(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors)

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 8: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement II)

Born: 1871, Sydney, Australia. Died: Dec. 30, 1936, Manila, Luzon, P.I.

career:

Ornithologist, educated at Stanford University; recorder and Deck officer of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, Washington, D.C., 1899-1901; since 1901 Chief, Div. Gen. Zool. and Ornithol. of the Bureau of Science, Manila.

Author of many ornithological papers,¹ assistant editor of the Philippine Journal of Science and joint author of ‘Distribution of life in the Philippines’.²

Columbia macgregorii Merr. and other Philippine plants were named after him.

Collecting localities:

Philippines. 1905. Mindoro: Mt Halcon (March-May).³-1906. Bohol (June); Cebu.-1907. With Fénix (see there) on the islands Baton (May), Sabtan, Babuyan, Camiguin and Y’Ami (greater part of June and July).-1909. Luzon, Mt Pulog (July 2-5); Island of Polillo (Sept.-Nov. 19).-In subsequent years in Luzon, Nueva Vizcaya Prov. and Ifugao subprov. (1912 or ‘13); Isl. Biliran (1913 or ‘14); Luzon, Laguna Prov. (1915); Panay (1918); Palawan (1925).

collections:

Material from the Batanes and Babuyanes Islands,⁴ Mt Pulog⁵ and from the isle of Polillo,⁶ form a part of the Bur. Sci. (B.S.) series in Herb. Manila [PNH]. From other localities in Manila too. Dupl. in Herb. Berl. [B];⁷ U.S. Nat. Herb. Wash. [US]: 342 P.I.; Herb. Sydney [NSW]; Herb. Leiden [L]; Herb. Edinb. [E]. 

literature:

(1) E.g. of ‘A manual of Philippine Birds’ (Manila 1909).

(2) In Philip. Isl. Bur. of Sci. Monogr. no 21, 1928.

(3) cf. plants in Philip. Journ. Sci. C. Bot. 2, 1907, p. 251-309, 311-337.

(4) E.D. Merrill: ‘On a collection of plants from the Batanes and Babuyanes Islands’ (Philip. Journ. Sci. C. Bot. 3, 1908, p. 385-442, w. map).

(5) cf. E.D. Merrill & M.L. Merritt in ‘The Flora of Mt. Pulog’ (l.c. 5, 1910, p. 287-401).

(6) cf. C.B. Robinson: ‘Botanical notes upon the island of Polillo’ (l.c. 6, 1911, p. 185-228).

(7) A. Kneucker: ‘Bemerkungen z.d. Cyperaceae (exclus. Carices) et Juncaceae exsiccatae. 8. u. 9. Lief.’ (Allg. bot. Zeitschr. 17, 1911, Beilage 48, p. 1-12).

biographical data:

Nat. Res. Counc. P.I. Bull. no 7, 1935, p. 693-696, incl. bibliogr.; Science, March 12, 1937, p. v-xiv, incl. bibliogr.; Philip. Journ. Sci. 63, 1937, p. 359-361 + portr.; Backer, Verkl. Woordenb., 1936; Auk 55, 1938, p. 163-175, incl. bibliogr. + portr. (pl. 7).

photo gallery: