Alfred Malherbe

Alfred Malherbe, born on July fourteenth, eighteen hundred and four, was a distinguished French magistrate and an avid amateur naturalist hailing from Mauritius. He was the son of Pierre Marie François Malherbe and Rosalie Le Meusnier Molineuf, with his family tracing its roots back to Metz. His career in the natural sciences flourished alongside his role as the administrator of the Museum of Metz, where he served as director until eighteen sixty-three.

In his leisure time, Malherbe dedicated himself to the study of botany and zoology, with a particular focus on ornithology. His extensive research on the avian species of Algeria and Sicily led to the description of numerous bird species, significantly contributing to the field of ornithology. His most notable work, the 'Monographie des picidées,' published between eighteen fifty-nine and eighteen sixty-two, stands as the first comprehensive survey of woodpeckers.

Among his many contributions, Malherbe is credited with describing and naming Levaillant's woodpecker, in honor of the renowned French ornithologist François Le Vaillant. His other significant publications include 'Faune ornithologique de la Sicile' in eighteen forty-three, 'Description de dix espéces nouvelles du genre Picus, Linné.' in eighteen forty-five, and 'Faune ornithologique de l'Algérie' in eighteen fifty-five.

Malherbe's passion for ornithology extended beyond his writings; parts of his extensive bird collections from Algeria and Europe were generously donated to the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Calcutta. The majority of his collections were later acquired by Hercules Turati and subsequently gifted to the natural history museum in Milan, ensuring that his legacy in the field of natural history would endure.