Emília Snethlage e a ornitologia brasileira

Abstract

The initial objective of this research was to inventory the ornithological work of Emilio Goeldi (1859-1917), director of the Museu Paraense de História Natural e Etnografia between 1894 and 1907. However, as the supervisor's work developed, the need arose to direct him to the life and work of the German zoologist Emília Snethlage (1868-1929), fundamentally linked to Goeldi. Despite the importance of Snethlage's work, it is still little known, and it is necessary to unfold the initial research so that it fully contemplates Goeldi's contributions to Brazilian ornithology. In this sense, the compilation and contextualization of Snethlage's work were the main objectives of this work. Arriving in Brazil in mid-1905, hired by Goeldi for the Museu Paraense, Emília Snethlage initially devoted herself to research on Amazonian birds. Her activities were directed and guided by Goeldi, especially for the collection, description and identification of birds. She spared no effort and fostered the institution's collection with a total of 6,892 specimens and dozens of types. In 1914, he organized the first Catalogue of Amazonian Birds, planned by Goeldi. His work was recognized internationally, including his ability to undertake difficult and risky expeditions. The best known was the crossing between the Xingu and Tapajós rivers, on foot and with the help of a few assistants, in the years 1909-1910. Snethlage took over the directorship of the Museu Paraense on an interim basis in 1914, following the sudden death of the then director, Jacques Huber. She was removed when the First World War broke out, but later returned to the post and remained there until 1921, when she moved to the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro. In this city, however, she did not abandon her research in the Amazon, where she died in 1929, during an excursion to Rondônia. Emília Snethlage made a remarkable contribution to the institutions where she was present and interacted with researchers of various nationalities. The quality of her work remains and justifies its dissemination.