Félix de Azara
Félix Manuel de Azara (18 May 1742 – 20 October 1821[1]) was a Spanish military officer, naturalist, and engineer.
Life
He was born in Barbunales, Aragon.
He first embraced a military career as an engineer, and distinguished himself in various expeditions, and rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the Spanish Army.[2]
Azara was sent to South America to negotiate the border dispute between the Portuguese and Spanish colonies. He remained from 1781 until 1801. [3] Before leaving South America, he sent his brother (then Spanish Ambassador at Paris) many notes and observations of a zoological nature, which Moreau de Saint-Méry published at Paris in 1801 under the title of "Essai sur l'histoire naturelle des quadrupèdes du Paraguay". In 1802 there appeared at Madrid the essay Apuntamientos para la Historia natural de los cuadrúpedos del Paraguay y Río de la Plata. On his return he wrote Voyage dans l'Amerique meridionale depuis 1781 jusqu'en 1801 (1809).[2]
A number of animals were named after him, including Aotus azarae, Azara's Agouti Dasyprocta azarae, Azara's Grass Mouse Akodon azarae and Azara's Spinetail Synallaxis azarae. Dorsum Azara on the Moon is also named after him.[2]
Charles Darwin had a high regard for Azara's work (despite the latter not being a professional naturalist), and in several of his books spoke approvingly of Azara's authority. [2]
References
- ^ Guerra, Francisco (1970). "Azara, Félix de". Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Vol. 1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 351–352. ISBN 0684101149.
- ^ a b c d Bandelier 1913.
- ^ Chisholm 1911.
- Attribution
- "Féliz de Azara" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.; Endnotes:
- Geografía física y esférica de las provircias del Paraguay y missiones Guaranies, compuesta en el año 1790 (Montevideo, 1904, with portrait and biograpghy by SCHULLER)
- TSCHUDI, Peru Reiseskizzen (St. Gall, 1846)
- IDEM, Fauna peruana
- BREHM, Das Thierleben (3rd ed.)
- the works of Azara himself, enumerated in article
- "Azara, Don Jose Nicholas de" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. Félix Manuel is discussed at the end of this article on his older brother.
External links
- Works by Félix de Azara at Project Gutenberg
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)
 | This article about a biologist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This article about a Spanish scientist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.