Konstanty Roman Jelski ( be, Канстанцін Ельскі, February 17, 1837–November 26, 1896) was an acclaimed

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

and

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

who explored

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

. Jeski was born in Liady village, now in the

Smalyavichy Raion Smalyavichy District ( be, Смалявіцкі раён, Smalavicki rajon; russian: Смолевичский район, Smolevičskij raion) is a second-level administrative subdivision (raion) of Belarus in Minsk Region. Its seat is the town of ...

Minsk Governorate The Minsk Governorate (russian: Минская губерния, Belarusian: ) or Government of Minsk was a governorate ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. The seat was in Minsk. It was created in 1793 from the land acquired in the partition ...

(in present-day

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

), to Michał and Klotilda. He was educated at Minsk and then went to study medicine in Moscow and the natural sciences at

Kiev University Kyiv University or Shevchenko University or officially the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv ( uk, Київський національний університет імені Тараса Шевченка), colloquially known as KNU ...

. He graduated in 1860. He studied the anatomy of the mollusc ''Lithoglyphus naticoides'' to obtain a master's degree. In between studies he accompanied Karol Kessler on an expedition into Crimea. The

January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

led to Jeski leaving Russia to Turkey. Here he received help from Rustem Bey (of Polish descent) and took part in a government effort to explore geological resources. He found that all they wanted were superficial reports and he then moved to France and came in contact with the natural history specimen traders Maison Verreaux and Deyrolle. While in France he received assistance from his friends Adrian Baraniecki (1828–1891) and Józef Sowiński. He made a trip to French Guiana and then worked as an apothecary assistant. In 1868 he went to collect natural history specimens in Peru for

Władysław Taczanowski Władysław Taczanowski (; 17 March 1819, in Jabłonna, Lublin Voivodeship – 17 January 1890, in Warsaw) was a Polish zoologist and collector of natural history who explored the Russian Far East and northern Africa. He specialized mainly in ornit ...

and received some support from Count Branicki. He explored

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

until 1875.

Jan Sztolcman Jan Stanisław Sztolcman (sometimes referred to as Jean Stanislaus Stolzmann) (19 November 1854, Warsaw – 28 April 1928, Warsaw) was a Polish ornithologist. Biography Beginning in 1872, Sztolcman studied zoology at the Imperial Universit ...

(1854–1928) also travelled in Peru with him. Although mainly interested in zoology, he also examined plants and ecology. He noted the importance of old dead trees in the forest and noted how rapidly the forest recovered taking over abandoned plantations. Unable to pay for food, he often depended on fruit from such abandoned plantations during his travels. He worked as a curator of the museum of

Antonio Raimondi Antonio Raimondi (September 19, 1826 – October 26, 1890) was a prominent Italian-born Peruvian geographer and scientist. Born in Milan, Raimondi emigrated to Peru, arriving on July 28, 1850, at the port of Callao. In 1851 he became a prof ...

(1824–1890) in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

from 1873 to 1878, and returned to Poland in 1880 becoming a curator of the Natural History department of

Academy of Learning Academy of Learning ( pl, Akademia Umiejętności; AU) was a primary Polish scientific institution during the annexation of Poland established in 1871. It was founded in Kraków as a continuation of the ''Kraków Scientific Society'' (''Towarzystw ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. Jelski married Helena née Korsak in 1883 and they had four children, two died young while a son and daughter were killed by the Soviets in 1939. Jelski died at Kraków and is buried at the Rakowicki Cemetery.

References

External links

Les histoires naturalistes populaires d'un séjour en Guyane française et en partie au Pérou (1865-1971)
(2007)

n Polish N, or n, is the fourteenth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet# ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jelski, Konstanty 1837 births 1896 deaths People from Smalyavichy District People from Igumensky Uyezd Polish ornithologists 19th-century Polish zoologists Belarusian biologists