Sir Walter Lawry Buller (9 October 1838 – 19 July 1906) was a New Zealand lawyer and
naturalist who was a dominant figure in New Zealand
ornithology
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 ...
. His book, ''A History of the Birds of New Zealand'', first published in 1873, was published as an enlarged version in 1888 and became a New Zealand classic.
Biography
Buller was born at Newark, the Wesleyan mission at
Pakanae in the
Hokianga
The Hokianga is an area surrounding the Hokianga Harbour, also known as the Hokianga River, a long estuarine drowned valley on the west coast in the north of the North Island of New Zealand.
The original name, still used by local Māori, is ' ...
, the son of Rev. James Buller, a
Cornish missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
who had helped convert the people of
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
to
Methodism
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...
. He was educated at
Wesley College in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
. In 1854, he moved to
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...
with his parents, where he was befriended by the naturalist
William John Swainson. In 1859 he was made Native Commissioner for the Southern Provinces. In 1871 he travelled to England and was called to the bar at the
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...
. Three years later he returned to Wellington and practised law.
In 1862, he married Charlotte Mair at
Whangārei
Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. It is part of the Whangārei District, a local body created in 1989 from the former Whangārei City, Whangārei County and Hikurangi Town coun ...
. They were to have four children.
Buller was the author of ''A History of the Birds of New Zealand'' (1872–1873, 2nd ed. 1887–1888), with illustrations by
John Gerrard Keulemans
Johannes Gerardus Keulemans (J. G. Keulemans) (8 June 1842 – 29 March 1912) was a Dutch bird illustrator. For most of his life he lived and worked in England, illustrating many of the best-known ornithology books of the nineteenth century.
...
and
Henrik Grönvold
Henrik is a male given name of Germanic origin, primarily used in Scandinavia, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia. In Poland, the name is spelt Henryk but pronounced similarly. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Heiki (Estonian), Heik ...
. In 1882 he produced the ''Manual of the Birds of New Zealand'' as a cheaper popular alternative. In 1905, he published a two-volume ''Supplement to the History of the Birds of New Zealand'', which brought the work up to date.
Buller was appointed Companion of the Most Distinguished
Order of St Michael and St George in 1875.
In November 1886, he was promoted to
Knight Commander
Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders.
The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mili ...
. Buller helped establish the scientific display in the New Zealand Court at the World's Fair in Paris and was decorated with the Officer of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
by the President of France in November 1889.
He had several unsuccessful attempts at entering Parliament as a
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
. He contested the general elections of
1876
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin.
** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol.
* February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs is ...
(; beaten by the incumbent
Walter Johnston) and (, where he came fourth of six candidates),
and the in the electorate (where he was beaten by
William Fraser, the official Liberal Party candidate).
He emigrated to England and died at
Fleet in Hampshire on 19 July 1906.
Wellington playwright Nick Blake authored a play on Buller's life, ''Dr Buller's Birds'', which had its debut at the 2006 NZ International Arts Festival.
List of honours
*
KCMG KCMG may refer to
* KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China
* Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour
* KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA
* KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...
*
Officier de la Légion d'Honneur (France)
*
Officier de la Palmes académiques (France)
Eponyms
Species named after Walter Buller include ''Thalassarche bulleri'' (
Buller's albatross) and ''Puffinus bulleri'' (
Buller's shearwater).
File:Bul01BirdBCover.jpg, Book cover - ''A History of the Birds of New Zealand'' by Sir Walter Lawry Buller, Illustrated by J. G. Keulemans, 2nd edition, Published 1888.
File:Bul01BirdP020.jpg, Illustrations of the morepork
The morepork (''Ninox novaeseelandiae''), also called the ruru, is a small brown owl found in New Zealand, Norfolk Island and formerly Lord Howe Island. The bird has almost 20 alternative common names, including mopoke and boobook—many of t ...
(left) and the extinct laughing owl
The laughing owl (''Ninox albifacies''), also known as ''whēkau'' or the white-faced owl, was an endemic owl of New Zealand. Plentiful when European settlers arrived in New Zealand, its scientific description was published in 1845, but it was ...
(right) by John Gerrard Keulemans
Johannes Gerardus Keulemans (J. G. Keulemans) (8 June 1842 – 29 March 1912) was a Dutch bird illustrator. For most of his life he lived and worked in England, illustrating many of the best-known ornithology books of the nineteenth century.
...
in Buller's ''A History of the Birds of New Zealand''. 2nd edition. Published 1888.
File:Bul02BirdP049.jpg, ''Pachyornis elephantopus
The heavy-footed moa (''Pachyornis elephantopus'') is a species of moa from the lesser moa family. The heavy-footed moa was widespread only in the South Island of New Zealand, and its habitat was the lowlands (shrublands, dunelands, grasslands, ...
'' ("Heavy-footed Moa")
original caption: Leg of Dinornis elephantopus (front view: three-fourths natural size)
References
External links
''New Zealand National Library''Sir Walter lawry Buller
''Encyclopaedia of New Zealand'' 1966:Sir Walter Lawry Buller
Illustrations from ''History of the birds of New Zealand'' (1873 edn.)Illustrations from the ''Supplement'' to the second edn. of ''History of the birds of New Zealand''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buller
1838 births
1906 deaths
19th-century New Zealand lawyers
New Zealand ornithologists
Cornish Methodists
People from the Hokianga
New Zealand Fellows of the Royal Society
New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
New Zealand recipients of the Légion d'honneur
Officiers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques
People educated at Wesley College, Auckland
Sheriffs of New Zealand