Alfred Hart Everett (11 October 1848 – 18 June 1898) was a British

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

and administrator in

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

as well as being a naturalist and natural history collector.

Career

Everett was born on

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

to British parents: George, the doctor at the penal colony, from

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, and Anna-Maria, from

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

. They left in 1851 to return to England via

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, so he was educated in England. In 1869 he went to

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...

in north-western

in order to collect natural history specimens. After two years there he entered the service of the

Kingdom of Sarawak (While I breathe, I hope) , national_anthem = ''Gone Forth Beyond the Sea'' , capital = Kuching , common_languages = English, Iban, Melanau, Bidayuh, Sarawak Malay, Chinese etc. , government_type = Absolute ...

, as a

Resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceuti ...

in the Baram district, under the

White Rajahs The White Rajahs were a dynastic monarchy of the British Brooke family, who founded and ruled the Raj of Sarawak, located on the north west coast of the island of Borneo, from 1841 to 1946. The first ruler was Briton James Brooke. As a reward f ...

. In 1878 and 1879 he was engaged by the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

and

British Association The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...

to explore 'the Caves of Borneo' in search of the remains of ancient man. The explorations were made around Bau and Niah but were unsuccessful in their primary aim (although the

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...

jaw which later formed part of

Piltdown Man The Piltdown Man was a paleoanthropological fraud in which bone fragments were presented as the fossilised remains of a previously unknown early human. Although there were doubts about its authenticity virtually from the beginning, the remains ...

may well have been one result). In 1885 he was appointed the

Rajah ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested fr ...

’s

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

to the Court of the

Sultan of Brunei The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates bac ...

. He later served in

North Borneo North Borneo (usually known as British North Borneo, also known as the State of North Borneo) was a British Protectorate, British protectorate in the northern part of the island of Borneo, which is present day Sabah. The territory of North Borneo ...

in the administration of the

British North Borneo Company The North Borneo Chartered Company (NBCC), also known as the British North Borneo Company (BNBC) was a British chartered company formed on 1 November 1881 to administer and exploit the resources of North Borneo (present-day Sabah in Malaysia) ...

.National Museum Wales. In 1891, Everett became a member of the

British Ornithologists' Union The British Ornithologists' Union (BOU) aims to encourage the study of birds ("ornithology") and around the world, in order to understand their biology and to aid their conservation. The BOU was founded in 1858 by Professor Alfred Newton, Henry ...

.The Ibis He never married. He died in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

.Bernau.

Zoological collecting

Everett collected for the Marquess of Tweedale and

Walter Rothschild Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild, (8 February 1868 – 27 August 1937) was a British banker, politician, zoologist and soldier, who was a member of the Rothschild family. As a Zionist leader, he was present ...

, as well as others. He is best known for the

collections Collection or Collections may refer to: * Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department * Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service * Collection agency, agency to collect cash * Collection ...

he made of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s and

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s in Borneo and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Legacy

Everett is commemorated in the names of several animals, including: ;Birds * Bornean spiderhunter (''Arachnothera everetti)'' *

Brown-backed flowerpecker The brown-backed flowerpecker (''Dicaeum everetti'') is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett. Distribution and habitat It is foun ...

(''Dicaeum everetti)'' * Chestnut-crested yuhina (''Staphida everetti)'' *

Everett's thrush Everett's thrush (''Zoothera everetti'') is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. The name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett. Distribution and habitat The thrush is endemic to the islan ...

(''Zoothera everetti)'' *

Everett's white-eye Everett's white-eye (''Zosterops everetti'') is a bird species in the disputed family Zosteropidae, which might belong with the Old World babblers (Timaliidae). The name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred ...

(''Zosterops everetti)'' *

Russet-capped tesia The russet-capped tesia (''Tesia everetti'') is a species of Old World warbler in the family Cettiidae. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett. Distribution and habitat It i ...

(''Tesia everetti)'' * Sumba buttonquail (''Turnix everetti)'' *

Sumba hornbill The Sumba hornbill (''Rhyticeros everetti'') is a large bird in the Bucerotidae, or hornbill family. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett. Description It is a medium-sized ...

(''Rhyticeros everetti)'' *

Tanahjampea monarch The Tanahjampea monarch or white-tipped monarch (''Symposiachrus everetti'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett. Taxonomy ...

(''Monarcha everetti)'' *

Yellowish bulbul The yellowish bulbul (''Hypsipetes everetti'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. Taxonomy and systematics The yellowish bulbul was originally described in the genus ''Criniger ''and later placed in the genus ''Ixos'' ...

(''Ixos everetti)'' ;Mammals *

Bornean ferret-badger The Bornean ferret badger (''Melogale everetti''), also known as Everett's ferret badger or the Kinabalu ferret badger, is a small, nocturnal and omnivorous mammal that is endemic to the island of Borneo. It is a member of the family Mustelidae a ...

(''Melogale everetti)'' *

Bornean mountain ground squirrel The Bornean mountain ground squirrel (''Sundasciurus everetti'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett. Distribution and habi ...

(''Dremomys everetti)'' * Mindanao treeshrew (''Urogale everetti)'' *

Philippine forest rat The Philippine forest rat (''Rattus everetti'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in the Philippines, and is located throughout the archipelago. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and z ...

(''Rattus everetti)'' ;Snakes * Everett's reedsnake (''Calamaria everetti)''Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Alfred", p. 5; "Everett", p. 86). * Jewelled kukri snake (''Oligodon everetti)'' * Sabah striped coralsnake (''Calliophis intestinalis everetti)'' ;Lizards * ''

Sphenomorphus alfredi ''Sphenomorphus alfredi'' is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Malaysia near Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, and Borneo. Etymology The specific name, ''alfredi'', is in honour of British naturalist Alfred ...

'' ;Frogs * Everett's treefrog (''Litoria everetti)'' ;Fish * Clown barb (''Puntius everetti)''

References

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Everett, Alfred Hart 1848 births 1898 deaths Zoological collectors British naturalists British ornithologists North Borneo Chartered Company administrators British administrators in Sarawak People from Norfolk Island