King of Saxony Bird of Paradise, male & female T-Shirt

King of Saxony Bird of Paradise (Pteridophora alberti). A History Lesson: On Wednesday, December 19, 1894, the twenty-first meeting of The British Ornithologist's Club was held at the Restaurant Frascati, 32 Oxford Street, London. This was the final gathering for the associates in the closing year. A number of bird species, previously unknown to international Ornithological and Zoological communities, were presented and discussed in detail. However, nothing reviewed that late Autumn evening caused greater interest than a species unlike any seen before: The King of Saxony Bird of Paradise. A letter, addressed to the well respected Club, was sent by Dr. Adolf Bernhard Meyer; global adventurer, renowned ornithologist, anthropologist, herpetologist and entomologist. He provided a full description of the exquisite bird. Details of geographical habitats and any other related information were included. What really gained everyone's notice that evening was the inclusion of a beautifully outlined, full color illustration of the bird. Among his credentials, Dr. Meyer was also Director of the Koniglich Zoologisches und Anthropologisch-Ethnograpisches Museum in Dresden, capital city of the Kingdom of Saxony, in the Deutsches Kaiserreich. He chose the scientific name Pteridophora alberti and assigned name, King of Saxony Bird of Paradise, to honor Albert, King of Saxony. The distinguished and popular monarch ruled from October 29, 1873 until his death, June 19, 1902. The exceptional bird was located in the mountainous realm of jungle and forest of Kaiser Wilhelms Land, in Deutsch-Neuguinea. In the 1880's, the Island of New Guinea received significant European interest. On November 3, 1884, enterprising representatives of the Deutsche Neuguinea-Kompagnie raised the imperial flag of the Deutsches Kaiserreich over the island's north central and northeast sectors. Three days later, on November 6, 1884, the self-governing Crown Colony of Queensland, in Australia, annexed New Guinea's entire south central and southeast sectors as a Protectorate of the British Empire. An absolutely straight border line, going South-North, separated the eastern German and British lands from the prominent western portion of the island. Since 1872, this was officially under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as Netherlands New Guinea. In the 1880's and 1890's, aside from the coastal regions, insubstantial knowledge of New Guinea's tremendous interior inspired a series of Australian, British, Dutch and German expeditions to enter the great dominions. They proceeded with calculated steps and very observant glances. They were intrepid, but unsure of their mysterious destinations. Everything from flowers, fruits and trees to fresh water fishes, amphibians, birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and minerals were obtained, studied and registered as discoveries for Science. Previously unmapped swamps and marshes were noted, rivers were followed and charted. Impressive, cloud-capped mountain ranges were surveyed and like everything else here, given Dutch, German or English names. These exploratory parties, regardless of how well equipped they were, could never be truly prepared for close encounters with various aboriginal tribes. Among Australians and Europeans, they evoked fear, caution, astonishment, apprehension. However, service to Queen, King or Kaiser was paramount. It was an essential duty to carry on, and they did. So it was, like so many other marvels of New Guinea, news of this unique Bird of Paradise provided excellent copy for scientific journals around the world. ** This species is endemic to New Guinea. History is constant and geographic names often change. In the mid-20th Century and continuing today, the territorial range of this species includes Western New Guinea, defined as 2 Provinces governed by the Republic Of Indonesia. In the east, their nesting sites are located in the Commonwealth Realm of the Monarchy of Papua New Guinea, officially recognized as the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. ** For this portrait, an adult male announces its presence. The adult female chooses a curved branch for observation purposes.