On the cover this month
H.C. Richter
Onychoprion panaya [Panayan Tern] [1984?]
watecolour; 38.7 x 55 cm
Plate 33, vol. VII of The Birds of Australia, by John Gould
(London: Published by the author in 36 parts, 1840-1848)
Pictures Collection,
nla.pic-an9991357
John
Gould (1804-1818) published seven volumes of The Birds of Australia
over eight years. After spending 19 months in Australia, Gould returned
to England in 1840 and relied on the field work of researchers and
collectors to further his work. John Gilbert was Gould’s main collector
in Australia, shipping back many bird specimens and descriptions of
birds, mammals and other natural history items. In 1844, Gilbert
convinced explorer Ludwig Leichhardt to take an ornithologist on his
expedition to Port Essington, during which he kept a detailed
diary recording his sightings and his experiences of life in the
field. John Gould was never to receive the many specimens he hoped to
obtain on the expedition’s return, as Gilbert was killed on the jouney
(see article on page 3).
March 2005 Volume XV Number 6
MR GILBERT'S BEAUTIFUL PARRAKEET
The story of the paradise parrot is one of extinction and the allure of a lost species, as former Harold White Fellowship holder Penny Olsen reveals
KENNETH BINNS LIBRARIAN ON THE MOVE
Susan Marsden profiles Kenneth Binns, a man dedicated to the cultural life of Australia
PUTTING THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ONLINE
Margaret Dent describes the capabilities of ECCO,the new online resource now available to scholars of the eighteenth century
THE NATIONAL LIBRARY VISITS AUSTRALIA
Mae Adams recounts some of her experiences with travelling National Library exhibitions around Australia
BEAGLE FRIENDS WERE SHIPMATES FOR LIFE
Judy Cannon introduces Charles Darwin’s fellow Beagle shipmates and their stories before and after that thought-changing voyage
FRIENDS
A regular news page about the activities of the Friends of the National Library of Australia
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