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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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