Table Of ContentObituary
Dr Phillip Alexander Clancey
1917-2001
DrPhillipAlexanderClanceywas born the chiefeditorofthe S.A.O.S. Check-
on 26 September 1917 inGlasgow, listofSouthernAfricanBirds(1980).
Scotland. His familysubsequently DrClanceywas aco-authorofthe
movedtoLondon andthen to Switzer- secondvolume ofthe landmarkAtlas
landwhere he startedschool. Bythe ofSpeciationofAfricanBirds pub-
,
ageofseven hewas back in Scotland lishedbythe British Museum(Natural
where he attendedseveral schools in History) in 1978. He alsocontributed
Glasgowbefore studyingatthe asan authorto TheAtlasofSouthern
GlasgowSchool ofArt as ayoung AfricanBirds(1997). His listofother
man. He servedwith theAlliedforces publications iseven more impressive,
in SicilyandItalyduringWorldWarII, runningto a monumental total ofover
escaping deathbythe narrowestof 530scientific papers and associated
margins onseveral occasions andwas articles. Indeed hislegacyoftaxo-
deafened inone earforovertwo nomic papers is unsurpassed and Dr
monthsbyan artilleryexplosion. He Clancey named some 200subspecies
was de-mobbed in 1946 and employed ofsouthernAfrican birds. Others have
byan engineeringconsortium in the namedseveralavian subspecies in his
northofEnglandforafewyears. honour.
Ornithology, however, remained his Heserved asPresidentofthe science, and ofthesouthern
abidingpassion and in 1948-1949 he Southern African Ornithological Mozambique population ofthe Olive-
accompanied RichardMeinertzhagen Society, was the long-standingChair- headed WeaverPloceusolivaceiceps
on an ornithological expedition to man ofits ListCommittee, and was were particularhighlightsofthese
eastern andsouthernAfrica andthe awarded Honorary Life Membership by investigations. His success in placing
Middle Eastthat includedYemen, this organisation. The American the museum at the forefrontofAfrican
Aden, Somali, Kenya and SouthAfrica. Ornithologists’ Union honoured him ornithology is reflected in the large
He immigratedto SouthAfrica in by appointing himasa Corresponding numberofeminent ornithologiststhat
August 1950to assumethe postof Fellow. Hewas also a long-standing haveserved thereduringand since his
CuratoroftheNatalMuseum, in Chairmanofthe Natal Bird Club(now tenure, includingWalterLawson,
Pietermaritzburg. He was appointed BirdLife Port Natal) duringthe Club’s Richard Brooke, Clive Quickelberge,
Directorofthe DurbanMuseum and formative years and subsequently Ian Sinclair, DrJohn Mendelsohn and
ArtGalleryon 1January 1952 andheld served as its President. In addition, he DrAldo Berruti.
thispostuntil his retirementover30 servedas Presidentofthe Southern Hisartisttalents areevident in the
yearslateron 25 September 1982. He AfricanMuseumsAssociationandwas manybird paintings presented in his
remaineda ResearchAssociate ofthe awardeda Fellowship by the Museums books and in thedioramasondisplay
DurbanNatural Science Museum until Association in London. The University in the DurbanNatural Science Mu-
the date ofhis passing. Two nieces ofNatal conferredon him thedegree seum. Some ofthe latterwere
whoreside in ScotlandsurviveDr ofDoctorofScience honoriscausain repainted up tosixtimesuntil they
Clancey. 1981. matched his exactingstandards.
Clanceywas a prodigious scientific DrClanceywas almostsingle- Several millionvisitorstothe Museum
authoronAfricanbirds, especially handedlyresponsibleforamassingthe have enjoyedthese displays since their
theirtaxonomy, with a particular collectionofsome 40,000 bird skins unveiling. His avian portraits remain in
interestinthe identification ofsubspe- housedinthe DurbanNatural Science highdemandbycollectors offine
cies. Examples ofhis manycatalogues Museum. His skill in the preparationof Africanart; forexample hiswork has
andbooks include Catalogueofthe bird skinswas renowned andthe gracedthe boardroomsofcompanies
BirdsoftheSouthAfricanSubregion Museum’s collection, the third largest suchas Barlow Rand.
(1965-1972),HandlistoftheBirdsof inAfrica, iswidelyacknowledgedas DrClanceywasa rarecombination
SouthernMozambique(1970-1972), thefinestonthe continent. Clancey ofoutstandingscientist, author, artist
forwhichhewasawardedtheprestig- organisedsome 26majorexpeditions and administrator. His immense
ious GillMemorialMedal ofthe inAfrica duringthe course ofthis contributionspeaksforitselfandthe
SouthernAfrican Ornithological collection’s compilation. His trips to meticulous dedicationcharacteristic of
Society(now BirdLife SouthAfrica), Mozambiquewere the mostnotewor- his life’sworkserves asanexample
TheBirdsofNatalandZululand thyandresultedinthe largest forothersworkinginthevarious
(1964), TheGamebirdsofSouthern collectionofmaterialinexistencefrom fields, whichthis mansoablymas-
Africa(1967), TheRareBirdsof this poorlyknownregion. His discov- tered. 'T'
SouthernAfrica(1985) andKingfishers eryofthe Lemon-breastedCanary DavidAllan
ofSub-SaharanAfrica(1992). Hewas Serinuscitrinipectus, a species newto
78-BullABC Vol8No2 Obituary
