Restoration of label information for a sample collection of bird specimens held at the Imperial University, Tokyo

Abstract

Preservation of biological specimens contributes to knowledge of historical variation in morphology and geographical distribution of species. In some cases however, older specimens have no associated information concerning their collection, and thus cannot be effectively used. The present study aims to increase the value of such specimens as resources for research by focusing on a Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus specimen (YI0-23324) at the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, for which the date of collection was not known. I attempted to reconstruct information, such as the year of collection, by inspecting the attached labels and by examining information contained in the collector's field notes. I found that the specimen must have been collected prior to 1885, as evidenced by the attached labels used by the University of Tokyo, to which the specimen previously belonged. Furthermore, the collector's name "Blakiston" was recorded on the label, and by comparing it with the field notes of Thomas Blakiston (a significant contributor to the modernization of Japanese ornithology), it became clear that Blakiston had collected the specimen in May 1881. With reference to this result, I organized corroborating information for the fact that some of the undated specimens in the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology collection, which formerly belonged to the University of Tokyo, were collected in the 19th century. Clarification of a specimen's history and continued data cleansing are necessary for the reliable pursuit of research using old specimens.