Wellcome

ferminia@wanadoo.es

It begins studying the Insects, discovering new species, and crossing several provinces like Pinar del Rio, Havana, and Slaughters. But really the key moment in its life constitutes its encounter with Doctor Thomas Barbour, of the University of Harvard, man of great stature to which in the successive one it would receive from Fermín Zanón, the affectionate nickname of Gigantón or American Gigante, who entrusts the thorough exploration to him of the Mountain ranges of the Province of Pine of the River, working with him until its return to Spain.

After intense years of study, Barbour sends to him to deepen in the Zapata Swamp, in a well-known zone like Santo Tomás, and Fermín Zanón following its indications is transferred entering by the mouth of the Hatiguanico River.

The eventful journeys that live, being in some occasion on the verge of perishing in the Swamp are many, concretely when it was gotten to sink until the chest, and without which it could help him.

Her niece Cármen Zanón counts who could take hold to a wicker basket and after several hours of effort consiguiò to leave the mud. In Santo Tomás, the first bird that discovers is the Fermina, a troglodítido relative of our Spanish Chochín,House Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes, which quickly it sends to Doctor Thomas Barbour, who confirms that this bird with pinticas is a new species for Science and he baptizes in its honor with the scientific name Ferminia cerverai Barbouret Peters, in English Cervera´s Wren,actually Zapata Wren, being therefore the first last name of Fermín, is to say Zanón, forgotten for the students of Cuban natural history, due to the Anglo-Saxon custom to perhaps present only the first last name, that in this case considers Cervera. Even so, Thomas Barbour in the Auk Magazine, talks about to the Spanish naturalist like Fermín Z.Cervera.

This same expression of its name was confirmed recently in my last expedition to Cuba, during the visit to the Museum of Natural Sciences Felipe Poey of the University of Havana, in which I had the pleasing surprise to find a unit of the extinguished Passenger Pigeon Ectopistes migratorius that had been collected by Fermín Z.Cervera. Indicating on the other hand the narrow existing relations between the existing environmentalist and Museums then.

This phenomenal discovery, is reflected in the publication of the prestigious North American magazine Auk, Volume XLV with figures of Brooks, representing therefore a new endemic sort, of a practically absent family in Cuba.

It really constituted a great surprise that a country that deeply had been studied in the century last through prestigious naturalists like the Gundlach,born in Germany, and by Felipe Poey, Carlos de la Torre, Gallego Juan Lembeye...,pudiese to still contain secrets to discover in year 1926.

Fermín counts on the aid in its explorations of Carvajal, that was able to perfectly imitate the song of the Fermina, and to the genuine cienaguero being, it constituted a basic pillar in the ornithological discoveries.

In general the figure of Fermín Zanón Cervera, is not present in publications on the birds of Cuba, and is Florentino García Montaña, in its book Las Aves de Cuba, especies endémicas, who speaks for the first time on this naturalistic outstanding, mentioning its eventful journeys for the discovery of these birds, perhaps due to being a self-taught naturalist, who did not pass by the University, perhaps for other reasons, but what if is certain it is that its figure needed an agreed recognition to was worth it of its qualities and their discoveries.

Alvarez Conde, in their book Historia de la Zoología en Cuba, does not mention it, but nevertheless if she mentions the three species discovered by Fermín Zanón, in page 143, like examples of the fauna of the Zapata Swamp and species of reduced geographic distribution; in his phenomenal book he says very textually, " have been three birds of area very restricted ", but he does not mention the person who discovered them, more ahead mentions also widely to Doctor Thomas Barbour and famous Cuban naturalist Dr Carlos de la Torre.

We took advantage of the occasion to remember that the Cabrerito de la Ciénaga, Zapata Sparrow, or Zapata Finch, as in principle it were called to him, another one of the three endemic ones discovered by Fermín Zanón, dedicated it to Carlos de la Torre, being its scientific name Torreornis inexpectata.

And for more misfortune of the one than it writes these lines, it also mentions the Dr Stephen Cole Bruner (1891-1953), Doctor Honoris Cause by the University of Carolina of the North, and recognized ciéntifico in Cuba, between whose multiple works one is, Observations on Ferminia cerverai:(Aves:Troglodytidae).

Really, they constitute clear examples of the fall in the forgetfulness of the figure of Fermín Zanón Cervera, as far as scientific Literature talks about, not thus as far as his memory in the zone where always he worked, the Zapata Swamp, in whom all the ornithological personnel investigating and guides, between whom they honor the brothers Orestes,Chino de Santo Tomás, and his brother Angel Martinez García, know of the great importance that he has had for the ecoturístico development of the Peninsula of Zapata, the existence of these three birds endemic, visited by naturalists and ornithologists worldwide.

Proof of it is the publication of the book wild Fauna of the Zapata Swamp,Fauna silvestre de la Ciénaga de Zapata, of Alfredo Nieto Dopico, Director of the Research center Tecnología and Medio.ambiente CITMA, of Zapata Swamp.

This book published in Spain in 1997 recognizes the importance of the figure of Fermín Zanón Cervera, mentioning it in its page 79, " we must thank for the Spanish naturalist Fermín Cervera, discovery in 1927 of the three endemic birds of the Zapata Swamp, who resided in Cuba during the first decades of the present century ".

He always animated himself to the author of the present book to continue with his investigation, although the guides of birds that at the moment consult themselves do not mention their figure yes although the three discovered species, as the West Indies is the case of Birds of de James Bond, and Birds of the West Indies de Wiley, Raffaelle and Garrido.

He is worth the trouble to clarify that the Cabrerito de la Ciénaga, Torreornis inexpectata,Zapata Sparrow, according to consists in the book Threatened Birds of the Americas, given to the author by outstanding professor of the University of Havana, Dr Orlando Torres Fundora, Member of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba, and great connoisseur of Zapata Swamp, counts on another subspecies in the Province of Ciego de Avila, more concretely in Cayo Coco Torreornis inexpectata varonai, and another subspecies in Guantánamo, Torreornis inexpectata sigmani. On the other hand the Fermina the Gallinuela of Santo Tomás, well-known or red-baptize like Gallineta de Zapata, literal translation of English Zapata Rail, follow without reporting themselves in no other place of Cuba.

To this one last one it is called on to him to live a critical situation, since it could not have been studied nor have been photographed years in the last, although the originating recent news on prestige investigators, communicates to us that it has been observed again, although of sporadic way.

Returning to history years back it is called on to us to relate, literally, to traves of the letters that Fermín Zanón sent to its family in Godelleta, its brothers Claudio and Cármen, who was really this illustrious personage who as much did by the Swamp and which nevertheless that we know at least he did not leave to writing any book for delight of coming generations.

In the letter older than we conserved, of date 13 of October of 1906, writes from Veracruz, Mexico, to its mother showing to him its desires to return to Spain, " Willingly we would be in house in the Civil Guard, but that we are going to do to him now are hopes no to be able to return soon, inasmuch as there are resources no to go to house, nor almost to eat, because here this family that we knew in Havana which they are two brothers, Manuel and Balbina, have a tostadero of coffee, I helped them when it was good and now that or I am being able to do something I continue helping them, and Victorian when she also could she helped

This letter presents to us the penalties and necessities that it had to pass the marriage, since the fragile health of its Victorian woman would represent a constant that would mark for always its destiny.

Continuing with the letter " If tuvieramos resources, Victorian he would go at least to house and next to you, mother, with that foods would put itself good, because here she has anemia problems, so we are going to happen for Havana, there that makes more miserable and deadly money than by this tierrra, I will see of being able to send it next to you so that you recover since I cannot go, and I will see of being able to make some money to have one more a relieved oldness in house and that you still live together to be able to enjoy ".

, its return to Cuba is really a key event in its race of naturalist, since it will take with himself the encounter with Thomas Barbour, and together they would carry out the discovery of new Cuban endemic species.

Another letter sent after its brother Claudio, relates the knowledge that are acquiring on the birds of Cuba:

"Here there are birds of many classes, because with which they grow up in the country and those that they come from step to hibernate they would be 245 classes that is different species: I leave to hunt and as I only want to kill the pretty ones, there are days that I do not get to shoot nor only a shot. Although you will not understand the following note that next I put to you, because all animal in this world already well-known, has its name given by the naturalistic wise people and as the names are in Latin and Greek, for that reason I say to you that you will not understand, nevertheless you will occur something of account, I will put only the name to you of the families, and that is thus.

Vulturidae family, means Vulture, Aura tiñosa,Turkey Vulture, it is greater than a crow, and has the neck and head similar to " the fried " Turkeys.

14 Falconidae Family, means Hawks, Sparrow hawk and Eagles.

13 Species of the family Turdidae " Tordos "

29 Species of the family near the Buscaretas.

3 Species of the family Cardinals

10 Species of the Buchines.etc family

8 Species of the family Wanderers

10 Species of the Gafarrones family, etc

12 Species of the Starling family

2 Species of the Corvidae family " Crows "

3 Species . Hummingbird family are the birds smaller than

they know.

6 Species Scansores. Named family Woodpecker because with his tip they bore the trunks of the trees, etc

5 Species Cucutidae family, " cuckoos ".

3 Species family, a Parrot, a Parakeet and Macaw.

12 Species family Columbidae and Coloms " Doves ".

1 Species Gruidae "Cranes

95 Species of different families between ducks, gulls, etc." "

One is a unit of Gavilán Batista, Copete or Cangrejero, Cuban Black Hawk, endemic subspecies Buteogallus anthracinus gundlachi, described by Florentino García Montaña in its book the birds of Cuba, endemic Subspecies, where it comments the onomatopéyico origin to us of his name, since when it lets hear its voice seems to say batista.

The search of the Majá of Santa Maria was a constant in the last expedition of March of 1999, until finally in Zapata Swamp, with the help of cienagueros friends, whose privacy we respected we could carry out the boido most important photographic session of this Cuban Boa, of course endemic one, and of great importance in the trófica chain of almost all the ecosystems of the island.

We jumped in the time and we located ourselves in day 11 of October of 1924, in that Fermín Zanón Cervera uses a form of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Commerce and Work, concretely of Vegetal Health, located in Obrapía 37 1/2.(altos).

It so comments to its brothers its activities related to the Fitopatología, being its very valuable services and as it has been explaining to him to its family " For six days, arrived a shipment from grapes of Almeria, Spain. The Vegetal Medical service chief of the Republic gave it by good, but an American Inspector said that he contained the plague Mediterranean Fly ( Ceratitis capitata). In order to see if they could save the merchandise, and if it were or noncertain that the grape contained this plague, informed to them into what I was a capable expert in the subject. They came to see the Secretary of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, and the interested ones me. We went to see the Minister of Agriculture that was interested and consulted with the President of the Republic. Also we spoke with the Spanish Minister; soon I examined clusters of different barrels and they did not contain vestige or séase signal none of the such Mediterranean Fly. Although they have not been able to remove interested the good party, to my spite, a box of beer has given me marks Carta Blanca, that contains 72 bottles, so we invited to you to drink beer."

This letter emphasizes the importance of the knowledge in Fitopatología and Entomología, that granted his to him deserved reputation before the Ministries of Spanish and Cuban Agriculture, and in addition confirms the fact that it was up-to-date of the situation of the international relations of the moment.

Continuing with his facet of Entomólogo, in the letter it adds:

Glenurus cerverai

Belen cerverinus"

This interesting letter, it still follows more important other to him than it would be an omen of the discoveries that were going away to produce and that as the previous one deserves to be transcribed to the complete one.

" Habana (Island of Cuba) 14 December of 1925

Brother Claudio separately sent two peloticas to you of eggs of Mántido and today I send other 2 to you, so that you please make me put them the sooner in the hollows of the ribazos.

The day 4 of the present fuí month the Pinar del Río, capital of the west to 87 kilometers, from there 76 kilometers more in automobile to a village called Sumidero, soon three leguas towards the North to horse to a called property Hacienda Gramales . All this to obtain two classes of birds for the American giant. There was nothing of these two species. This great property that is as great as from the Garrama to Ferrajón, looked like to me to Spanish earth, as well as in the stops of Redondo or the Ferrajón, floods its hills of pines and oaks and I ate acorns although something bitter. To the three days to be there, and seeing that nothing obtained, I returned desperate day 14 here. Me pagarón the train of roundtrip to Pine of the River. When returning I wrote to him to the American giant of the failed trip and I received letter of him yesterday and it says to me thus:

" "Cambridge, Mass., December 9 of 1925. My very wanted Don Fermín. = I received its high letter of 15 of November. and desire to let know You that I think to arrive at house of Havana like from the 10-12 from February. But it goes to Santo Tomás before my arrival to house. Memories etc " "

Fermín continues telling its brothers

It has the this American to me, who whenever I am going to obtain birds etc. for him, although does not obtain anything. I will have to go to Santo Tomás in the Peninsula and in Zapata Swamp to where already fuí for two years and means.

It recommends to me that it does not go for house, that who will embalsamará later? But I think to go for house in the Spring."

The obsession of the Dr is clear Thomas Barbour with the Zapata Swamp,and concretely with Santo Tomás, who would with time become the most important place for the observation of birds of the island of Cuba.

The following photo corresponds to a unit of Gavilán Batista, Common Black Hawk, Buteogallus anthracinus.

Surprised in the La Salina the month of March of 1999, to stand out it is left the great nobility of these birds that let themselves approach and that almost do not fear the man, fruit of the applied protectionistic measures in this Refuge of Fauna of Zapata Swamp.

The bird of the superior photography is the Coco Blanco, White Ibis, Eudocimus albus, is a bird of the family of the Threskiornitidae, whose relative closest it is the Coco Prieto,in Spain Morito, Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellus, species also represented in the South of Spain, in the National Park of Doñana.

Photography taken in the Salinas in March of 1999.

This species is a clear example of which the bad action of the man can do by the conservation of species that surprised us by their abundance, considered the bird more numerous than never it existed, beginning his decline in the middle of the last Century, seems to be that from 1870 his number it descended drastically.

The last nest of which the news is had found in year 1894, and it was considered extinguished definitively in year 1914.

As a result of it, and listening to the song of the Cabrerito account occurred that kept much similarity with the Spanish relative, so Fermín imitating the song of the Goldfinch was able to attract the Cabrerito and to capture it easily.

We could not let include in this brief work a female of Zunzuncito, Pájaro Mosca, Trovador, Bee Hummingbird, Mellisuga helenae, scientific name in honor of Helena, the mother of Carlos Booth, great friend of Gundlach, which nevertheless it left to the meritos of this small and great discovery to the Galician naturalist Juan Lembeye, who yes has had a great recognition in his Community of origin, Galicia, with the editing of its book Birds of the Island of Cuba.

The famous Valencian naturalist shows his preoccupation by desatre caused by the hurricane that in Autumn of 1926, shortly after discovering the Fermina, knocked down of Zapata Swamp, being pending the distribution of humanitarian aid for the affected population.

Also it is come off her who like scientific well-known, Fermín Zanón is conscious of the discovery that has done, of the great value that it has, and of the astonishment that it would cause in the scientific community of the time.

The shortage of resources of that hard stage of its life, makes him value captured specimens and the professional relation that to him Thomas Barbour unites with the American Giant.

Down the tip of Cyanolimnas reproduces cerverai, Gallinuela de Santo Tomás, Zapata Rail, so and as it was drawn for the Auk Magazine.

In the letter so that their family understood which birds were, she compared to the Cabrerito de la Ciénaga,Zapata Sparrow, with the Verderón Carduelis chloris,European Greenfinch, and the size of rabilargo, córvido that has a peculiar area of distribution, from southern Spain, jumps to the North of China.

The Gallinuela of Santo Tomás compares it with the Common Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus. The photography corresponds to the anillamiento of a unit in the Brazo del Este, in the Surroundings of the National Park of Doñana in January of this year.1999.

The letter, in which I would like to stand out like cause from his return to Spain, among others, the fragile health of his woman Victory, that has tremendous desires to return to house.

The image corresponds to a session of rest in the Natural wells, Cenotes,formation typical of the Eastern part of Zapata Swamp, constituting useful places for the observation of the endemic birds as the Tocororo (it photographs following),Cuban Trogon, Priotelus temnurus,

All it, in an apparently isolated town, whose only communication is a forest track, through as is acceded from Good luck to Zanja of the Cocodrila.

To his return to Spain professor Curt remembers with affection the attentions received in Santo Tomás, and which reflects on has supposed in the lives of these good people, the discovery by Fermín Zanón Cervera of three endemic jewels of the Swamp.

This photography represents the beginning of a naturalistic expedition, giving us to choose both between ways, one towards the endemic birds of Santo Tomás, and another one to a great reserve of aquatic birds where we will find diverse species of herons, and madrugando a little also we will be able to see the Grulla,Sandhill Crane ,Grus canadensis nesiotes, endemic subspecies of Cuba, that still survives in the humid zones better conserved.

The Salt mine also offers the possibility to us of observing rapaces like the Aguila pescadora, call in Cuba and the Canary Islands Guincho, Osprey, Pandion haliaetus carolinensis, and also can be found to the Gavilán Bobo , Broad-winged Hawk , Buteo platypterus cubanensis, doing honor to its name since it was let photograph everything what we wanted.

As last appointment on the figure of Fermín Zanón Cervera, we could add that outstanding professor Vicente Berovides Alvarez, in his book Order and Diversity in the living world, book number 19 of the Vulcano collection, published in 1988, mentions our famous naturalist: "the Spanish fan to Natural Sciences, Fermín Cervera, that discovered nothing less than three species of Cuban birds for science, has the privilege of which its complete name served to name to one of these birds, the Fermina of Santo Tomás, of Zapata Swamp, whose scientific name is Ferminia cerverai." Already like defender at any cost of the outstanding work of Fermín Zanón, the fan name seems to me a little short, if with it we forgot the ample knowledge that it had on the Cuban Fauna, living really on its activity, that could be considered financed directly by the University of Harvard, through Doctor Thomas Barbour. And without spirit of being excessively puntilloso, to emphasize that its whole name nonpassage to history, but its name accompanied by its second last name. Continuing with the figure of Fermín Zanón we would like to make clear that in its town they knew of its great liking to the birds, however, they called to him with the nickname of the Pajaritero.

It raised cage birds, and it liked to loosen them far from its house, verifying as they always returned without losing no.

Between its many qualities it emphasized the drawing, specially of Butterflies, from which her niece keeps a book of first of century, that drew in paper and it mounted them soon so that they really seemed.

Her niece counts, that it was so his quality of sketcher, who like joke, made in paper the drawings of tickets of the time and people when seeing them gave them by good.

Also it seems to be that he was recognized man of moral and good for doing, got to be Mayor of Godelleta.

Her niece Cármen Zanón was the person of her family more close friend to Fermín, to such an extent that took care of it until its death of one serious respiratory disease.

The being asked for the memories of her Fermín Uncle, she answers, who could keep only the valuable letters that we mentioned, and some insects and books of him.

Her wife Victory when dying Fermín, sold the collection of her dissected Cuban birds to some Museum that not yet has been located.

As final of this brief book, to end up saying that when had a feeling the arrival of the last moment, Fermín Zanón Cervera, opened the cages of its birds, and she loosen them so that they flew free for always.