    Mr. De Vis then read a communication en-
    titled "Descriptions of New Snakes."—
    This paper gave the descriptions of four
    additions to our Australian snake fauna,
    and was prefaced by a synopsis and differential
    characters of the genus Hoplocephalus to
    which two of the snakes were referred—a genus
    which Mr. De Vis stated was out of all propor-
    tion larger than any other of snakes in Aus-
    tralia, and, though consisting for the most
    deadly reptile of Queensland—the brown
    banded or "tiger snake." The new snakes were
    Hoplocephalus sulcans—the furrow snake, so
    called from the faculty the reptile has of con-
    verting its ventral surface into a continuous
    furrow, forwarded by Mr. C. W. de Burgh
    Birch from the Mitchell district . Hoploce-
    phalus vestigitatus, the foot-print snake, a name
    said to be suggested by the fancied resemblance
    of the white markings upon its back to tracks
    of feet; Cacophis Warro, from Warroo station,
    in the Port Curtis district, where it was
    collected by Mr. Blackman, one of the mem-
    bers of the society; and Brachysoma Suther- 
    landi, a snake from Carl Creek, Norman River,
    dedicated to Mr. J. Sutherland, of Normanton.

[Searching Trove for
*Hoplocephalus*](http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?q=Hoplocephalus)
I discovered a number of articles on snakes, some of which have also had
their OCR text corrected, a measure of the success the project has had
in engaging users. Trove has come up several times in discussions abut
OCR correction and BHL, but this is the first time I\'ve taken a closer
look --- I didn\'t expect to find species descriptions in an Australian
newspaper.


While exploring ways to visually compare classifications I came across the Australian snake name
<i>
 Demansia atra
</i>
, and ended up reading a series of papers in the
<i>
 Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature
</i>
discussing the status of the name (more fun than it sounds, trust me). For example, Smith and Wallach Case 2920.

Messages de Rogue Scholar

Discovering species descriptions in digitised newspapers: Trove and The Brisbane Courier