• - COVER: The Australian Train and Wandervan at Parkes, are the latest developments in the Museum extension programme. (Photo: Checka Ward!Austra/ion Museum.) REPORT of THE TRUST for the YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE, 1978

D. WEST, GOVERNMEN'I' PRINTER, NEW SOUTI-1 WALE5-1979 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Trust and staff of The Australian Museum have pleasure in thanking the following organizations and individuals who provided financial assistance by way of research grants or donations during the year.

Aboriginal Arts Board, Council Drummond Credit Corporation Asian Studies Association of Australia Esso Australia Ltd Aquila Steel Co Ltd Or B. Goldman Australian Biological Resources Study Harris Daishowa Pty Ltd Australian Government Hoyts Theatres Ltd Australian Howmedica University of North Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies Mr H. Loomis Aust ralian Institute of Marine Science Myers Ltd Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service National Parks and Wildlife Service of Queensland Australian Research Grants Committee Peko Wallsend Ltd Bank of Mr Peter Pigott, Sydney Beacon Research Co Pty Ltd Professor M. G. Pitman, OBE, Sydney Bernard van Leer Foundation Si ms Consolidated Ltd Bushell Trust, Sydney Sir John Proud, Sydney Conzinc Riotinto of Australia Ltd Roche Research Institute of Marine Pharmacology CSR Limited State Pollution Control Commission, NSW Caltex Oil (Australia) Pty Ltd Sydney Myer Charity Trust, Melbourne Commercial Banking Co of Sydney Ltd Tooth and Co Ltd Council of the Tooheys Ltd Dick Smith Electronics Unilever Australia Pty Ltd

Further acknowledgments of co-operation are listed at Appendix 2. 2 THE AUSTRALIAN MU SEUM THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM TRUST

PRESIDENT Professor M. G. Pitman, OBE. MA, PhD

DEPUTY PRESIDENT R. C. Richard

MEMBERS

Professor D. J. Anderson, BSc, PhD P. Pigott (from 9-5-78) J. T. Baker, MSc, PhD, FRACI Sir John Proud, BE, MIMMAust (to 9-8-77) K. H. Cousins R. Hunt, MA (from 11-5-78) K. R. Rozzoli, MLA (to 21-4- 78) C. Klugman (from 11-5-78) C. M. Serventy, BA Professor L. j. Kramer, OBE, BA. DPh il, FAHA (to 21-4-78) Emeritus Professor A. H. Voisey, DSc

LIZARD ISLAND RESEARCH STATION CHAIRMAN Professor M. G. Pitman, OBE, MA, PhD

COMMITTEE OF TRUSTEES BOARD OF CONSULTANTS Professor K. J. C. Back, MSc, Professor F. H. Talbot, MSc, Professor C. Burdon-Jones, PhD, FlnstBiol PhD PhD, FLS, FRZS, FRSA Professor Sir Zelman Cowen, CMG, QC, J. T. Baker, MSc, PhD, FRACI S. Williams DCL, MA, LLM, LLD (to 14-7-78) A. Bartholomai, MSc, PhD P. R. Ehrlich, BA, MA, PhD G. Saunders, DAgrSc P. Mather, DSc D. J. G. Griffin, MSc, PhD P. Sale, PhD D. F. McMichael, MA, PhD K. L. Sutherland, OBE, DSc, Emeritus Professor G. N. Davies, DOS, Sir John Proud, BE, MIMMAust PhD, FAA, ARIC, FDSRCS (Eng). FACD, FRACDS (from (from 15- 11-77) MIMMAust, FRACI 1-12-77) 3 ANNUAL REPORT 1977- 1978 RESEARC H ASSOCIATES ASSOCIATES

I. Bennett, MSc J. Booth P. Beechey, MSc A. H. Chapman R. Catala, DSc N. Coleman C. E. Chadwick L. Courtney-Haines R. 0. Chalmers, ASTC A. F. D'Ombrain, AM S. J. Copland, MSc W. Dawbin, PhD D. D. Francois, MSc, PhD B. Egloff, PhD J. Frazier J. W. Evans, MA, SeD, DSc (Director Emeritus) T. A. Garrard H. 0. Fletcher, MSc K. Gillett, ARPS J. V. Forshaw V. Gregg A. Healy K. Huffman, BA(Hons.) (Cantab), DipEthnol (Oxon) J. Kerslake D. Kinsey, MSc R. Kuiter F. D. McCarthy, DipAnthrop C. Lawler Professor N. W. G. Mclntosh, MB, BSc, DipAnthrop* D. lindner J. Mahoney, BSc j. E. Marlow, BSc D. F. McMichael, MA. PhD T. R. New, PhD W. McReaddie D. Newton M. Moulds j . Pickett, MSc, DPh iiNat E. C. Pope, MSc, CMZS The Hon. Mr Justice F. G. Myers A. A. Racek, Drrernat (Brno) H. Paxton, BA (Hons) L. R Richardson, PhD j . A. Rosenthal W. Starck, PhD R. Steene Professor F. H. Talbot, MSc, PhD, FLS, FRZS, FRSA Professor I. W. B. Thornton, PhD K. L. Sutherland, OBE, DSc, PhD, FAA J. P. White, MA, PhD ARIC, MIMMAust, FRACI J. C. Yaldwyn, MSc, PhD M. Tuckson *deceased 5 December, 1977 j. Voorwinde

THE AUSTRALIAN HUSEUH NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INDEX OF AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE COMMITTEE OF TRUSTEES CHAIR MAN The Hon. Sir Percy Spender, KCVO, KBE, KStj, QC EXECUTIV E COMMITIEE E. L. Carthew A. D. Trounson D. j. G. Griffin, MSc, PhD L. le Guay. FRPS, EFIAP, AIAP R. W. Turner (Chairman) V. N. Serventy, AM, BSc. BEd Sir Harold Wyndham, CBE, MA. EdD R. Strahan, MSc, MIBiol, FSIH, FLS, FRZS M. C. Clampett (Hon. Sec.)

COUNCIL MEMBERS J. H. Broinowski, CMG, FCA Professor L. J. Kramer, OBE, BA, DPhil, FAHA D. C. L. Gibbs, MA Sir Robert E. Porter R. C. Richard j. C. H. Gill, BA, LLB, FRHist, SQ The Hon. Sir Vernon Treatt, KB E, MM. QC Professor Sir Leonard Huxley, KB E, DPhil, PhD, Sir Thomas Wardle MA FinstP, FAA J. W. C. Wyett, BSc. PhD. ARACI, FAIA

THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM SOCIETY PRES IDENT C. M. Serventy, BA

VICE-PRESIDENT j. R. Hazel, MB, BS, FRACP (to 29-3-78) R. A. Pearson, BA, LLB (from 29- 3- 78) EXECUTIVE SECRETARY S. A. Bridie COUNCIL MEMBERS N. R. Bayliss, FCA, ACIF, JP (Honorary Treasurer) P. M. McDonald, BSc, MEd (to 29-3-78) E. Bryden-Brown. VRD, AFAIM (from 29-3- 78) j. N. McDougall, BSc, DipEd (from 13-6- 78) M. N. Dean V. A. Moore (to 29-3-78) E. A. Fox (to 29-3-78) R. A. Pea~on, BA, LLB G. W. Gait, ~ E d , DipEd, MBA (from 29- 3- 78) F. Pittendrigh (from 29- 3-78) K. V. Gregg D. F. Smith, BSc, PhD (to 29-3-78) D. J. G. Griffin, MSc, PhD P. H. Stitt, BE, GradDiplmm (from 29- 3-78) I. H. Kelly F. L. Sut herland, MSc

ANNU AL REPORT 1977- 1978 5 ""· ~ \lil "~t \ - g)

Grec:ory Mtllen The Austrllll

ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 7 distances and time involved in travelling, a railway train seemed a good method to adopt. The Australian Museum Train was officially launched at Central Ra ilway Station, Sydney by the Premier of NSW, the Hon. Neville Wran on Wednesday, 8 March, 1978. The 'Train' comprises two carriages provided by the Rail Division, Public Transport Commission of NSW and renovated at the Carriage Workshops, Eveleigh. One houses the exhibition and the other is part teaching space, part accom­ modation for the two Education Officers travelling with it. As a major Museum project, it demanded intensive participation by several Departments of the Museum and different Government departments. Conceived in 1972, it is the product of close co-operation between the Museum, the Government Architects Office of the NSW Department of Public Works, and the Public Transport Commission of NSW. The first stage involved planning and installing the displays in the exhibition carriage, and obtaining the teaching specimens, audio visual equipment and all items for the living quarters in the second carriage. Publicity brochures, posters and question sheets for visiting school classes were also prepared.

The second stage involved planning the Train's ;ti nerary with the Rail Division, Public Transport Commission, organizing school visits through the NSW Department of Education, and arranging advance publicity through the local media in each centre to be visited. This phase was carried out by 3 ~ Mr Stokes and Ms Thompson. The Train is moved ..c from station to station by the regular train services, 3 stopping at each centre from five to fifteen days, depending on the size of the town.

The Train began its tour on 9 March. By the end of June, six centres had been covered and approximately 32,000 people had visited. Mr Stokes Children in country areas of NSW enjoy their lessons and Mr Miller have given lessons to 400 school in the Museum Train: the exhibition carriage (top), classes and various adult groups. the classroom carriage (above) 8 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM The exhibition illustrates the story of the Earth's covered vehicle with a tailgate loader has been formation, the rocks and minerals in its crust and the ordered. gradual evolut ion of living things. This is followed The exhibitions have been following the path by t he of man and his development from established by the pilot exhibitiOn and have generated t he hunter-gatherer stage towards city life. These a great amount of interest at all venues. By 30 June, the mes are ill ustrated with specimens of rocks, over 80,000 people including some 21 ,000 children m inerals a nd fossils, preserved and plants, and had visited the three exhibitions; 50,000 visited the a r tefacts made by various peoples both ancient and exhibitions in the three months ending 30 June, 1978. modern. Of particular interest is the fact that twice as many The Education Officers prepare special lesson school children from the areas VISited have been to p rogrammes for school groups, or film/lecture the travelling exhibitions as would visit the Museum programmes for adults if requested. and these are in Sydney each year. given in the teaching area of the second carriage. The programme has been so successfu l that the T his space has seating fo r forty-five people. specimens pilot exhibition is to visit selected regional country for handling and 16mm cine films and 35mm slides. areas next year and the Museum plans to seek more Q uestion booklets have been prepared at lower funds for the construction of additional travelling primary, upper primary and junior secondary level. exhibitions to maintain this valuable and exciting Admission to the train is free, as are all the programme. ed ucation facilities provided. Children at K1ngsdene School for Special Purposes, T he Museum T rain will take at least two years to Telopea, react to the possum Banya, just awakening visit all centres of the State connected by rail. in his bed. The Wandervan carries both live and During this time the Museum will evaluate the preserved material to centres for the physically visitors' responses as a guide to the future develop­ and intellectually handicapped ment of t he Train's services. .., O uter Urban Exhibitions Following the success of the first travelling outer urban exhibition, 'Man, A Peculiar Primate', funds were received from the NSW Government to produce more travelling exhibitions to provide cultural support for outlying suburbs. Two more exhibitions, 'Conservation of Australian Fauna' and ' Arid A ustralia' (based on the new Arid Zone Gallery in t he Museum), have been produced and a t hi rd, 'T he Story of the Earth' is in an advanced stage of preparation. T hese exhibitions are being produced by specially engaged temporary staff in cooperation with ~u.s~um :I Curators, Education Officers and the Exh1b1t1ons "0 0 Section. An additional position of Storeman has ..::> been established to help move the exhibitions and a a:

ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 9 1 -2 If' 11111,.1 ~.. x .. .q

Howard Hughes/The Australian Museum Heuher Mclennan{The Australian Museum The Premier of NSW, the Hon. Neville Wran, QC , Ms Checka Ward and the Wandervan at 'The Hills' MP, launching the Wandervan. Sponsored by the school for specific purposes at Northmead Bank of NSW, the van travels to special schools for handicapped children

Wandervan Activities metropolitan schools have been visited, catering for nearly one thousand children in special schools, On I 0 April, 1978, the Premi e~r of NSW, the Hon. Neville Wran, launched a new project-a van for hospitals and other institutions. Senior citizen's. handicapped children and other special groups. groups and day care centres have also been visited. Called the 'Wandervan', this vehicle was purchased To date, the response to the project has clearly by a grant from the sponsors of the project, the Bank been most enthusiastic, and in the coming term, of New South Wales. Also included in the grant country visits will be undertaken to cater for those was funding for the employment of a trained teacher, special schools and classes in isolated areas. who is involved with teaching these groups within their own classroom or institutional environment, Drop-In Programme using a collection of live and preserved animals, a rock and fossil collection and Aboriginal and Many children who live in the inner city region In donesian a rtefacts. now regard the Museum as the place to go on Tuesday a nd Thursday after school. In attending the Drop-In The first Wandervan Education Officer, Ms Checka Programme they can take part in a variety of creative Ward, was appointed by secondment from the NSW activities which relate to the interests of the Museum. Department of Education in November, 1977. Since These activities have included the study of ancient the inauguration of the project, more than fifty and modern cu ltures through crafts, music and 10 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM cooking; making a 'nature panel' from recycled Skm wide) in the Southern Ocean. lt lies l,470km materials; choreographing a dance in Hyde Park from Tasmania, I ,440km from Antarctica and 650km based on seagull behaviour; lapidary; making an from its nearest neighbour, the Auckland Islands. an1 mated movie of dinosaurs 1n a volcano landscape; Summer range from 4 to 10 C. w1nds collecting in a vacant lot to look at through average about 30km per hour. and it rains on most microscopes; and many others. An average of days of the year. Those participating were Dr Jim thirty children attended each session. drawn from Lowry, The Australian Museum; Dr Don Horning, twenty-eight inner city schools. Salem, Oregon; Dr Gary Poore, The National Museum of Victoria and Mr Rob Ricker. The Since July 1977. children at Plunkett Street, Crown University of Melbourne. Street and Darlinghurst Public Schools have stayed back after school on one day a week to try their hand at pottery, batik and puppet making. By visit ing the schools. t he programme has reached Mr Waiter Pakiteworra. a craftsman from the many children who were unable to come to the Pitjantjatjara tribe of Central Australia. helps inner regular sessions at the Museum. We are grateful to city children shape boomerangs and clap-sticks as the school principals for mak1ng these visits possible. part of the Drop-In after-school activities programme. Mr Paul Pulati, the programme's tutor. looks on Paul and Gilla Pulati were tutors for 'Drop-In' until December, 1977 when t hey returned to the United States. The Museum owes them much for establish­ ing the programme. They have been ably replaced by Ms Dianne Johnson and Mr Edwin Reid. both of whom live in the inner city and have worked with local children. In consultation with Mr Glenn Hunt. Education Officer, they have introduced their own ideas and methods with the result that Drop-In continues to develop and evolve. Many specialist tutors have been involved in projects and a pleasing trend is that parents are joining in and helping the children. A grant from the Bernard van Leer Foundation has supported the programme since I July. 1977 and continued assistance is anticipated until mid-1980.

M acquarie Island Expedition The Australian Museum in conjunction with the AntarctiC DiviSIOn of the Australian Department of SCience, organ.ized a three month summer expedition to Macquarie Island to make systematiC colle~t1ons of manne and terrestrial plants and an1mals. Macquarie Island is a small isolated island (37km long. 11 ANNUAL REPORT 1977- 1978 The Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition, (ANARE) Station at the northern end of the island was the base of operations for the first half of the summer. After Christmas, the party worked from strategically placed huts to the south of ANARE Station. Marine collections were made by diving from six sites, each chosen to give as complete a coverage of the island as possible. Forty­ .. one dives were made during the summer, resulting ·c:c in about iso plant and collections. Terrestrial 0 J: collections were made from a wide variety of sites vi around the island and resulted in over 300 separate 0 samples. Dr Horning's particular interest is in the micro­ scopic animals known as tardigrades or water bears, which he found to be widespread and abundant on the island. By collecting the plants which these animals inhabit he also made an important collection of mosses and lichens. Mr Ricker's main interest is the algae of Macquarie Island which he is ly studying as part of the requirements for an MSc at the University of Melbourne. In addition to his algal work Mr Ricker made a comprehensive collection of terrestrial plants. Drs Poore and Lowry are interested in the small shrimp-like crustaceans, known as isopods and amphipods, which are very common in shallow waters around the island. Their collections have already produced a number of not previously known from the area and this information will be very useful in studies on the distribution of Subantarct ic and

}im Lowry, Curator, Department of Marine l~v~rtebrates (Crustacea and Coelenterates), top, d1v1ng 1n the subantarctic waters off Macquarie Island. Dr Lowry led a recent expedition which ...c ~ studied both the marine environment and the 0 J: terrestrial-including animals such as the Royal vi Penguin, middle, and plants such as the pleurophyllum 0 herbfield, below

THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM A ntarctic crustaceans. The general large marine available. The one-year study has been extended collection is presently being sorted in by a further year and it is hoped that the study will the Museum's Depart ment of Marine be continued. The first year has been spent in an (Crustacea and C oelenterates), and groups are being inventory type survey of species in a variety of distributed t o specialists for study upon request. habitats. Twenty-one sites were selected in various forest types of known silvicultural history for Camden Haven W ildlife Refuge Study comparison offaunal content. In some ofthese more With financial assistance from Mr Dick Smith, of intensive studies are being conducted on abundance Dick Smith Electronics, and support by the NSW and on breeding and other biological activities. Forestry C ommissio n a faunal survey of the Camden Trial nest boxes are bei ng introduced to assist in Haven Wildlife Refuge and State Forests in the observations. A Met hod for standardized quanti­ Kendall Distr ict has bee n unde rtaken. tative vegetation description has been developed which will enable comparable studies to be made in T he work has conce nt rat ed mainly on vertebrates, any forested area. So far 217 species of vertebrates especially and mammals, as t his is expected to have been reco rded, from September, 1977 to June, yield the most useful information in the time 1978. These include 17 frog, 16 lizard, 160 and

A TV crew filming part of the fauna/ studies being David Mtlle dge carried out by the Museum at the Camden Haven Wildlife Refuge () 24 mam mal species. Of these 117 occur in tlie ::r ~ Camden Haven Wildlife Refuge itself. A report on [ the work up to February, 1978 has been published. .. "'::r Planning for future work on the basis of results so 3 far obtained includes more detailed studies of selected species in relation to the ecological habitats sampled. lt is intended that practical management programmes will be prepared for incorporation into silvicultural activities; in this way the basic research of the survey will be directly related to practical resource conservation and usage.

Hawkesbury River Estuary The benthic survey of this important estuary has progressed as scheduled since its initiation in 1976 by Dr Alan Jones of the Department of Marine Ecology. Six seasons of sampling have been completed encompassing the estuary from the junction with the Colo River to the mouth. Results so far indicate that, as expected, most species, though not necessarily most individual animals, occur near the mouth. Overall diversity appears to be comparatively low and this can be attributed to stress imposed by unpredictable flooding. Not only do floods drastically alter the salinity regime but The Sauverain at Wiseman's Ferry. is used by A/an their effects on the bottom sediments are severe. )ones, Assistant Curator, and Charlotte Short, In view of the threat of potential future urbanization Assistant, Department of Mar ine Ecology. on collecting to the river, th.is study will serve as a useful trips for a Hawkesbury River benthic study descriptive baseline. Its wide scope in time, space and taxonomic represe ntation overcomes most of Eyrean Photographed the criticisms justly levelled at baseline studies whose main function often appears to be 'window dressing'. In a combined operation with an Australian Museum team, an expedition organized by the In addition, a second project is now being planned. National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife This project involves the use of a diver-operated to the in September succeeded in coring device, allowing more precise sampling and obtaining the first photographs of the adult Eyrean experimentation with the habitat. Combined with Grasswren. Those taking part were: (Index Team) life-history and predation data, more accurate, A. D. Trounson, Executive Officer of the Index detailed information is available. This is crucial, as (Photographer); M. C. Clampett of the BBC office current methods of assessing actual and potential in Australasia (Photographer); K. A. Muller, Curator environmental impacts are inadequate. of Birds at Taronga Zoo (in charge of mist-netting 14 THE AUSTRALI AN MUSEUM operations); Ms A. Read, (Taronga Zoo); 'Taffy' with Muller as passenger in one and Boles in the Nicholls, lessee of the Hotel (driver and other. After a difficult crossing, including Eyre guide); and (Museum Team) H. J. de S. Disney, Creek, a small colony of Eyrean was Curator of Birds; W . E. Boles, Technical Officer, located on the third day at the state border some Department of Ornithology. 70km west of Birdsville, and four live specimens were obtained in the party's mist-nets. These were The Eyrean Grasswren is one of eight species of brought back to the expedition's forward base camp grasswren-a genus unique to Australia. They are at Lake Mu ncoonie so that they could be photo­ found only in remote and widely separated isolated graphed us ing a special field studio which had been localities. The Eyrean Grasswren is perhaps the developed for difficult assignments such as this by most rarely seen of all Australian birds. First Trounson and C lampett. A selection of the hundred discovered in 1874 on the lower Macumba River photographs taken of the bird in its natural desert (northwest of ) by an expedition sponsored environment are now in the Index. by the South Australian Government, it was not Two of the birds were brought back to Sydney seen again u nti I 1961 when a party of Victorian alive by the Museum team for study, and a new ornithologists rediscovered it in its original area, and dimension has been added to the sum total of obtained photographs of the nest and young. In knowledge of this elusive and interesting species. August, 1976, it was located in the heart of the Simpson Desert on the Queensland-South Australian Border west of Birdsville, some 250km from its Conservation of Australian Fauna? original area, by Mr lan May, a ranger of the South As part of the Museum's ISOth Anniversary Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service. His celebrations, a temporary exhibit-'Conservation of discovery was followed up by Mr Shane Parker, Australian Fauna?' was displayed for three months Curator of Birds at the South Australian Museum in the museum. who found the bird 'in abundance' in the new area. Following its run at the Museum, the exhibit Until that time, only three specimens of the bird commenced its two-year travelling programme as an existed, and very little was known about it. Later Outer Urban Exhibition to the outer suburbs of in the year, there were further sightings of· the bird within 25km of Birdsville, and the strategy of the Sydney. Index expedition was based on the assumption t~at Some of the controversial aspects discussed were: access to these areas would be relatively easy, us1ng habitat destruction, hunting, pollution and the Birdsville as a base. In the event, the expedition effects of introduced species on our native animals found the sandhill canegrass on which the bird feeds and wildlife management. For this segment, the everywhere to be barren of seed, and the conclu~ion National Parks and Wildlife Service supplied texts reached was that the bird had retreated deeper 1nto and photographs. the desert to the west where the vegetation may not have dried out during the intervening year. •Renewing the Dreaming' This special display, the third in the Museum's Because of the steep eastern faces of the sand Sesquicentenary series, was presented in the Long dunes an east-west crossing was not possible for Gallery from I December, 1977 to 28 February, 1978. the e~pedition's two four-wheel d_rive vehicles, p_lus The exhibition featured contemporary craft matenal trailer, so two light- Suzuk1 four-wheel dnve from two groups of Aborigines involved in the Out- vehicles were hired in Birdsville to make the attempt, IS AN N UAL REPORT 1977- 1978 Left: Wandjuk Morika, Chairman, Aboriginal Arts Board, Australia Council; H. C. Coombs, Cencre for Resource and Environmental Scudies, Auscralian National University; David Moore, Curator, Department o'r Anthropology; Michael Pitman, President, The Australian Museum Trust; Dundiwuy Wanambi and Mrs Coombs discuss 'Renewing the Dreaming'; Below: Guests view the displays of the official opening, 30 November, 1977

Gregory Moll en/The Australoan Museum station or Homelands movement-the Pitjantjatjara people of Central Australia, and the Yirrkala and nearby peoples of Northeast Arnhem Land. lt was opened by Or H. C. Coombs of ANU, one of the earliest and staunchest supporters of the Homelands movement. R.epresentatives from the Aboriginal communities involved were also present. The display incorporated an audio-visual pro­ gramme of activities on the Outstations, and demonstrations of the maki ng of craft materials by Aborigines from Amata, Central Australia and Yirrkala, Arnhem Land. In conjunction with the display, performances of Aboriginal dance and music were given in the Hallstrom Theatre by David Gulpilil and David Blanasi, and special school holiday programmes on making bark paintings and other Aboriginal crafts were conducted. The material for this exhibition was assembled from special collections made by the Aboriginal Arts Board, and Aboriginal Arts and Crafts Pty Ltd, with I J 16 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM Right: Professor Anthony Forge, ANU, shows Mr Supari Tjokrosartomo, the Deputy Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, around the' Balinese Traditional Paintings' exhibition on its opening night, 15 May, 1978. Below: A troupe of dancers, led by Mr /wan Natapraja entertained guests with traditional Balinese dance

John Foelds The A ustr~lo~n Muse um

photographic material from Ian Du nlop and Peter Brokensha. A small collection of Central Australian 'ground paintings' was made available to us by Geoff Bardon. The display was designed in a modular format, for travel to other states in Australia, and was augmented by a special publication Renewing the Dreaming. The display was assembled by David Moore, Curator of Anthropology. in conjunction with designer jeff Freeman. lt wil l later be shown in Adelaide under the sponsorship of the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council.

Balinese Traditional Painting Exhibition A major temporary exhibition, held in the Pacific Gallery area from IS May to 30 July, 1978, displayed over 60 Balinese paintings and artefacts selected from the Forge collection. This collection of 104 paintings. mainly from the Kamasan school of traditional-style pa1nt1ng, was purchased from Professor A. Forge. AN U, in 1976. The exhibition was designed by R.ob 17 ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 r I

Pl'l ot o courtesy t l'l e Macleay M useum, Sy dn ey U n1versity Two enthralled visitors at the exhibition of Australian fauna which toured Peking, Canton, Shanghai and Kunming for (lve months during 1977-78. The Museum loaned a number of specimens for this special display which was sponsored by the Federal Government

Joyner, Exhibitions Officer, in a special modular Extensive documentation provided by Professor format, the works being mounted in such a way as Forge on each work, and an analysis of the social and to max1m1ze visual accessibility while totally cultural context of the art forms, were incorporated protecting the fragile cloth paintings. into an illustrated catalogue, 'Balinese Traditional Paintings'. This ninety-six page publication is the The display included an extensive introduction to first of its kind to be produced by the Museum on its t he production, use, and design elements of the art, anthropological holdings. Designed not only as a as well as a number of related Balinese three­ catalogue to the exhibition, but as a handbook on the dimensional objects, including palm leaf manuscripts, Balinese traditional painting collection, for research shadow puppets, and wood carvings. The selection of paintings covered old works, such as 19th century and teaching, it includes a w ide photographic cover­ pa1nt.ings on bark cloth, modern works produced in age of the works, showing details of style and content. t he traditional style, some comparative mate rial from The exhibit ion was opened by the Indonesian other painting styles in Bali, and a section of painted Deputy Ambassador, Mr Supari Tjokrosa rtomo, w ith calendars. an address by Professor Forge. A selection of

18 THE AUHRALIAN MUSEUM Photo courtesy John f•irfax and Sons Ltd james Cases, Preparator, holding a model of a cuttlefish catching its prey-a yellow-tail . lt took Mr Cases nearly two months to complete the model which was made out of fibreglass and polyester resin and then painted to show its natural colours and markings

number of valuable specimens to Australia and some Indonesian dance and music was performed by lwan of these were displayed in The Australian M1useum Natapradja and his group of dancers. from 16 March to 27 March. Included among the Chinese gifts was a Giant Fauna Ex hibition Panda, Ai/uropoda melanoleuca, the first to be seen in An exhibition of Australian fauna toured China Australia, which proved to be extremely popular for three months, starting in October, 1977, travelling with visitors. to Peking, Shanghai, Kunming, Canton. Prepared by the Australian Exhibit Organizations, the various Echinoderm Conference specimens were supplied by around Australia. The exhibition proved extremely success­ Echinoderms-starfish, sea urchins, brittle stars ful, attracting nearly half a million visitors during its and their relatives-are an exclusive marine phylum, visit. widely distributed through polar, temperate and tropical seas, ranging from intertidal flats to the In a gesture of goodwill, following the completion abyssal depths of ocean trenches. Echinoderms are of the tour, the Chinese government presented a 19 ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 ., :T key members of faunas and temperate 0 benthic communities, and early echinoderms 0 ,~.. represent stages in the transition from invertebrate ::r to vertebrate condition. ... ,..0 The Australian Museum hosted an International .. Conference on Echinoderm Biology In March. 1978. ..~ ~ The five day conference was attended by eighty-five '::j delegates representing twelve countries including ..:T > Britain, Brazil, United States, West Germany, France, E Belgium and Yugoslavia. ..~. :> Forty-one papers were presented covering various :I ~ fields; among the subjects discussed were the feeding c.. behaviour and mechanisms in echinoderms; growth 3 and reproduction, and the ecology. and zoogeography of Australasian, Antarctic, Indian Ocean and American faunas. The conference con­ cluded with a slide show illustrating numerous Australian echinoderm species photographed by Museum Associate Neville Coleman. Among the notable overseas delegates attending the conference were: Drs Porter Kier (Director) and David Pawson, Sm ithsonian Institution; Ms A. M. Clark, British Museum (Natural History); Professor David Nichols, Exeter University (UK); Dr Michel jangoux, Brussels University; Dr Alain Guille, Paris Museum; Dr jovanka Mitrovic from Yugoslavia and Dr Maria de Natividade Albuquerque from Brazil. A post conference excursion was organized to the Coffs Harbour area to examine more echinoderms. The Echinoderm Conference attracted a con­ siderable amount of print, radio and television coverage and proved to be a successful and valuable forum for those who participated. With the aid of o special grant from the NSW Exchange Systems Symposium Government, the Museum recently purchased this A special symposium in Anthropology was held magnificent 3-corot diamond m its natural from 2'2-25 August, 1977 as part of the ISOth kimberlite matrix from Siberia, USSR. Such Anni'lersary celebrations. The symposium focused specimens ore extremely rare os the gems ore usually on trading and ceremonial exchange in indigenous dislodged from the host rock during the milling societies of Australia and the Pacific Islands. process 20 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM Delegates attended from the United States of from Russia to London, the other being purchased America, United Kingdom, India, the Solomon by the British Museum. The Mineral Department Islands, Papua New Gu inea and New Zealand, and heard of the parcel at an early stage and the stone presented twenty-nine papers. These papers was inspected in London for the Museum by examined trading and ceremonial exchange from Mr Albert Chapman, an Associate of the Museum. archaeological, linguistic and social anthropological Funds were provided by a special grant from the points of view. New South Wales Government and the purchase was negotiated by the Museum against keen Dr jim Specht, Curator of Anthropology, and competition from private museums and collectors Dr J. P. White, University of Sydney, edited the overseas. proceedings wh ich are to be published as a special issue of Mank ind. This publication is a joint venture Another gem of \ ustralian interest, purchased by The Australian Museum and Anthropological from an American gem cutter, was a large cut colour­ Society of NSW. change sapphire from the Anakie gem field in central Queensland. At thirty-four carats weight, it is one Australian Arid Zone Symposium of the largest cut colour-change stones from Australia and exhibits a pale lime green or brownish red Over the weeke nd of 17-18 September, 1977 a colour, depending on natural or artificial lighting. symposium was held on the Australian Arid Zone. This symposium, which was one of three symposia Both the diamond and colour-change sapphire will held to celebrate the Museum's sesquicentenary year, require special lighting effects to display their full attracted about eighty participants from various parts visual brilliance. They will eventually be displayed of Australia. Some twenty-three papers were in a special section in the electronically controlled presented, ranging over the origins, geology. security Gemstone Case in the Mineral Gallery. geography and biology of those arid and semi-arid Other notable purchases include deep green lands which make up nearly 70 percent of continental dioptase crystals grouped on contrasting white Australia. Plans have been made to pu ?Iish the calcite matrix from t he celebrated Tsumeb Mine. symposium proceedings in a single volume. southwest Africa; orange radiating crusts of the rare radioactive mineral francevillite from Gabon, Gem and Mineral Purchases Africa and large yellow sulphur crystals growing into a cavity on calcite from Michigan, USA. The most Some outstanding mineral specimens were interesting Australian acquisition was a hairy mat of purchased and will add further sparkle and colour bustamite needles on matrix from a new find at to t he Mineral Gallery dis plays. Broken Hill . The Museum now has a fi rst-class diamond crystal held in its nat ural kimberli te matrix. Diamonds in SCIENTIFIC DEPARTMENTS the mother rock are rare, as they generally dislodge from the softer host during the milling process. New Departments The Museum's crystal comes from the diamond In order to provide greater flexibility in conducting pipe, Yakutia Provi nce, Siberia, USSR and is a li~p i d gem quality di amond of about three carats we1ght, various ecological projects and to encourage a greater with unusually good dispersion (fire) for a crystal. degree of contact between ecologists studying various lt was one of two excellent stones sent in a parcel groups of animals in the Museum, it was decided 21 ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 :l Department of Anthropology ...J ..c The year began with the final preparations for the 0 .,"' special symposium in Anthropology as part of the c .. 150th Anniver.sary celebrations. Detarls are g1ven )( ~... in the introduction . • c .c Professor W. L. Rathje, University of Arizona, ..2.,.. visited the Department twice 1n connection with a ~ proposed Australian Garbage Project .. In Tucs~n 0 "V Arizona, Professor Rathje has been sampl1ng domestic g 0 garbage for over five years as an adjunct to an .c a.. archaeology course. The analysis of contemporary domestic garbage has provided useful information on solid waste disposal, consumption patterns, family nutrition levels, responses to cost inflation and market research, in addition to archaeological interpretation. Professor Rathje visited Sydney at the invitation of The Australian Museum, to explore the possibility of setting up a similar project in Australia. This we expect would provide not only important comparative data for his Tucson project, -. but also useful information to various segments of -- Australian industry and government. The poss1ble f:. Australian Garbage Project is still being explored Professor W. Rathje, University of Arizona, Tucson Mr Moore completed the final manuscript on his gave a lecture to TAMS members on the fascinating Hunter and MacDonald Rivers archaeological study. results of his recent archaeological studies of and Dr Specht finished his paper on contemporary contemporary garbage in the USA. While here, he pottery manufacture on the Huon Peninsula of Papua sampled a bit of Australian garbage and discussed New New Gumea. Several other projects neanng plans for a possible Australian Garbage Project completion were delayed by involvement in other actiVIties. Or Specht visited for four days to assess its potential for an archaeolog1cal project but concluded that such a project based solely during the year to create three new Departments, on Lizard Island would not be viable at this stage. on a trial basis, out of the former Department of Ms Czuchnicka continued her work on human bones Environmental Studies. These departments are the from Barham. These much-fragmented rema1ns Department of Marine Ecology; the Department of require removal from thei r soil matrix by chemical Terrestrial Invertebrate Ecology and the Department means, and many hours of painstaking reconstruction. of Terrestrial Vertebrate Eco logy. The arrangement Ms Czuchnicka, with H. Clemens of the National was, in many respects, in agreement with a Parks and Wildlife Serv1ce, conducted an emergercy recommendation by the Trustees Scientific Advisory excavation of a skeleton eroding out of a beach-front Committee, which reported to the Trust in 1973. dune on the Nadgee Nature Res erve (south coast,

22 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM corn pleted the anthropological sections for the Museum Train and the first major display for the Museum 'Treasures' series. He spent one month in Papua with Mr J. Freeman, Exhibitions Department, on a reconnaissance for the new Papua New Guinea Gallery. This reconnaissance visited three areas of Papua New Guinea (Maprik, Middle Sepik and Balimo) to identify an area around which the new Gallery could be designed. For the Maprik and Middle Sepik sections of the reconnaissance they were accompanied by Mr R. Kaiku, Assistant Curator of Anthropology, Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery, and for the Balimo section by Mr A. L. Crawford of the Papua New Guinea National Cultural Council. Ms Czuchnicka provided a long-needed major revision of the 'Beginnings of Civilization' display, and together with Dr Specht and Ms Wakelin-King revised the 'Culture Areas of }im Specht, Curator, Department of Anthropology, and the Pacific' display which was relocated in the Hedy Czuchnicka, Technical Officer, during an Aboriginal Gallery to permit extensions to the archaeological survey of Norfolk Island Bookshop. Ms Wakelin-King also prepared three new window displays for the foyers in the William Street wing. These deal with contemporary life in NSW). The skeleton proved to be a male Aborigine, Indonesia. and was reburied at a safe distance from the beach. The Department provided training and work A new leaflet entitled The Aborigines of the Sydney experience facilities for five school students under District was prepared for the Museum by Ms A. Ross, the 'Work Experience' programme; two of the Macquarie University. This leaflet is expected to students, H. du Cros and G. McKenna, subsequently fill a long-felt need in the leaflet series and should returned to work as volunteers. Ms Z. Law, Material satisfy many public enquiries relating to the Sydney Culture Diploma candidate, James Cook University, area. visited to study the Department's accession, storage The Department was involved with eight exhibition and documentation facilities. Mr G. Abbott, NSW activities within the Museum, and loaned artefacts Conservatorium, worked on the Department's for four exhibitions organized by other institutions. collection of musical instruments under a Van Leer Mr Moore worked on the temporary exhibition Foundation award. Ms L. M. Bolton, Museum 'Renewing the Dreaming', which discussed the Studies Course, University of Sydney, worked in the 'homelands' movement of Aboriginal people in the Department for two days per week during the 1970s in two areas of the Northern Territory. academic terms in 1978 as part of her practical Ms Wakelin-King assisted with production of the experience course. ' Balinese Traditional Painting' exhibition and its The Department enjoyed the services of several lavishly illustrated catalogue. These exhibitions are voluntary workers. Mr N. and Ms T. Ireland discussed more fully in the introduction. Dr Specht provided excellent support on the catering side at

ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 23 the Ann iversary symposium, and Ms P. Bradbury produced art-work for a new leaflet on the Aborig.i nes of the Sydney District. Ms M. Mcfarlane combrned her interest in pottery with her artistic skills to begin an illustrated card catalogue of the Melanesian and Indonesian pottery collection. Ms S. Abbey and Ms N. Parr contributed typing ass istance to the Balinese Exhibition catalogue at a crucial point in its development. Ms T. Corkill continued her voluntary assistance on the analysis of Mr Moore's archaeological materials from the Hunter and MacDonald Rivers and assisted with many other tasks. The most important donation this year was a wooden water container from the , presented by Ms I. Weinberg of Lund, Sweden, through the Swedish Consul, Mr. I. Knu tzelius, in Sydney. This item was collected by Ms Weinberg's mother in about 1860. A collection of Papuan pottery was presented by the Department of Pre­ history. Research School of Pacific Studies, Aust­ ralian National University in Canberra. Aboriginal Arts and Crafts Pty Ltd and the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council each deposited with the Museum collections of contemporary arts and crafts produced o n Aboriginal outstati ons. A purchase was made of a collection of contemporary Contemporary Papua New Guinea art purchased by art by three Papua New Guinea artists. Indonesian the Museum during the year regional textil es were purchased fr om S. Startin and V. Cork. Mr A. Stacey to the new wing of the Rushcutters Bay store where it is being sorted by Ms T. Corkill. This In accordance with a policy decision made in 1974, move provides much better accommodation for the The Australian Museum Trust approved the return collection, and for the first t ime in many decades the to the Solomon Islands of two canoe prow carvings collection can now be shelved in a logical manner from Roviana Lagoon, New Georgia group. This with easy access. The Department now has about gift to the Solomon Islands Museum was timed to half of its entire collections at Rushcutters Bay. mark the celebration of Independence of r.he Solomon Islands from the United Kingdom. One of the An unprecedented number of requests was made carvings is believed to be from t he last-head-hunting to the Department to loan artefacts for temporary canoe used on Roviana Lagoon. exhibitions in othe r institutions in Canada, USA and Australia. The exhibitions in Canada, at the In a major re-organization of storage facilities, t he Vancouver Centennial Museum, and in USA, at the entire Australian ethnographic collection of 12,000 B. P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu. marked the specimens was transferred by Ms Wakelin-King and bicentenary of visits to those areas by Captain james 24 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM Cook on his third voyage of exploration. More than thirty artefacts. most of which are attributed to Cook's third voyage, were loaned for these ex hi bits. Within Australia, ten Melanesian masks were loaned to the Adelaide Festival Centre for a special exhibition held in conjunction with the 1978 Adelaide Arts Festival. Twenty-eight musical instruments from Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific were loaned to the for a display of music around the world. The Trust approved the introduction of a special grants-in-aid scheme in Anthropology to promote the study of material culture in Australian Museum collections. The first five grants, to graduate students in Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Townsville, are for projects on both Aboriginal and Papua New Guinea collections. lt is planned to continue the scheme through 1978-79. In January, 1978 Ms M. Koettig completed her work as Graduate Cataloguer for the Australian Ethno­ graphic File, a computerized data retrieval system established by a grant from the Institute of Aboriginal Studies. By the termination of the grant the file was operating with 2,851 artefacts entered. The categories for which the file can be consulted are: nets, bags, baskets, spears, spearthrowers, some body ornaments and decorations, and ceremonial boards. Clubs, boomerangs, throwing sticks, musical Zoe Wake/in-King, Technical Officer, Department of instruments and several other minor categories are Anthropology, with Rotinese i kat cloth (Indonesia) ready to be entered when more funds become available. Three listings of the edited and corrected collections. This is to ensure that adequate file have been printed out for Departmental use information is deposited together with the under the headings State, AlAS area code, and archaeological collections to permit their use for artefact class. Ms Koettig also used the file to handle research at later dates. Ms Czuchnicka, in con­ a research enquiry concerning basketry. junction with Dr G. Oettle, Forensic Officer and Under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, Pathologist at the Sydney City Morgue, transferred 1974, The Australian Museum is custodian of Aboriginal skeletal remains from the Morgue to the certain Aboriginal and other non-European relics Museum. Some of these remains will be reburied found within NSW. Ms Koettig re-organized the at the request of Aboriginal communities, and on ly filing system for these archaeological relics and remains of scientific importance will be retained by devised a new recording method for the various the Museum.

ANNUAL REPORT 1977- 1978 25 ~-

Jell freem•n }im Specht, Curator of Anthropology, looks at a Haus Tambaran in the Maprik area of Papua New Guinea during a field trip

A total of 650 artefacts were registered during t he exchanged items, and has traced several artefacts year. Mr G. O'Donnell is now responsi ble for from the mid-nineteenth century hitherto thought registration procedures in t he Department and has to have been destroyed in the Garden Palace fire of revised the register format to bring it into line with 1882. Ms Czuch nicka has carried out similar studies the computer fi le. In addition he has designed a loan card through which the history of each artefact on collections exchanged with the B. P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu. can be traced. Mr O'Donnell began arch ival research on materials exchanged with the University Museum February I 0 marked t he retirement after twelve of Archaeology and Et hnology. Cambridge, and t he and a ha lf years service of Mr D. R. Moore, Curator So uth Australian Museum, Adelaide. This research of Anthropology in charge of the Australian and has revealed several discrepancies in the lists of southeast Asian collections. Mr Moore joined the Mu seum in 1965. after a varied career in films and 26 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM publishing, at a time of increasing public awareness and eastern Australia were examined as part of a in museums. He responded by helping to stage project on t heir distribution and relationships in major temporary exhibitions on the Cook Bi­ forest habitats. Additional work on the southern centenary (1970), 'Indonesia Today' (1973), 'India and genus Boiomi has been completed and work on the Himalayas' ( 1976), and 'Renewing The Dreaming' several other genera plus a comprehensive study of ( 1977) and worked on two permanent galleries respiratory morphology is in progress. Of particular (Melanesian Art Exhibition and Australian intere~t has been t he finding of spiders of the South Ahorigines). His wide range of activities was American group Metaltellinae in southeast Australia. further displayed in his development of the southeast A project on the pnm1t1ve cribellate genus Asian collections, and the establishment of a Progrodungula has been completed. computerized catalogue file for the Australian The employment of an artist, Ms P. Greer (funded Aboriginal ethnographic collections. In 1969 he was by the Trustees) to assist with genitalic and other awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study museum illustrations has provided great assistance in the conservation practices overseas, and as a result of work of this Department. this experience laid the basis for a materials conservation unit at this Museum. His research Field work has followed a systematic programme interests in archaeology and ethnohistory took him related to the amaurobioidid project outlined above. to Cape York and the Hunter River areas. In In Aprii-May, 1978 an extensive coll ecting trip addition to many public lectures and publis hing t hrough the moist forest areas of Victoria was popular publications on Australian Aborigines, he undertaken. Much use was made of pit fall trapping served successively as s.ecretary and president of the and this method is being continued on a long term Anthropological Society of NSW, as a member of basis in NSW and the ACT w ith the cooperation of the Material Culture Advisory Committee of the National Parks and Forestry person ne I. Pit fall Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, of the trapping programmes at Mt Wilson, Mt Keira and Aboriginal Relics Advisory Committee of t he Kioloa State Forest began this year. One day trip National Parks and Wildlife Service of NSW, and and one overnight trip per month are undertaken on the Conservation Committee of the National for trap servicing and leaf litter collection purposes Trust (NSW). by Ms Horseman. lt is intended to expand this project to other areas in the coming year. In retirement, Mr Moore continues to be active. He is now in England for two years to work on Computer accessing of info r mation associated with material collected by the Cambridge University the collections has continued and work has begun Torres Strait Expedition of 1898. on a separate reference collection of spiders to be housed near t he Arachnology laboratory. Sorting Mr R. J. Lampert, Australi an National University, of a large collection of litter fauna from the Australian has been appointed to replace Mr Moore, and takes National Coll ection was undertaken by Ms K. up th~ appointment in July, 1978. Spitzer (temporary vacation assistant) resulting in some 2,000 spider specimens from a wide range of De part m ent of A rachnology regional habitats. These specimens are to be Mr M. Gray was asked to prepare a revision of retained here on a long term basis. Large additions Australian Spiders, by K. C. McKeown and continued have been made to the amourobiid collections as a studies on the systematics of the Amaurobioidea. result of field activities. An import ant collection Extensive collections of these spiders from southern of Tasmanian amaurobiid cave spiders was received 27 ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 pu bl 1cat1ons. · of W · Ra1nbow arranged in systemat ic order. ldentificat1on work was done for the Department of Agriculture, National Parks and Wildlife Serv1ce, ForeSlry CommiSSIOn of NSW. CSIRO and Common­ wealth Serum Laboratones. As usual numerous enqu1nes from the public were rece1ved and answered.

Department of Entomolo gy Dr McAip1ne and Ms Schneider carried out systematic and morphological work on. ~everal families of Acalyptrate Di ptera. A rev1s1on of generic nomenclature was completed for Australian pyrgotid as well as a new species of cypseloso­ matld from collected by Mr H. J. de S. Disney. Th1s fly is of interest because the small family to which it belongs was known only from Australia by a single spec1es from caves. A rev1s1on of the platystomatid genus Achias has revealed that there are at least seventy-one species in northern Australia and New Guinea of which only t hirty-nine had been described. The males of many species have their eyes on rigid stalks which g1ve a head width of up to SSmm; this is probably the widest in any 1nsect.

Hedy Czuchn~cka, Techntcal Officer, Department of Dr Smithers has worked on an exceptionally wide Anthropology. cataloguing the Human Osteology range of top1cs. In the taxonomic field a start has Collection been made on a revision of the psocopteran family Lepidopsocidae. These are remarkable members of from Dr A. Goede. Twenty specimens of the the order wh1ch have t he appearance of anc1ent segmented spider Ltphistius batuensis from small moths, even to the point of hav1ng the w1ngs Malaysia were collected by j. Frazier and D. Clyne. and body clothed 1n scales. as in moths. Ms Horseman has been responsible for the demanding task of maintaining a live collection of ISO juvenile As part of the programme on the systematics and amaurobild sp1ders (collected during the Victorian zoogeography of the Psocoptera of the Melanesian tnp) until they reach maturity. islands a successful attempt was made to complete revisions of the families and . Continuing assistance w1th general curatorial work The extens1ve collections of these and some other has been given by our voluntary assistant Ms R. families from the Melanes1an arc have now all been Sheridan, notably in preparing a booklet of the studied and papers covering them are in press or

28 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM already published. Archipelagos covered include Wanderer work Mr D. Deluski of Griffith University New Guinea, the Bismarcks, Bougainville, the and Mr D. James of the NSW Department of Solomons and the New Hebrides. These studies Agriculture have embarked on a study of the have been complementary to those of Professor population dynamics and physiology of the species. Thornton of La Trobe University, on the family . lt appears that the Philotarsidae is a Systematic work on the Neuroptera has been well-developed southern family whereas the fam il ies restricted to some work on the family Sisyridae, a listed above are of northern origin and have spread small group of which the larvae inhabit and feed on through the Melanesian arc. Now that systematic fresh water sponges. At the same time, work on treatment has been completed a start on zoo­ accumu lating literature on other fam il ies of geographic analysis has been made while systematic Neuroptera was carried out in preparation for studies on the remaining families are in progress. systematic studies of other fam il ies; a bibl iography and species list for Australia has been completed. A major work has been started which will The discovery of some specimens of the European culminate in a key to all the genera of the Psocoptera; wasp in Sydney resulted in a search for nests. lt has this involves some 240 genera, from all parts of the now been confirmed that this economically important world. About a quarter of the key has been species is established in Sydney and a survey to prepared, the two smallest suborders having been determine its distribution has been initiated. completed. The keys to the major suborder, the Psocomorpha, are now being prepared. This work Identification of material has been carried out for will enable newcomers to the group to identify to th ~> Department of Agriculture, University of NSW generic level species on a world wide basis. and Forestry Commission as well as many research workers, local Councils and students. As a direct result of preliminary work carried out on the ecology of Psocoptera in Muogam arra Nature Analysis of bird gut contents has been carried out Reserve by Dr Smithers, Dr C. Popescu of the for Mr Disney and insects depicted in photographs for University of Sydney is undertaking more detailed natural history photographers have been identified. studies on the ecology of the gem• s This, however, is often impossible to do satisfactori ly associated with Casuarina speci es. Dr Popescu has as insects frequently require close examination of had discussions with Dr Sm ithers o n plans for the anatomical detail for identification. studies. A request from Si ngleton Shire Council resulted In addition. new m;~terial on Psocoptera from Lord in a survey of the local sewerage works with Howe Island has been studied and a paper prepared. Mr Disney and a recommendation that the possibility At the request of the editor of Australian Entomological of ma king the area one in which the public cou ld be Magazine a paper on collecting, preserving and encouraged to enjoy the rich bird life be investigat<. d. studying Psocoptera was prepared and published. Dr Smithers prepared a television programme on Dr Smithers' studies on insect migration have led insect migration for Channel 7 and the University of to the completion of several projects on the Sydney and this has resulted in further interest in Wanderer Butterfly, and a summary of facts the Museum's migration study project. concerning migration in the Australian Papi lionidae (swallow tail butterflies) and Hesperiidae (Skippers) Dr McAipine and Ms Schneider carried out field has been published. As a direct result of the work at and other parts of South 29 ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 Australia and western Victoria; a considerable insect specimens for study except under certain amount of material of Diptera was obtained for use circumstances including the giving of an undertak•ng in current research projects. to return t ype material to Australia, is clearly making overseas specialists less enthusiastic in t heir interest Dr Smithers also carried out field work in western in Australia's insect fauna. NSW and . T hese dry areas do not su pport large faunas of Psocoptera but t he species The important Ru shw o rth butterfly coll ection was taken included several un known forms. A special incorporated into t he Museum general research two-day trip was made to the Braid wood area to collection after being catalogued and labelled. Prior obtain more mat erial of an unusual Psocopteran to that it had been on public exhibition for a few which was collected there some years ago. The weeks. trip was unsuccessful. however, as roadbuilding and W ith increasing interest in the collecting by many the construction of a bri dge across t he Sh oalhaven amat e ur collectors and the more readily available River has completely removed t he habitat from which infor mation from the material through rearrange­ the species was originally taken. lt is hoped that ment, material is being accumulated at a greater rate another trip to nearby areas will provide material in and on labour and space are increasing. the coming year. This is a healthy sign, however, as the Australian In addition to the major field trips mentioned above insect fauna is enormous and greatly in need of study several other less lengthy periods were spent in the in many sectors. field by all staff members. An important document has been made available W ork o n the extensive task of rehousing and to the Museum. lt is a notebook containing the rearranging the A ustralian collection has resulted in host plant records of Australian moths, accumulated considerable progress. In the rehousing of the family over more than forty years by Mr V. Robinson of Tabanidae (a family of Diptera) it has become apparent Wollongong. Much of the information contained in that the collections are much more representative the records is new and this is being extracted and than was previously thought. arranged so as to be available under the headings of More than fi fty percent of the previo usly u n­ plant and insect. determined mot hs have been identified; this has involved some thousands of specimens. Several of the smaller orders have been rehoused in .the 'unit De partment of Herpetology tray' system together with about half of the beetle collection. Much of the identification of unnamed Dr H. Cogger's appointment as Deputy Director material has been achieved through the help of in November, 1976, created a vacancy in the position ove rseas specialists; t he e xte nsi ve loan programme of C urator of t he Depa rtment which was filled by over the past few years is now beginning to show Dr Alien E. Greer. Prior to his appointment rewards. Sixty-three loans involving about 5, 700 Dr Greer was a visitor in the Department working specimens were made this year. New material as a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow under the auspices added to the collections amounted to over 9,000 of the Australia n-American Educational Foundation. specimens with some 334 t ypes being registered. Dr Greer's general int erests are in the biology of and his current research is on the evolution The Department has found that Regulation 13A of and systematics of li zards, especiall y . As a the Customs Act, which prohibits the export of visitor in the Department Dr Greer spent much of 30 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM his time 1n the field in various parts of Australia and research papers were completed and submitted for he is now writing up the results of this work. ' publication by Departmental staff during the year. Coincident with the appointment of a new curator, A two-day conference on freshwater of the Department moved into a new laboratory in the Australia sponsored by the Australian Biological old wing. Resources Study was held in August. The meeting dealt with taxonomy, d istri but ion and effects of Dr Cogger, who continues as head of the introduced fishes. Twenty-five scientists attended Department, began a computer a nalysis of the from all Australian states, in cluding every Curator distributions of the reptiles and amphibians of of Fishes from all the Australian museums. A survey northern Australia. In conjunction, he spent the of the current state of knowledge of freshwater fishes month of June in the northwestern part of the was conducted and areas requiring further study Northern Territory. Dr Cogger also organized a were identified. two-day symposium on the Arid Zones in Australia. The symposium was part of the Museum's Sesqui­ Dr Hoese completed field work on Australian centenary celebration and attracted scientists from clinids at Kangaroo Island obtaining sufficient all over Australia. The papers contributed to the information and material to complete an entire symposium will be published in book form at a later taxonomic revision of the family. Data from almost date. Details are given in the introduction. four years survey work on juvenile fishes of south coast estuaries were partially analysed allowing Or Grahame Webb worked in the Department completion of a popular article on fishes in seagrass from April to June as a consultant to the Australian beds. Data were taken for several taxonomic studies National Parks and Wildlife Service preparing a of gobioid and plesiopid fishes and manuscripts are report on the status of crocodilians of the world and now being prepared. the problems associated with the commercial A grant from the Commonwealth National Parks exploitation of the two Australian species. and W il dlife Service allowed identification and Approximately I 0,500 specimens ·.vere registered registration of a 1975 collection of Norfolk Is land into the herpetological collection during the year, fishes. A preliminary of Norfolk Island bringing the total number of amphi bian and fishes was completed and recommendations given specimens in the collection to more than 73,000. concerning conservation of the fauna. Ms L. Hodgson The registration system for the collection has now worked on the grant. been completely computerized. Temporary assistance from Ms Reiko Nakamura enabled a move of approximately one quarter of the research collection to the Museum warehouse in Department of Ichthyology Rushcutters Bay to alleviate conditions in the over­ Dr Paxton completed a paper detailing the type crowded Spirit House. Ms A. Reynolds-Kuiter specimens of lanternfishes. This was made possible worked as a temporary assistant for six months and by his overseas museum studies in 1975. Con­ was able to bring our exchange programmes up to siderable work was done on Australian deep sea date: 1,150 lots and 6,750 specimens were sent to fishes; two weeks collecting with the NSW State institutions in thirty-nine separate exchanges. More Fisheries vessel Kapala yielded many new records. than 3,350 lots and 25,000 specimens were registered, The stud1es on gobi1d and zeid fishes by Ms Larson and bringing the total of registered specimens to 208,000 Blake respectively continued during the year. Ten and reducing our unregistered backlog by about half. 31 ANNUAL REPORT 1977- 1978 With a grant from the Australian Biological Important deep water material from NSW was Resources Survey. considerable progress was made prov1·d e d by Mr K· Graham of the NSW· 1State in computerization of the fish collection, with about F1s. h enes.· Deep and shallow benthic matena. was . twenty percent of the collection being collated for also obtained on HMAS Ktmblo during two cru1ses en card punching. Q nsland waters most of which has been sorted by M~e: Jenkins. on a grant from Trust funds. Littoral Ms L. Oxley aided with the Departmental library. and sublittoral molluscs were obtained during field Mr B. Barder ofTAMS has spent much time organizing work in eastern South Australia and Kangaroo Island the library and papers of the late Gilbert Whitley. by Mr Loch and Mr Yoo. A total of fifty-eight loans cf more than 1.600 The major effort in the Department of M~lacology specimens and 400 lots were dispatched. More than this year has gone into bringing the c~llect1ons to a 10.000 specimens have been sent on loan in the last reasonable curatorial standard. Th1s was made five years. possible by employing two temporary staff members, Of the thirty-one visiting workers who studied in one through the vacant curatorial position. and the the Department during the year. eight were from other specifically to help with the curatorial problem. overseas and ten were Australian students. As a result several large, prev1ously unusable families of marine gastropods are now 1n good order and Numerous public and scientific inquiries were some progress is being made with non-marine answered and scientific papers reviewed for molluscs. The wet collection continues to expand colleagues and journals. rapidly but because of a decreased collecting effort in the last two years the backlog has reached manageable proportions. Unfortunately a huge back­ De partment of Ma lacology log of unsorted small and minute molluscs still exists. Or Ponder's major research effort has again centred Approximately 30,000 new lots were added to the on small molluscs; during the year one paper has collection during the year. A large collection of been published, one is in press and a third is now in material kept aside by Tom lredale has largely been manuscript. This work is supported by ARGC which integrated with the research collections. provides a salary for Mr E. K. Yoo who is working A pleasing aspect of the last two years has been with Or Ponder on the project. In addition a world the increased level of usage of the collections by revision of the turbo shells of the genus Bolma jointly scientists from other institutions. This year nearly written with Or A. Beu of the New Zealand seventy loans have been made involving about 700 Geological Survey has been completed and submitted lots of material. for publication. The world species of the carrier shell fami ly Xenophoridae have also been revised and nearing completion is a joint manuscript with Mr B. Right, top: A recently trawled NSW specimen, Creese of the Un iversity of Sydney on the Australian Xenophora pall idula (Reeve). o(the Carrier Shell family acmaeid limpets. which camouflage their shells with attached pebbles, dead shells and other bottom debns. Not previously Field work on Lord Howe Island was carried out found in Australtan waters. tt ts just one o( the exciting to investigate an unusually large fauna of freshwater fauna collected on the Continental Slope by the NSW snails of the family Hydrobiidae. Research has begun on this project. Fisheries Research Vessel Kapala. and presented to The Australian Museum (or study 32 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEU M Department of Mammalogy Mr Marlow, in a joint expedition with the South Australian Museum from 21 August to 3 September, collected a series of small desert mammals from the Quinyambie area in South Australia. Distribution records of ma mmals were examined in the South Australian Museum from 5 to 9 September. On Fnday, 7 October Mr Marlow attended the official open1ng of the new Nocturnal House at the Sir Colin Mac ke nzie Fauna Park, Healsville. Or Bill Dawbin was appointed a Research Associate w1th the Department. He will be conducting a programme involvi ng the aerial surveying of whales off the coast of NSW. Th e programme is funded by the Austral1an National Parks and Wildlife Service. The opportunity was taken to test new collecting methods, when Ms Gibson undertook some field work in tile Round Hill area of NSW in October. In February she assisted with a programme Involving small mammal trapping in . A field trip to Eden was made in June to assist the Forestry Commission with their work on the Yellow­ Bellied Glider, Petaurus austra/is. With the aid of a grant from the Australian Biological Resources Study, approximately eighty percent of the total registrations have now been transferred onto computer data sheets. A total of 450 new specimens were also registered into the collection. Ms Kerry Wilson joined the Department in February, to assist 1n the preparation of mammal specimens for the scientific collection. This year has seen a marked increase in the number of outside organizations requesting the loan of specimens for commerc1al or entertainment purposes. These activities included mounted gallery mammals for the Australian Exhibition in China, a Weddel Seal for an exhibition on Antarctic Fauna, identi­ fication of mammals for the National Parks and 33 ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 Dr D. S. Horning worked in the Department fo r two Wildlife Service and the Department of Forestry, months on research involved with the Macquarie identification of ill egally imported mammals for the Department of Customs (Animal Quarantine) and Island expedition. Ms H. Stoddart joined the staff information for the Australian Broadcasting Com­ as a Research Assistant working on the subantarctic mission, the Department of Main Roads and the amphipod project; Mr G. D. Fenwick fu nded by an Department of Agriculture. ARGC grant visited for three weeks to continue work on the first part of this project, the Snares Department of Marine Ecology Islands marine amphipods. Dr Lowry fi nished his study of the New Zealand and subantarctic species of The principal research activity for the year has the peculiar tube-dwelling amphipods in the genus been the continuation of the Hawkesbury estuary Ceropus. benthic study by Dr Alan Jones and Ms Charlotte Short. Thirty-two sites from the Colo River Mr P. Terrill was appointed as Technical Officer junction to the mouth have been sampled every in October. He collected crustaceans between three months. Water quality and sediment data and Brisbane on the HMAS Kimblo during have also been gathered with the aim of describing December. Ms R. Ferster began sorting t he Lord and analysing benthic community patterns in time Howe Island collections, a task which Mr Terrill has and space and also providing baseline data in nearly completed. Mr j. Young assisted in t he anticipation of future environmental impact due to Department for three months sorting the Macquarie urbanization. Island marine invertebrate collections into gene ral groups for distribution to appropriat e Deparrments Both Departmental members have attended con­ Mr M. Ritchie prepared data for the comput erized ferences and Ms Short has visited the Marine Pollution crustacean data retrieval system. Studies Group in Melbourne and State Fisheries at Port Stephens to resolve spionid polychaete Dr A. H. and Ms D. M. Banner ret urned the taxonomic problems. Dr jones assisted in extensive alpheid shrimp collections to t he Muse um preparation of the Conservation Exhibition and the after completing their study, which began in 1965, of Marine Hall. the alpheid shrimps of Australia. The Department organized the recycling of waste paper from the Museum and Museum staff were encouraged to reduce their own usage of materials Department of Marine Invertebrates and energy. Department staff continues to be (Worms and Echinoderms) involved in the preparation of submissions, the Dr Hutchings' grant from the Australia n Research assessm ent of reports and proposals, and the Grants Committee to study the distribution and organization of various sem inars. abundance of cryptofauna of Lizard Island, was renewed. Together with he r De partment of Marine Inverte brates Research Assistant, Penny Weat e, four t rips were (Crustacea and Coele nterates) made to L1zard Island. A two-year experiment to study the recruitment and subsequent est ablishment Dr Lowry spent three months at Macquarie Island of the cryptofaunal community was com pleted in collecting marine crustaceans. Th is work is outlined January and all the samples have been sorted and the in the introduction; a detailed report of the polychaetes identified to species. The results show expedition has been prepared for publication. that some polychaete species have disc rete breeding 34 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM seasons whereas other species breed throughout the In June, Dr Rowe visited the Western Australian year. Over I SO species of poly<:haetes colonized the Museu~ in Perth to examine the echinoderm block~ of dead coral which were used in th coll·e~t10n and discuss his current co-operative expenment. e rev1s1o.n of the asteroid genera Hacelia, Ophidiaster, Tamana and Nepanthia with Ms L. M. Marsh. An ill.ustrated key to the polychaete fauna of South Australia has bee~ com.pleted and will be published The revision of the asteroid genera Nardoa and by So~th Australian F1sheries Department as part Gom~phia has been expanded and is now being carried of the1r Handbook Series. In collaboration with out 1n co-operation with Dr M. Jangoux, University Dr Rainer of CSIRO (Fisheries and ) a of Brussels, and Mr A. Birtles from James Cook key to the e~tuari.ne polychaetes of NSW is being University, Queensland. prepared, wh1ch will be used in conjunction with the The Department organized a successful Echinoderm p~per dealing with the polychaetes of Careel Bay, Conference which was held in The Australian Museum P1ttwater which has been accepted for publication. in March, 1978. Details are given in the Introduction. Dr Hutchings attended the Australian Marine As a result of discussions at the Echinoderm Sciences Association Conference in Adelaide in Conference co-operative research is under way on August. Collaborating with Dr L.,eon Collett of the the advanced aberrant asteroid Podosphoeroster with Ministry for Conservation, Victoria, a set of guidelines Professor D. Nichols, Exeter University, UK and on estuarine management was prepared for the Dr M. Jangoux, Brussels University; and the Australian Marine Sciences Association and published. holothurian fauna of Abrolhos Islands, Western These guidelines were modified with Jo Moss, NSW Australia and the holothurian genus Pentocto with Planning and Environment Commission for an article Dr D. Pawson, Smithsonian Institution, USA. published in a Town Planning journal, hopefully to Ms J. Marshal! spent a week with Ms J. Watson, reach an important section of the community. Melbourne, collecting echinoderms from the A checklist of Australian and New Zealand Victorian coast. polychaetes. compiled by Professor (a Ms Marshal! has been awarded a six month scholar­ visiting research fellow in 1975-76) and Dr Hutchings ship by the French Government to study crinoid is in press. collections in several French Institutions. She took The study of ascidian settlement by weekly up the scholarship on 6 June. examination of plates in Port Hacking, Sydney has Material collected during an environmental survey been completed, and histological examinations are of Botany Bay by the NSW State Pollution Control currently being carried out on the gonads. Corn mission has been identified and incorporated into the collections, as has material collected during The list of ascidian type-specimens held in The an environmental survey in southeast Queensland by Australian Museum has been completed and sub- the South East Queensland Electricity Corn mission. mitted to press. Identifications have been made for Dr P. Saenger Dr Rowe, together with Mr P. Colman, spent ten (SEA). for which a fee was paid to the Trustees. days on HMAS Kimbla in November, 1977 collecting Collections of holothurians have been identified for invertebrates between Capricorn Channel and the National Museum of Victoria, and the South Town;ville, Queensland to depths of approximately Australian Museum. 70m. 35

ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 , I ·~~ •, I Dr O ldfiel d, Visiting Queen's Fellow, has examined Depar t m ent of Mineralogy and Petrology and curated the ophiuroid coll ections of The Aust ralian Muse um . Sh e has also examined the The main research, undertaken by Mr Sutherland, brittle-star collections housed in the Queensland was concentrated in two areas, the Nebo volcan ic Museum, t he Western Australian Muse um, the South province North Bowen Basin, Queensland and the Aus t ralian Muserum and the National Museum of Tasm_an ian volcanic province. A quantitative study Victoria. These studies have permitted a re­ of mmerals and inclusions in t hese rocks involved a eval uat ion of t he ophuiroid species in Australi an programme of point-counting mineral percentages. wat ers and for m the first overall assessment of A summary of the Nebo Province is under preparation brittle-st ar diversity made si nee the 1946 study by for inclusion in a general review of Queensland H. L. Clark. volcanic provinces for the 1978 Australian Geological Convention in Towr sville. The Tasmanian research Studies continued on t he generic limits within two concentrated on detailed mapping of aquagene wid e-spread ophiuroid fam ilies, the Ophiotrichidae volcanics and secondary zeolite mineral associations an d Ophiode rmat idae, using scanning electron in the Mersey-Forth Va ll eys, northwest Tasmania in microscopy. A pape r deli vered at the Echinoderm February-March, 1978. Basalt occurrences on King Confe rence described results obtained for Op hiothrix Is land were also investigated. and Ma crophiotrix, using this technique of taxonomic eval uat io n. Taxonomic revisions of the Swain Reefs A preliminary study of secondary uranium mine rals ophi uroids and the ge nus Ophionereis have been from the Ranger ore body,Jabiru, Northern Territory complet ed. A major taxonomic and zoogeographic by Ms J. Hingley, as part of the Pine Creek Geo­ syndine Uranium Study Group, incorporated X-ray investigat ion of the b r i ~tl e stars of the Great Barrier studies. Reef is being join tly undertaken with Dr Alan Baker, Nat io nal Muse um, W ellington, New Zealand and Following the publication of the paper 'Occurrence, Mr Alastair Birtles. Distribution and Age of Australian Tektites' by R. 0. Chalmers, E. P. Henderson and B. Maso n, Ms Berenice Marshal! has continued, on voluntary Sm ithsonian Contributions to the Earth Sciences, 17, basis, to assist Ms Ma rsh al! with relabel • ng of the 1976, Professor B. Glass, University of De laware. echinoderm collection and typing of catal ,gue cards. USA, has su bmitted for publication to the Geological Over 1,800 specimens of echinoderms were Society of America, an o pposing view of the age of incorporated in t o t he collectio n during the year. fall of australites. A reply fo r publication, along Specimens have been received in exchange from the with Professor Glass's paper, has been prepared by British Museu m (Nat ural History) and donated in Chalmers and Mason. A brief resume of these exchange with the Nat ional Muse um of New Zealand , opposing views was presented to the Museum Arid Wellington. Zone Symposium, September, 1977. Mr Chalmers has also been engaged on a st udy of late Quaternary formations in semi-arid reg ions with a view to carrying out fie ld work t hat might throw further light on the age of fall of australites. In add ition he A research platform on the outer Greater B.arr ~ er has pursued field and research studies on meteorites Reef, thirteen kilometres from the Museum s Ltzard and published a joint work with Dr B. Mason, Island Research Station, fac ilitates con tinuous day and Sm ithsonia n Institute, on 'Two Chondrites from night work without the necessity of a la rge boat NSW', in the Museum's Records. 37 ANNU A L REPORT 1977- 1978 Dr J. Hollis, jointly employed by the Palaeontology Throughout the year, the Department has been heavily involved in assisting and providing material and Mineralogy Departments on a similar grant, for the geological sections of the Arid Zone Gallery. worked on a point-counting project on basal t ic rocks the Marine Hall, the Museum Train and the Outer from Queensland and Tasmania, the results of whrch Urban 'Arid Zone' and 'Story of the Earth' exhibits. are to be used in papers submitted to two symposia Initial preparations for displays in Stage 2 of the in the latter part of 1978 and in 1979. Dr Hollis has Mineral Gallery were begun in the latter part of the also given invaluable services to the De pa rt ment year, following the construction of the new wall generally and participated actively in the two cases and new meteorite and tektite cases in the collecting field trips in Victoria. For the Ru m Jungle outer foyer of the Mineral Gallery. A temporary field trip, Mr H. Henley was hired as an assistant an d display of new minerals acquired by purchase and relief driver, and has accompanied members of the collected from Rum Jungle, Northern Territory was Department on other collecting trips . Mr C. Parker mounted in the front foyer of the Museum from worked as a summer vac;;tion assistant fo r six weeks November to March, and prior to this, a special while Mr R. Watson, a Discoverer, and Mr M. Rosser display of' New Acquisitions' was taken to Melbourne helped in a voluntary capacity. Throughout the for the Third National Mineral Exhibition held at year, Mr J. Pixley has continued his work on th£ Glen Waverly at the end of August, 1977. index of rare minerals and zeolites. The major field trip during the year was to Rum Of the 45,736 registered minerals in the collection, ~ungle, in July, 1977, to collect minerals at Brown's I ,036 were acquired this year. These included a Prospect by invitation of the Bureau of Mineral large number of very fine specimens collected by the Resources and National Museum of Victoria, who Department from Brown's Prospect, Ru m Jungle, as had reopened the former mine for a period of three well as secondary uranium minerals from t he Eas t weeks. The whole Department participated and All igator River area. Zeolit es and other minerals many fine specimens of cerussite, malachite a 1d were collected in Tasmania and a suite of ore and pyromorphite were collected. Important uranrum host rock specimens obtained from the Geopeko localities in the East and South Alligator River areas Scheelite Mine on King Island. were also visited with Dr J. McAndrew and Ms C. Finlay, Division of Mineralogy, CSIRO. ~he rock collection now totals I 0,159 specimens, Mr Sutherland and Ms Hingley spent three weeks in an rncrease of 459. This has been due primarily to February-March, 1978 collecting specimens on King the collecting activities of the Department while on Island in Bass Strait and in northwest Tasmania; two field trips to Victoria and Tasmania. short visits were made to central and western In addit ion there have been a considerable number Victoria to collect zeolites and a range of xenolith ic of gem and mineral purchases througho ut t he year inclusions from the volcanic areas. In April 1978, the Department became involved in a meteorite hunt in the Gosford area, north of Sydney.

With the aid of special Trustees grants, Ms J. James was hired twice during the year to work on a colour­ Lin Sutherland, Curator, Department of Mineralogy coding scheme for identifying the minerals in the and Petrology, with a volunteer worker and scientists systemat~c collection in the Gallery and to help with :>reparatrons for Stage 2 of the Mineral Gallery (rom the Bureau of Mineral Resources and the CSIRO tnspect uranium minerals at Rum Jungle. NT, July. 1977 38 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSE UM ......

.. .. r

......

~ ;; "~ .."'WW- a... . '< ·- 39 ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 Lin Sutherland, Curator. Department of Mineralogy and Petrology. installing The Australian Museum Exhibit in the National Gem an Mineral Exhibition, Glen Waverley. Melbourne. August. 1977

(the more spectacu lar ones having been described in receiving a grant from the National Parks Foundat ion the introduction). as well as numerous exchanges and of NSW to implement the suggestions given in that donations of both rocks and minerals. report. Mr Disney and Dr P. J. Fullagar (CSIRO The Department has provided a range of specimens Division of Wildlife Research) have been retained as in the areas of research, display and for photography consultants and visited the island in March, 1978 with for commercial ventures. Donations of research Mr J. Giles, Chief of Scientific Services of National material have been made to US Geological Survey, Parks and Wildlife Service and Dr B. Miller of t he Macquarie University, CSIRO Division of Mineralogy, same service. Dr Miller has been appointed as University of New England, University of NSW. Research Biologist on the Island. Eleven days we re spent on the Island showing Mr Giles and Dr Mill er Department of Ornit hology the various sea-bird colon1es and discussing t he problems of pigs, goats and rats. Four days were The research and management programme spent camped on the top of Mt Gower with the Lo rd presented to the Lord Howe Island Board resulted Howe Island Rangers, Bruce Thompson and Paul in the NSW National Parks and Wildlife S{>rvice Beaumont. Although the weather was wet and 40 TH E AUSTRALI AN MUSEUM damp, thirteen woodhens were seen, including two of Birds, Mr Muller and head bird keeper, Mr L. unbanded birds. The total number present is still C layton. Japanese Quail, Coturnix japonica, have been probably about twenty. However, not all the birds examined every week from chicks to fully adult to present are seen over even long periods of follow their moult and to determine how soon they observation by scientists camped on the summit of laid eggs. Mt Gower; often previously marked birds are not found until a later visit. Together with the woodhen Mr Waiter Boles visited the Bondi State Forest to study, survey work was carried out on the density collect specimens to help the Department of of burrows in several of the colonies of Fleshy-footed Terrestrial Vertebrate Ecology and the NSW Shearwater, Puffinus carneipes. Forestry Commission in their joint project of surveying the mammals and birds in the area. A request from the Shire Clerk of the Singleton Shire Council for advice on continuing the artificial Ms M. Hirst, TAMS, has continued with the wet lands created by the effluent from the town registration of specimens. Ms R. Dowling, a student sewage works was followed up by a visi t to the area of the University of New England, worked as a with Or C. Smithers of the Department of temporary assistant during the Christmas vacation, Entomology and the Shire engineer. Two further extracting data on the New Guinea Bird-of-Paradise visits, one in winter and one in spring were made to collection for the Government of Papua New Guinea. check on the fauna and flora. A report was Ms K. Wilson joined the Department on a Federal submitted recommending the retention of these Employment Training Scheme and has been trained areas, as wet land areas are now scarce. lt was also in the preparation of skins for study and display. suggested the area be made a reserve and recreation area. The Department registered 729 specimens including several species which had been previously In September, a collecting trip was made by poorly represented in the collection. Several White­ Mr Disney and Mr Boles to South Australia, up the tailed and Red-tailed Tropic Birds Phaeton lepturus Birdsville Track to Bi rdsville then west towards the and Phaeton rubricauda, blown inland as far as Simpson Desert. At Birdsville, the Museum party Griffith and C:oonabarabran by the heavy storm in was joined b~ Mr D. Trounson and Ms M. Clampett March 1978, were also registered. of the National Photographic Index of Australian W ild life and Mr K. Muller and Ms A. Read of Taronga Re-arrangement of the collection continues in Zoological Park. A main objective of this joint preparation for gallery renovations which will result in a loss of considerable specimen storage space. Al l expedition, in addition to collecting specimens for regional collections held in the main coll ection area the Museum and Zoo, was to cap tu re the Eyrean have been merged and it is planned to incorporate Grasswren, Amytornis goyderi, and photograph it for representative series of all Australian species and the National Photographic Index. The adult bird major world groups not currently held in the bird had never been photographed. This expedition is detailed in the introduction. Valuable specimens room. were also obtained for the ongoing 'Bird in the A start has been made on placing the information Hand' research. associated with the collection on computer data Recent research in relation to the age of breeding sheets with the help of a grant of funds to the Museum from the Australian Biological Resources Study. of quail has been conducted by the Curator at the Ms A. Lindsey, Mr T. Lindsey, Mr R. Wellington, Taronga Zoo with the co-operation of the Curator 41 ANN U AL REPORT 1977- 1978 ... .. ~

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42 THE AUSTRAliAN MU>· e u ~· Mr R. !1cRae and Mr W. Longmore assisted in the Tu.rkey and Iran. Professor j. Warren, Monash uanscnb1ng of old registers onto corn puter d ata fro~ sheets. All new specimens are now being entered University, ~assed some arthrodire material from a L~te ~evonlan horizon on Mt Howitt, central on computer data sheets and about forty percent 0 f the old collection has also been encoded. Ylctona to D~ Rit.chie for study and preparation. After preparation, lt was discovered that the speci­ D epart ment of Palaeontology mens were not only a new species of Groenlandaspis but.. that they represented several art iculated Research in the Department has continued to 1nd1v1duals, in fact, the most complete ones yet focus heavily on the evolution and distribution of found. Or P. janvier, Paris, has forwarded new early foss il vertebrates, from the , finds of Groenlandaspis from the of southern and Devonian, of Australia and other continents. Turkey and northern Iran, the first records from Asia. Preparation of a monograph on the Or Ritchie and Ms j. Gilbert-Tomlinson, Bureau Groenlandaspis finds from five continents is under of Mineral Resources, Canberra published an account way. of some of the oldest known vertebrates from the Ordovician of the Northern Territory in a new Following a report from Mr j. Dorman of Lord Australian palaeontological journal, A/cheringa. Howe Island that a cluster of bones of the extinct While this was in press, Or Ritchie and Mr R. K. Jones horned turtle, Me io/ania, had been found, Or Ritchie visited the same area and succeeded in collecting a vis ited Lord Howe in late September and early much greater quantity of well-preserved remains of ?ctober to investigate. The find was excavated by these armoured jawless fishes (ostracoderms). In Jackhammer but the specimens turned out to be add1t1on to the two genera already described rather weathered. However Or Ritchie took the (Arandaspis and Porophoraspis) the material appears to opportunity to visit and inspect other known fossil contain at least one other new genus of ostracoderm. sites on the island and made several major finds near Old Settlement Beach. The Devonian vertebrate research work concerns the distribution of a Late Devonian armoured Or Ritchie located and excavated the first complete arthrodiran fish, Groenlandaspis, which is now known carapace of the horned turtle, Meiolania, ever to occur on at least five continents, following collected and a nearly complete skull which almost discoveries by Or Ritchie in Antarctica and Australia. certainly belonged to the same individual. On Although plans to v1s1t known and suspected behalf of The Australian Museum Or Ritchie Groenlandaspis sites in central and western NSW had presented to the recently opened Lord Howe Island to be abandoned during this financial year, important Museum casts of Meiolania's skull, shell and armoured new matenal became available from Victoria and tail sheath for local display. Two almost complete skeletons of birds were also recovered from the Pleistocene coral-sand rocks, the first articulated specimens to be found there. At the time of writing, preparation is in progress; they appear to be petrel Dr A/ex Ritchie, Curator of Fossils, on Lord Howe skeletons. Island at the excavation site of two blocks of solid coral-sand rock contaimng the complete carapace Or Ritchie and Mr Matzick of the Exhibitions (left) and skull (nght) of Meiolania platyceps. a Department, drew up a colourful 'Family Tree of strange long-extmct horned turtle Dinosaurs' poster, which went on sale in February. 43 A N N UAL REPORT 1977-1978 Or Ritchie, Mr Matzick and Mr W il son (of the relocating several of Ettinghausen's types in t he Museum's Education Section) have been working on process. Or Julian Hollis of Mosman, Sydney, has the design and preparation of the Museum's fourth reorganized much of the fossil cephalopod collection Outer Urban Exhibition entitled 'The Story of the and is currently engaged in curating and reidentify ing Earth'. Professor J. Hirschhorn, a volunteer worker, the cephalopods from the nineteenth century Krantz is making a 2.Sm long fibreglass cast of an ichthyosaur collection. skeleton as a spectacular centrepiece for this Some I ,005 specimens were registered during the exhibition. Mr R. Jones carried out research for an MSc on an interbedded marine and non-marine Late year, bringing the total number to almost 60,000. Devonian succession in the Orange-Bathurst district. Severe corrosion of floor beams under the Fossil Ms L. Dawson, also studying for an MSc, continued Store was discovered by Public Works Departmen t revision of the Museum's Pleistocene marsupial and this will necessitate the removal of most of the remains from Wellington Caves, NSW. collection and replacement of the present wooden floors with concrete. In collaboration with Or Ralph Molnar, University of NSW, Or Ritchie has been trying to locate specimens of opalized bones from Lightning Ridge Department of Terrestrial Inve rtebrate (and other opal fields) in the possession of miners, Ecology dealers and collectors. Or Ritchie and Or Molnar vis ited Lightning Ridge in February, 1978 and Mr Jones The activities of this Department, one of the three accompanied Or Molnar on a return visit in April. offshoots of the former Department of Environmental Several important specimens came to light including Studies, commenced early in March, 1978 with the an ornithopod dinosaur femur, the tooth of a arrival of the new curator, Or Tim Kingston. sauropod dinosaur (the first record of this group Dr Kingston Immediately undertook the task of from NSW), two opalized specimens of lungfish co-ordinating the Museum's faunal survey of the toothplates and various other reptilian bones and Newnes PlateaufColo Wilderness that the Museu m opalized gymnosperm cones. Although none of the had been commissioned to carry out on behalf of owners were prepared to part with their specimens, the Electricity Commission of NSW. Mr Haymo all the finds were photographed, measured and casts Posam~nt1er (a member of the Museum's Department were made for the col lection. ~f. Environmental Studies 1970-76) and lan Pulsford JOined the Department in June, for a period of twelve In May, 1978 Mr R. Jones, accompanied by Mr R. months to carry out the bulk of the survey work on Scott-Child of the Preparation Department, drove verte~rate .species. In addition, Or Kingston will be to Moree. to investigate reports of a large fossil sampl1ng Invertebrates in association with the skeleton 1n the banks of the Gwydir River. The vertebrate work. skeleton was found to be that of a cow, but Mr Jones used the opportunity to vis it and examine several Dr Kingston is collaborating with Dr Ben Miller of known fossil marsupial sites and to pick up and bring NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, on a pro­ back to Sydney a fine co llection of Tertiary fossil gramme of research on the Lord Howe Island plants donated to t he Museum by Mr Jack Wilson of Wo~dhen. The Museum has a long-standing interest Elsmore, NSW (near lnverell). and Involvement in research on the fauna of Lord Howe. Island • and eh·IS proJect· a II ows a welcome oppor- Ms Mary ":"~ite has almost completed curating tUnity for the cone· . f . and catalogu1ng the Tertiary fossil plants, and . 1nuat1on o act1ve involvement. Or Kingston will be examining the status of the 44 THE AUSTRALI AN MUSEUM invertebrate species that are important in the diet of the Woodhen to enable possible identification of areas of the island, presently not populated by the Wood hen, that appears suitable for its reintroduction. Six visits will be made to the is land in order to obtain seasonal data. The duration of the visits wi ll be such that some additional work, not related to the Woodhen can also be conducted. The latter will include work on Dr Kingston's speciality, the invertebrates Inhabiting the dung of introduced domestic stock.

Functional Anatomy Unit Mr Strahan continued preparation for publication of the Museum history, Rare and Curious Specimens and completed the first draft of his Dictionary of Australian Mammal Names. Illustrations of a number of phalangeroid skulls were made with the assistance Vtitunteers in the Conservation Laboratory prepare a of Rob1n Cowell and work continues on the pointing (or display in the •Bal inese Traditional preparation of allzann transparencies of marsupial Paintings' Exhibition held at the Museum 16 May- limb skeletons. 21 July, 1978

MATERIALS CONSERVATION SECTION Director's Research Laboratory During the year the activities of the Conservation Dr Griffin and Ms Tranter cont'inued r earch on Section were considerably expanded due to the the taxonomy and zoogeography of spider crabs of appointment of two new staff, Mr Geza Marten and the family Majidae from the lndo west Pacific regia~. Mr David Horton-James. Mr Marten has been Matenal for th•s study comes from museums 1n engaged largely on the evaluation of vacuum/ Europe and USA as well as Australia, and comprises impregnation systems and s_ynthetic resins for the collections from several major expeditions. In the treatment of insect-damaged hardwoods. After con­ report wh1ch is nearly completed, several n~w siderable experimental work including preparation species are desc11bed. includ1ng eight from Australian of sample material, extraction work and the study waters. of , time cycles an d the use of dyes to assess penetration efficiency, it was concluded that traditional methods used for the structural con­ De puty Director's Research La boratory solidation of wood have been poorly researched and frequently ineffective. Mr Marten will conti~ue All the research work carried out by the · · "th the Department with research and will conduct tests on the phys1cal Laboratory was in conJunction w1 properties of various substrates following conserv­ of Herpetology. Details of this work are included ation treatment. under that sect1on heading. 45 ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 0 Mr Horton-James has been carrying out a literature ..< a: search on methods for examining the internal J: structure of wood weakened by insect and fungal ~ 0 attack. He is also developing methods for the 7;" simple examination and assessment of the e~ect of 3 surface and structural consolidation using optiCal and ~ scanning electron microscopy.

A Cannibal Raven mask from the northwest coast of USA has presented the Department with one of the most interesting and complex projects to have been worked on in the laboratory. Ms Pat Townley. who is responsible for this project, has carried out a very wide range of chemical treatments on the textile and metal components. During these treatments a careful assessment of the safest and most effective methods for the reduction of copper and iron corrosion products was made as well as the cleaning, corrosion removal and bleaching of textiles. Ms Townley has also started work on a project to identify the most appropriate techniques for the consolidation of painted objects in the fi eld where climatic variations are a major consideration. This project will be carried out in conjunction with the NSW Art Gallery which is providing use of their environmental chamber. This will allow experi­ mental work to be undertaken under different and relative humidity conditions. One of the aims of this project is to provide advice to Aboriginal groups wishing to conserve and maintain Tradit ional woodca rving of Rawana abducttng Sita­ collections. an incident in the Ramayana story. Submitted to the Materials Conservation Se ction for assemblage as part of the 'Balinese Traditional Paintings' exhibition The Conservation Section has treated a very large number of items mainly associated with the various Another major group of objects su bmi tted to the exhibit ions staged during the year. Some twenty­ lab for treatment were items for the 'Treasures of five Balinese paintings were treated in the laboratory the Museum' exhibit ion to be dis played later in the and special techniques were devised for the lamination year. Material wor ked o n was mainly from the of the fragile early bark cloth paintings and for the Solomon Islands, Sepik, lrian Jaya and Ad miralty consolidation of gold leaf decoration. Three Islands. Approximately fifty were t reated by the dimensional items including wood and silver objects conservation staff with considerable assist ance from were also treated. Eight volunteers assisted with volunteers Mr Bruce Huff-Johnson, Ms Judy Yu le and this project. · Dr Radamir Jura.

46 TH E AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM Egypt1an. matenal for 'The Beginnings of C v•llzat1on exhibit were prepared by the laboratory. nclud ng Items made from bone. wocd, bronze. alabaster and ceramic. A number of masks from New Brinin and the Gulf of Papua were treated pnor to be1ng d1splayed at the Adelaide Festival of Arts. The New Br1ta1n 'mythical an rmal ' used in dance ceremonies. has finally been completed after wel l over a year's work. Volunteers Ms Joan Cocks, Ms Nad•ne Turner. Ms Jean Yere and Ms Heather Joynes contributed hundreds of pat ient and skillful hours assisting the laboratory with the necessary dismantling, cleaning. conservatron and restoratron. lt has now been returned to a specially fitted storage area.

EDUCATION SECTION The two outstanding developments this year within the Education Sect•on were t he Museum Tra1n and the Wales Wandervan, both of wh1ch are detailed in the introduct,on to thrs Report. They have been eminently successful in reach1ng their audiences and 1n prov1d ng new experiences for those who cannot visit the Museum in the c1ty. lt is also pleas1ng to see an increase in the number of adult groups using the facilities of the Education Centre rn the evenings. to such an extent that it is rare for any evenrng to be entirely free. Details are grven later rn th•s report. Two international conferences were held in the Centre-the Arid Zone ... 7 Sympos um and the Echrnoderm Conference. 0 0 n 0 c Top r'ght Sue Walston, Officer-in-Charge, Materials ~ ~ ConservatiOn Sect1on. and Dav1d Horton-james, '< 0 7 Conservator. making a final check on the condition ::> of a mythical ceremontal animal from New Britain ; ;;~ before 1t was moved to a speCially (ltted storage area. ~ .." ::> The complete treatment took over eighteen months. a.. Inva luable ass1stance was given by volunteer workers "'0 stage ~ dunng almost every in the conservation of th1s r- compl1cated artefact 0. ~ 47 ANtWAL REPOPT 1977- 1978 A major feature of the year was the upgrading of numerous than in previous years and incl uded the Education Preparation rooms by the Public twenty-five mammals, twenty-five birds, nineteen Works Department. Preparation work was greatly reptiles, twelve amphibians, eighteen fish , two disturbed over this period but, apart from the skeletal preparations, two fossil casts, approximately installation of adequate ventilation and a telephone, fifty invertebrate preparations, and twenty embed­ facilities are now available to carry out all work ments of various specimens in clear resin blocks. required except for freeze-drying. Twenty-seven specimens were prepared in perspex wet boxes and eight specimens were protected by a The total number of school groups attending perspex box housing. Two large scale projects lesson programmes organized by the Education staff undertaken involved the casting of the femur of a was 771 comprising 34,642 pupils. Seashore ecology dinosaur and the casting of a dolphin. field trips in association with Museum lessons again proved popular, as did lesson programmes combined Various exhibitions were assembled as a part of with visits to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Approx­ the school holiday programmes and four special imately I ,550 classes (some 54,250 pupils) visited the displays were assembled during this year. Museum without appointment and for these we were able to provide only minimal assistance. 'Drop-In After School' has provided creative activities for children living near the Museum. Its Demonstration lessons and lectures on the various programmes are set out in the introduction Museum's educational facilities were given to groups to this Report. of teacher trainees from Colleges of Advanced Education and Universities in Sydney. Students The special exhibitions and activit ies held in t he from Kuring-gai CAE, Nursery School CAE and the Education Centre attracted a total of some 7,650 Museum Studies Course at the University of Sydney people during the three school vacations. Diffe rent worked here for several weeks as part of their events were staged in each vacation, where possible practice teaching periods or on other training associated with temporary exhibitions in the programmes. Groups of school inspectors, adminis­ galleries, such as 'Conservation of Australian Fauna?', trators and other personnel from Asian, African and 'Renewing the Dreaming' and 'Traditional Bal inese Pacific countries were given lectures on the Museum's Paintings'; these were 'Conservation of our educational role. Groups from the Adult Migrant Environment' in August-September, 'Australian Education Service were given lessons on Australian Aborigines' in January and 'Life in Indonesia' in May. animals. T.hree special courses for children were arranged During the year a total of 617 loans was made to dunng the year. The first course, 'Collections and both metropolitan and country schools, comprising Environmental Studies', 29 August-2 Septembe r, thirty collections of specimens and 567 school loan 1977, was organized by Ms Mcleod. Tutored by travel cases. The majority of the loans were made Ms Mcleod and a number of other Museum staff, t he to schools requesting cases on a regular basis and course looked at the collection and preparation of whilst some new schools were introduced to the service, the demand continues to exceed the supply. Three new cases on 'Sharks' were added to the collections. A pair a( Eyrean grasswrens collected on the recent . Specim~ns produced during the year were, by Birdsvil/e expedition. (Photo: Dona/d Trounson and Virtue of 1mproved techniques and expertise, more Molly C/ampett) 48 THE AUSTRALI AN MUS EUM

A Gtont Pondo. along wtth o sn1oller cousm. the Red Pondo. wos dtsployed m the Long Gallery 16-28 March. 1978 A collecuon o(thmy spectmens o(Chmese (ouno wos presented by the People's Republtc o(Chmo to the Austrolton people ot the end o( the tour m Chmo o(the exhtbtlton of Austrolton (ouno

'Cons!'rvouon o( Austrolton Founo'' exll•btllon ol Sprmgwood (,.,c Centre

School students Ol Moss Vole prepare to board the Museum Tram, whtch brmgs exhtbtts to those lmng m country oreos o( NSW Bodo MatziCk. Arttst, ExhtbtUons Department at work prepanng the fourth Outer Urban Exhtbttwn, 'Story of the Earth'

The 'And Australta' exhtbttton on tour at Baulkham Htlls Ltbrary

The Museum presented a speetal feature called 'focus on Nature', sponsored by Caltex Otl (Australta) Pty Ltd as part ofthe 20th Sydney lnternauonal Exhtbttton of Photography. held at the Museum m August, 1977 m COnJunction wtth the Museum's I50th Anmversary celebrattons. Colour(ul new mmerals acqu~red dunng che year, clockwise (rom nghc: Francevtllice, Gabon, A(rica; Huebnertce tn Quaru. Peru; Pyrn.e. Peru; Dia pcose. Tsumeb. S A(rico; centre: Wul(emce, Sonoro, Mex1co.

A Hawaiian (eacher cope (rom The Auscrolion Museum's Copcoln Cook Callecuon, was loaned eo che Bermce P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu. (or a speetol exhtbicion 'Ant{ictol CunostCtes', commemorocmg che bicencenmol o(che dtscovery by Captain Cook o(che Hawo11on Islands. insects and rocks, spending two days in the fi eld and the Discoverers' Club. Seven Club meetings were t hree days in the laboratory. The course on held during school holidays and the senior group 'Aboriginal Art' held from 16-20 January. 1978, (Discoverers' Society) met nine times in the eveni ngs. was organized by Mr Hunt. Tutored by Ms Mary Discoverers ass isted with craft work in the Activities Dallas. Department of Anthropology. University of Room during school vacations and eight of these Sydney, the course aimed to increase awareness of students worked in curatorial or other Museum the richness of Aboriginal art and its relationship to departments during the January vacation period. rel igious and everyday life; activities included bark Three one-day fie ld trips were held and week-long painting and a field trip to examine Aboriginal rock fie ld trips connected with Museum research on bird engravings. In conjunction with the Balinese population dynamics were conducted at Bondi State Traditional Paintings Exhibition, a course on Forest, Bombala (January and May, 1978) and at 'I ndonesian Art', from 17-19 May, 1978 was organized Warrah Field Research Station, Pearl Beach (May, by Ms Mcleod. Tutored by Ms Ackerman in bati k 1978). The second trip to Bombala was at the special dying and by Ms Dillano in maki ng shadow puppets, request of the Forestry Commission Wildlife t he course also included study of the exhibition Ecologist because of the outstanding work done by ' Balinese Traditional Paintings' fol lowing a talk from t he Discoverers during their first trip in January. Ms Wakelin-King of the Museum's Department of The Australian Museum Train has been a major Anthropology. project and details are given in the Introduction. Special courses for teachers were organized by the The initial organization of the Wandervan project Section. 'A study of Primates', from 23-24 January, for the handicapped was undertake n by Ms Mcleod 1978, organized by Mr Wilson and Ms Mcleod, was until the appointment of Ms Ward, Special Education held in conjunction with Taronga Zoo. The teachers Officer, when they worked together to develop the attended lectures by Zoo and Museum curators, details of this new extension service. The Wander­ observed primate behaviour at the Zoo and the van project is described in the introduction to this travelli ng exhibition ' Man-A Peculiar Primate' at Report. t he Museum, and had effective work sessions on how Ms Mcleod is studying for a Diploma in Special best to use the respective institutions in their Education at Mitchell CAE, Bathurst. This is a teachi ng programmes. 'Indonesian Art and Music', two-year external course. from 15-16 May , 1978. was organized by Ms Mcleod. A content course for twenty teachers, the session In association with Education Week an Ope n Day at the Museum, 17 August, 1977, was arranged by included lectures by Mr Sumarijono (Javanese pup~et Ms Maguire. Pup il s from Summer Hill and Artarmon theatre), Or Fritz (batik), Mr Natapraja_(lndones1an Public Schoo ls presented dance performances in the mu sic) and Ms Wakelin-King (introduction) and use theatre. A day for pre-school holiday visitors, of Balinese display. 10 May, 1978, was also arranged by Ms Maguire. Free film screenings were arranged in the _ t~r_ee Special activities were conducted by the two students vacations, the films relating to the special actiVIties practice teaching here from the Nursery School or exhibits. They were attended by a total of 4,134 CAE. Ms McFarlane and Ms Johnstone. As part of people. the ISOth Anniversary celebrations, a collections 299 project, May-August, 1977, organized by Mr Museum Walkabouts were completed by young McDougall, was sponsored by Caltex O il (Aust.) Pty 1 ted the Walkabout people; eighteen students comp e . . d Ltd in association with the Sun newspaper. Twenty- series, received the1r· L"f1 e N ature books and JOine 53

ANNUAL REPO RT 1977-1 978 seven entries were received in the four age-categories and prizes of Museum Shop Gift Certificates to the value of $435 were awarded in a prize-giving ceremony on 29 August, 1977. In association with the Australian Amateur Cine Society, a Best Film on the Australian Environment competition was organized by Ms McDonald. A special award was offered by The Australian Museum Trust to celebrate the ISOth Anniversary of the Museum and was won by the film group Wilson's Garage for their film 'The Wilderness'. Programmes of environmental films entered in the competition for this award were screened at the Museum 14-16 September. A television programme for children entitled 'Meet the Museum' was screened by Channel 9 on their 'Super Flying Fun Show', during July- October, 1977. Organized by Mr E. Wilson, each pre­ recorded segment ran for five to ten minutes every Friday morning. Various staff members of the museum appeared on the programme and contributed to its success. Pat Townley, Assistant, Materials Conservation Section, re-tying treated wool. Drawings and During the evenings, regular meetings in the photographic records enable re-construction after any Education Centre-some once a week, others once conservation treatment requiring an item to be a month-are held by many groups such as zoological dismantled. This woollen ruff is part of a Kwakiutl societies, mineral and lapidary clubs, conservation ravenhead mask from the northwest coast of America groups, littoral society, photography and camera clubs.

Exhibits in the Education Centre, included the Gallery, 'Treasures of the Museum' (Ms McDonald); exhibits for each school holiday programme, entries Pacific Gallery, Mineral Gallery, ' Beginnings of in the Collections Project, Drop-In After School Civilization' display, 'Things We Want to Keep' activities, and special displays of children's work (Ms Maguire); Arid Australia Gallery, 'Renewing the fr'om time to time. The Education Week display, Dreaming'. Mammal Gallery (Mr Hunt); Marine 11-22 August, 1978, continued through the ensuing Gallery, Bird Gallery, 'Conservation of Australian school vacation. This annual exhibition of models, Fauna?' (Mr McDougall); Insect Gallery, ' Balinese posters and dioramas made by children as a follow-up Traditional Paintings' (Ms Mcleod); Outer Urban to their Museum lessons was arranged by Ms Maguire. Exhibitions 'Conservation of Australian Fauna', 'Arid Australia' and 'The Story of the Earth' (Mr Wilson). Education Officers have been associated with the Outer Urban Exhibitions have involved much of the production of the following new exhibitions: time of Mr Wilson. Details are set out in the Museum Train, Marine Gallery, Marine Invertebrate Introduction to this report. 54 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM The Schools Exchange and Travel Scheme is a Work progresses well with Stage I of the Marine Schools Commission. Projec~ to enable exchange of Hall, due to open on 10 August, 1978. Completion personnel between like InStitutions. Mr McDougall of St~ge 11 of the Mineral Gallery has been delayed was a recipient of funds to enable him to study pend1ng modifications to display cases installed to the museu~ education methods for one month (April, design of t he NSW Government Architects Office. 1978) 1n th~ Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, while Ms Roberta Barnett, Chief Education The College Street Entrance foyer and adjacent Officer at thi\t Museum spent one mont h (June-July galleries are currently being renovated by the 1978) with us . ' Department of Public Works. Evaluation studies on t wo education programmes Mr Jeff Freeman, Exhibitions Office r, and Or Jim have commenced; Mr J. C. Hodge, Lecturer in Specht, Curator of Anthropology. spent four weeks in Papua New Guinea during May, making an assess­ Museu~ Studies at The University of S) dne~ is ment of the feasibil ity of erecting a Mens House from survey1ng the results of school class visits and a team the Maprik area in the former Pacific Gallery. The from the Department of Sociology, University of Mens House and other structures are planned as the NSW has begun evaluating t he Drop-In After School programme. Both of these studies are being carried out in associat ion with the Museum Educati on Officers. A member of the Museum Discoverers' Club studying The Bernard van Leer Foundation enabled pond life at the , Ryde, with contin ued co-operation in the Be rnard van Leer­ Education Officer, Glenn Hunt Australian Museum Tertiary Scholarship Scheme. The Work Experience Scheme incorporated this year, enables a scholar to work for two weeks in a museum of his choice. The six scholars received grants through both aspects of the Scheme. Th is Foundation made another grant of $8,820 to fund the Drop-In After School programme (detailed in the Introduction) and this may be continued for another two years. Overseas travel by Mr E. J. Wilson to attend ICOM meetings in Leningrad/ Moscow was made possible by the Bushell Trust, the Museums Associations of Australia and the British Counci l.

EXHIBITIONS DEPARTMENT An active year commenced with the opening ~f the 17 July of the Arid Australia _Galle?. Th 1s unusual and high ly popular ga llery 1s des1g ned to have a 'life' of about six years, and was constructed to a deliberate I~ restricted budget. 55 AN N UAL REPO RT 19n-1978 central exhibit of a gallery exploring in depth the planning the travelling exhibition in co~ju~ct .ion with culture of a particular region. the semi-permanent exhibition on wh1ch 1t IS based. Planning is proceeding for the refurbishing of the An unusual feature of this exhibit is the inclusion Australian Mammal Gallery, new Bird and Insect of an audiofvisual component, based on the bigger classification exhibits to be sited on the upper multi-screen presentation in the Arid Australia Mezzanine floor of the Long Gallery, and a Marine Gallery. Invertebrate gallery in the top (balcony) level of the Marine Hall. LIBRARY Two major temporary exhibitions which formed The acquisition rate of the Museum Library part of the Museum's Sesquicentenary celebrations increased over the last year with a total of 752 bound were mounted in the Long Gallery during the year. volumes being registered (540 books and 212 volumes One of these, 'Conservation of Australian Fauna?' of serials), even though the number of donations reflected this Museum's concern for the impact of (247) has decreased in relation to previous years. Western technology and increasing urbanization on The rate of binding has doubled with over 200 Australia's vulnerable ecosystems and the unique volumes being processed by the Library staff. native animals which are part of these systems. This A total of 2,727 loans, of which eighty-five percent exhibition, with minor amendments, later became a were internal loans to staff were handled by the travelling exhibit, as part of the Museum's Outer library, many of these as a result of a stocktake of Urban Exhibits programme. The Second exhibition loans which was carried out. In addition, another 'Renewing the Dreaming' explored the so-called I ,400 requests were received from outside Outstations movement. Details of both are given institutions for Inter-Library loans in the form of in the Introduction. photocopies. Of these, approximately I, I 00 totalling 'Balinese Traditional Paintings', a major temporary some 13,500 pages, were filled, many requests having exhibition based on the recently acquired Forge to be refused because of the fragile or valuable nature collection, was opened on the IS May by the Deputy of the material. Th is represents an increas1ngly Ambassador for Indonesia, Mr Supari Tjokrosartomo. heavy reliance on the Museum's resources for The opening of this exhibit co-incided with the Asian scientific research as the number of requests has Studies Association of Australia Conference. This doubled over the last three years. The Museum exhibit will later tour interstate and possibly over­ received only fourty-three items on loan. seas. In addition, over 320 readers from outside the This Department was also heavily involved with Museum used the Library and over lOO reference the preparation of the Museum Train, details of which enquiries were dealt with by Library staff. are given in the Introduction. Cataloguing of new accessions has remained steady As detailed in the Introduction, two new Outer ~ith 397 monographs and 112 new periodicals being Urban exhibits 'Conservation of Australian Fauna?' g1ven entries. Recataloguing of the present and 'Arid Australia' have joined the pilot exhibit collection resulted in some 4,376 catalogue entries 'Man, a Peculiar Primate' on the now well-established being made. outer urban circuit. In the case of 'Arid Australia' Work was carried out on the rehousing cf much considerable economies were made in research, of the Museum's collection of rare and valuable books. collection of specimens, design and construction by Steel security cabinets were provided to house these 56 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM fi ltration plants are designed to service the existing area as well as the new rooms. When completed, c: these extensions will greatly improve our faci lities ...... " although we still need a larger studio for some of I our work . .. The Sesquicentenary celebrations involved the ~c: Section in activities such as providing illustrative " ~ material for the exhibits and for a book detailing the "0. Museum's history. We also supplied material for 0",.. special exhibitions and photographed the functions .<; 0. and other events organized for the Sesquicentenary. ...~ 0 Notable Museum enterprises during the year .<;0 Q. included the Museum Train and The Wandervan both of which were photographed extensively. Popular Three new cases on 'Sharks' were added to the Museum's popular school loon travel case programme items. Among the more notable books to be A special lesson for pre-school pupils in the Museum rehoused were Gulielmi Rondeletti's Libri de Pisibus Education Centre, arranged as part of the training Marinis (I 554) and the /cones Animalium (I 560). programme for two students from the Nursery School Teachers' College Work was also carried out on the listing of the original manuscript plates of A. W. Scott's Australian Lepidoptera, many of which were placed on display for the sesquicentenary exhibition.

PHOTOGRAPHIC AND VISUAL AID SECTION Photographer Gregory Millen resigned after four years service to take a teaching position at the Sydney Technical College. His position was filled by John Fields who has had extensive experience in New Zealand and freelance work in Australia. During the year our work was frequently inter­ rupted by construction work necessary to extend out existing premises. The Public Works Department has nearly completed the job which wil l conver~ s.pace adjacent to our existing rooms into an add 1t1onal small darkroom and studio, a film editing room and storeroom. The new air conditioning and water 57 ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 :r publications by the Museum required large amounts 0 of material ranging from proof prints for layout and ~ Q. design to illustrative material in black and white and :r ..c colour. One of these was a catalogue for the :T ~ 'Bahnese Traditional Paintings' exhibition. In this ":l case great care was exercised in preparing the colour ..:T photographs in order to reproduce the aged and sometimes faded pal nti ngs as accurately as possible. Another project has been photographing fossils for J: a 1979 Calendar to be published by the Museum. s "c Exhibitions and displays make great use of 3 photography not only for Information and recording purposes but as slides for audiofvJsual and other presentations and as large 'blow-ups' and exhibition prints. Some of these exhibits were Outer-Urban Exhibits like 'Arid Australia', 'Story of the Earth', and others like 'Renewing the Dreaming', and the Marine Hall. This Hall uses illustrative material and an animated cine film. A section of the hall will feature stereo or three dimensional colour photo­ graphs which we have also produced. Another display in production is to use 'cut outs' from large photographs for a diorama instead of the more usual The Australian Museum /50th Anniversary Award fo r life-size modelled vegetation. the Best Film on the Environment was presented at the The range of work has also covered Education Australian Amateur Cine Society's Australian Week displays. Drop-In activities, children engaged International Film Festival. Comprised of quartz in school vacation and other Museum activities, the crystals and mounted on a cedar base, the trophy was visit of the Prime Minister's wife and other visiting won by Wilson's Garage, Melbourne VIP's and the photography of live and dead animals and other research material for almost every scientific The Hurley and Dick collections are in great demand; department, either for publication, research or these negatives are on glass and are of immense record. scientific, historic and monetary value. By archival Our X-ray equipment finally broke down beyond standards they are inadequately stored. repair, but a small unit on loan from Macquarie University enabled us to undertake some work while A three-quarter inch U-matic video tape mach ine a new machine was acquired. The new unit has a and television monitor was installed in the Long greater capacity and power than our previous one Gallery. Museum films are being recorded on tape and a special radiation proof cabinet has had to be ~o be played continuously to Interested audiences designed to house it while in use. In the Museum. This is Phase I of a long-range programm~ which it is hoped will provide the Our photographic library continues to be much Museum. With a portable video camera and finally a used by universities, schools and other organizations. closed c1rcurt televis10n studio. 58 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM No films have been made dunng the year but sales of exiwng films have been reward1ng. These included sales of series for use 1n China and on television in England, South Africa, Japan, and also renewal of contracts for screening by the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Our film 'The Boom­ erang' was used to introduce a major session of the Ethnographic Film Conference in Canberra during May where it was highly commended by experts from overseas and Australia. This film and 'Preparing for the Corroboree' were entered in the ANZAAS International Film Exhibition where both were accepted for screening in their various programmes. Some new films are curren;.1y being planned.

jackson jacob and Robert jabanunga prepare children for a public performance on the last day of the 'Aboriginal Arts' course held 16-20 January. 1978, during the school holidays PUBLICITYtPUBLICATIONS SECTIO N The Museum's 'visibility' in the community continued at a very high level during the second part of the sesquicentenary year, which closed offi cially on 30 March, 1978. More than 250 items appeared during the year in the printed media (including several items in foreign newspapers), an average of almost five mentions per week. This represents an increase of some sixty-six percent over the same period last year. There has also been very good coverage of Museum activities on both radio and television. An active programme of paid advertising ~ was carried out to keep the public informed about

~::> <( Museum events, actiVities and exhibit ions at the Cl .r; Museum itself and in other venues throughout the l-e State, and four issues of the quarterly calendar of ..c c events were publ1shed. ...J "u I: The display area of the Australian Museum Shop L Cl '5.. was slightly enlarged with the removal cf o ne gallery Cl I display to another section of the Museum. This area has been used for a greatly expanded range of contemporary Aboriginal craft items, primarily of a traditional nature. The range of crafts from ot her Pacific areas has also been increased. A colourful poster, 'Dinosaurs and Their Relatives' was published, and resin-cast replicas of some Australian fossils fro m the Museum's collections have been produced for sale; several other items are also in production. Formal liaison with other State museums in Austral ia E has been established through the Council of ::> ~ Australian Museum Directors to promote co­ ::> 4 operative sale of museum-produced goods.

Cl ....r; :; During the May School Holidays, 1978, activities were c c arranged on the theme 'Indonesia' to complement the Cl ...J u 'Traditional Balinese Pa intings' exhibition . Open to ,. 4 everyone, many children and adults enjoyed making __ -- sh~d~w puppets or batik, learning to play anklung or pa1nt1ng a mural of village life 60 THE AUSTRALI AN MUSEUM Heather Mclen nan/The Australian Museum Heather McLennan!The Australian Museu m A fteld trip formed one part of the 'Collections and Environment Studies' course organized by Ms McLeod, Education Officer, in the August 1977 school holidays. The students learnt where to ftnd insects and other animals. how to collect them and how to identify and preserve them

Three general issues of t he Museum's quarterly Chalmers and Brian Mason (No. 18); Cainozoic magazine Australian Natural History were published Basales of the Mt Fox Area, by F. L. Sutherland (No. and a fourth, a special issue of the Torres Strait, is 19) ; (Volume 3 1) Terebelliform Polychaeta of the in preparation. fam il ies Ampharetidae, Terebellidae and Tricho­ branchidae from Australia, chiefly from , Five free educational leaflets were reprinted: Queensland. by Pat Hutchings (No. I); Pontoniine Some Huntsman Spiders (No. 5 I). Funnel Web Spiders Shrimps in the Collections of the Australian Museum, (No. 25). Mouse Spiders (No. 31). Kangaroos (No. 46) by A. J. Bruce (No. 2); The Leafhoppers and and The Thylacine or 'Tasmanian Wolf' (No. 49). Froghoppers of Australia and New Zealand Three others are in preparation and a further nine in (Homoptera: Cicadelloidea and Cercopoidea), Part process of revision. 2. by J. W. Evans (No. 3); A Revision of the Sixteen numbers of the Records of the Australian Australian species of the Fami ly Risscellidae Museum have been published since 30 June, 1977. {Mo ll usca: Gastropoda), by W. F. Ponder and E. K. These were: (Volume 30) Phoronida from Australia, Yoo (No. 4); A New Fam ily of Asteroidea (Echino­ by Christian C. Emig, Donald F. Boesch, Sebastian dermata), with the description of five new species Rainer (No. 16); Review of the Sharpnose Pufferfishes and one new subspecies of Asterodiscides, by F. W. E. (Subfamily Canthigasterinae) of the lndo-Pacific, by Rowe (No. 5); The Status of Nardoa (Ando ra). A. M. Gerald R. Al ien and John E. Randall (No. 17); Two Clark, 1967 (Asteroidea: Ophidiasteridae), with the Chondrites from New South Wales, by R. 0. description of two new subgenera and three new 61 ANN UAL REPORT 1977- 1978 species, by F. W. E. Rowe (No. 6); The Psocoptera of Muogamarra Nature Reserve, by C. N. Smithers (No. 7); Nephtyidae (Polychaeta: Errantia) from Australia, by Sebastian Rainer and Pat Hutchings (No. 8); A Revision of the Dam selfish Genus Dascyllus (Pomacentridae) with the Description of a New Species, by Helen Randall and Gerald R. Alien (No. 9); A New Species of Lizard (Lacertilia: Scincidae) from the Northern Territory, closely allied to Decaneurus Storr, by P. R. Ran kin (No. I 0); A Catalogue of the Type Spec1mens of Diptera in the Australian Museum, by Greg Daniels (No. 11); Reproductive Structures of the Glossopteridales in the Plant Fossil Collection of the Australian Museum,

Dressing up is always great fun and the opportunity to get ready (or a corroboree was provided in the January school vacation, 1978

During Education Week, August, 1977, Class SOC from Summer Hill Public School presented a most spectacular dance drama based on their museum studies of Ancient Egypt

by Mary E. White (No. 12). Seven others are in press and a further twenty-four manuscripts are in preparation.

Free brochures were produced describing the two new Outer Urban Exhibitions launched during the year-'Conservation of Australian Fauna?' and 'Arid Australia'-as well as brochures describing the displays and education services of the Museum Train and the Wandervan. (See the introductory section c: .!! of this report.) Posters for advertising the OUEs and the Museum Train were also produced. ~:> <( ..c:.. A more detailed twenty-page booklet, Conservation l­ e: of Australtan Fauna?, was also produced for sale, and a ~ f twenty-four page booklet Renewing the Dreaming was published in association with Aboriginal Arts and Crafts Pty Led to accompany the exhibition of the same name (detailed in the introduction). A

THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM l~vishly illustrated, ninety-six page catalogue with ...... ,Cl slx.ty~four pages of colour, Balinese Traditional ~ Patnttngs, by Anthony Forge, was produced fo h '( .b. . f h r t e ex h1 .ltlon .o t e same name. The book also descn~es th1s art form in its social context and serves as an Introductory text on the subject as well as exhibition catalogue. A full-colour poster was al:n published for this exhibition. A manuscript for ~ popular book on Arid Australia has been prepared, :I based on the Information in the Museum gallery and ~ ..c: travelling exhibition of the same name. 3 A fourth {revised) edition of Australian Aboriginal Rock Art, by F. D. McCarthy, is in preparation. A grant of $5,000 has been received from the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council to fund the addition of colour illustrations to this important publication. A forty-feu r page booklet, Lord Howe Island, was The Museum's new Arid Australia gallery, completed in produced, with assistance from Trader Nick's, Lord only sixteen months, was officially opened on 17 luly, Howe Island: this book was originally published as a 1977 - special issue of Australian Natural History (June, 1974). Delays have been experienced with the publication Museum visits more meaningful to a wide spectrum of the Museum's pictorial history, Rare and Curious of Sydney's ethnic community as well as to non­ Specimens, edited by R. Strahan; the book is now in Eng lish-speaking visitors from overseas. the fi nal stages of production. NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INDEX OF The Museum's Guide to Exhibits has been translated AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE into Greek, Italian and Japanese. We gratefully acknowledge translations by Ms Helen Bakola of the The year was marked by two important develop­ Department of Modern Greek, University of Sydney; ments, the completion of Stage I in the formation of a Mr Franco Belgiorno-Nettis of Transfield Australia t1ammal Index, and adoption of an ambitious Pty Ltd ; and Ms Reiko Nakamura of the Fisheries publishing programme by the Index Trust. Research Station, Kyoto University; and assistance The formation of a Mammal Index stems from from the NSW Division of Ethnic Affairs in checking representations to the Trust by the Australian the copy. The Greek and Italian editions have been Mammal Society (a scientifical ly-oriented body of sponsored by the Commercial Banking Company of some 450 scientists and naturalists working in the Syd ney Limited (CBC). Assistance with the Italian field of mammalogy throughout Australia and ed it ion has also been given by Olivetti Australia and overseas), and, particularly, in response to a cogently­ by the Consulate-General of Italy. These two argued case submitted in February, 1976 by its then editions are in press; the Japanese ed ition is ready President, Or A. G. Lyne. The agreement of the for printing, pending sponsorship. Other foreign Trust to assume the commitment, was subject to language editions are planned in order to make 63 A NNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 The following objectives were adopted . for the new eo 11 ec t1·on· · the establishment. of a continuously grow1ng· a nd accessible national collection. of p h otograp hs Of all mammals nativ. e to or established 1n· A us t r a1 1·a • or frequenting ItS . coastal . waters.. These would be selected for their sc1ent1fic, te~ hn1cal .c" !::. and artistic merits to be used as an arch1ve to c ~ preserve a visual recor~ of _the Australian mamma ~ i. species; as an aid to b1olog1cal study and research. as a central pool to which photographs taken by the ,....,_."' .. - rofessional staff of the scientific institutions engaged Fn the study of Australian mammals can gravi tate; as a resource to be drawn upon for spread1 ng knowledge and appreciation of Australian mammals and for fostering concern for their conservation. The collection will be used to illustrate a comprehen­ sive reference work on Australian mammals when it has reached a point where this becomes feas ible.

On the advice of the Index's Technical Sub­ Tamie Fraser, special guest at a luncheon organised by Committee, it was decided that the main coll ection The Australian Museum Society, 21 July, 1977, looks for the Mammal Index should take the form of two at the Arid Australia Gallery with Or Harold Cogger, 127mm x 10 1mm duplicate transparencies, of which Deputy Director of The Australian Museum. one would be stored in deep freeze for arch ival preservation and the other used as a working copy. sufficient funds becoming available to embark on the Prints for the National Library would be made on new project. Two grants, each of $5,000 were repayment if required. As 1n the case of the B~rd generously made by the Sydney Myer Charity Trust Index, the main collection would be supplemented and the Utah Foundation respectively, to assist the with a subsidiary collection of 3Smm slides. launching of the new project. While the procedures developed over tre previous Over 100 photographers were enrolled as con­ eight years to form the National Photographic Index tnbutors to the Mammal Index, more than half of of Australian Birds were basically applicable to the them being members of universities and other new project, it became necessary to review the whole educational and research establishments. Over 700 problem and take expert advice before entering this photographs were submitted for Stage I, and these new field of activity. Accordingly, an Advisory were examined during two sessions of the Selection Panel was formed for this purpose, and met on four Panel (Mammals) on 3 and 16 February, 1978. The occasions under the Chairmanship of Dr Lyne. A following participated: Dr A. G. Lyne and Mr B. J. numbered species list had to be specially created Marlow (Science), Mr E. C. Slater (Technical) and before work could begin, and for this, the Trust are Mr A. Robinson (Art). As a result of this exercise, indebted to Mr Ronald Strahan and the scientists who 274 photographs were selected for the collection, 131 participated with him in its compilation. for the main Index and 143 for the sl ide section. 64 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM At the tenth meeting of the Trust on 11 July. 1977, A production unit has been formed within the approval was given to a project to publish a series of Index Office, in premises generously provided b)' folio-type volumes based on the Index with the Trust The Australia n Museum for the Index at 19A acting as its own publisher. Boundary Street, Rushcutters Bay, Sydney. A panel of honorary consultants has been appointed to The following important results can be expected ensure that the book series is developed in the light from the series: it will bring the photographs in the of the best possible advice. The first volume, on Index within the reach of everyone; the colour which work was well under way by the end of the separations produced for the plate-making process­ year, will cover the eighty or so species of Australian being silver-based and fade-free-will simultaneously Warblers-approximately half of which consist of create the best possible medium for ensuring the various wren famili es. The book will have 304 pages. survival of the photographs which are published for of which 192 will be illustrated, with full-page posterity; and the income generated from book treatment given to approximately half of the species. sales will, it is hoped eventually enable the Index to The text will consist of some 40,000 words dealing earn its own keep. with the history and biology of each species, accom­ panied by a reference section at the end of the book The series is conceived as a twentieth century setting out detailed data about each bird. equivalent cf Gould's The Birds of Australia. Pro­ As the year closed, discussions were taking place duction is planned over a ten year period, with an with a number of publishing houses with a view to output of one volume per year. The order of concluding a contract for the distribution of the publication will be governed by the groups of species book. which are best represented in the Index at each stage, with the t itles chosen so that the ten volumes can Progress on the Bird Index is reflected in the eventually be arranged in systematic order. following table:

Totals to 1977-78 ( 1976-77) date (I) Photographs submitted ...... 1,437 ( 1,31 0) 17,751 (2) Photographs accepted for the Index (target 5,000) ...... 149 (363) 4,298 (3) Species represented in the Index (target 803) ...... 2 (20) 737 (4) Photographs accepted for the Transparency Section . . .. 413 (303) 1,880 (5) XT classification included in 4* ...... 153 (76) 324 (6) Species represented in the Transparency Section not yet included 30 in the Index ...... 2 .. (7) Total number of species for wh ich photographs are held (items 3 .. 767 and 6) ......

. . hoto ra h of Index standard of a species for which the quota of photographs has already been reached * XT classificatiOn relatl~s to~~ I dgedpn the Transparency Section so that track of it is not lost. in the collection. A dup 1cate IS 1nc u I 65 ANNUAL REPORT 1977-1978 The tenth meeting of the Index Trust was held at Art: Mr John Olsen, OBE. The Australian Museum on 11 July, 1977, under the Technical Sub-Committee chairmanship of Sir Percy Spender. The Executive Committee met on five occasions under the chair­ Members: Mr H. D. Hughes, FRPS, AIAP; Mr H. D. manship of Mr R. W. Turner. The Advisory Panel Millen, AIAP; Mr E. C. Slater, BEM , EFIAP, on Mammals met on four occasions under the ARPS; Mr A. D. Trounson. chairmanship of Dr A. G. Lyne. The Technical Production Unit Sub-Committee met on three occasions. Co-Ordinator: Mr A. D. Trounson. The Index's Budget ($42,006) was again fully funded, but only as a result of a significant part of the Editorial Assistant: Mr T. R. Li ndsey. overall effort being diverted to fund-raising. A Research Assistant: Ms Zoe Middleton. further grant (the fourth) of $15,000 was received from the Federal Government. Technical Assistant: Mr Wayne Longmore.

NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INDEX OF AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE BOOK PUBLISHING PROJECT LIZARD ISLAND RESEARCH STATION Editorial Team The powerhouse has been completed and is Editor-in-Chief: Mr Vincent N. Serventy, AM, BSc, situated behind the Station near the storage shed. BEd. well away from the salt air. lt has been constructed of cement bricks and will also serve as our cyclone Book Designer: Ms An ita Sattler. shelter, should the need arise. Two generators (12.5 Text: Mr John Douglas Pringle, MA (Former Editor of and 8.5 KVA) are mounted side by side, and either The Sydney Morning Herald) in collaboration can be run to supply the Station with 240 volt power. with: Mr A. R. McGill, FRZS, FRAOU (Science). A large generator of 25 KVA has just arrived on the Island and is to be connected into the system over the Honorary Consultants next few weeks. This will replace the 8.5 KVA unit Scientific: Dr S. J. J. F. Davies, PhD (Western which is now insufficient. Australia); Mr H. J. de S. Disney. MA (NSW); Mr A. R. McGill, FRZS, FRAOU (NSW); Mr A functional dive shop has been constructed by S. A. Parker, BSc (South Australia); Dr D. L. cementing the floor and walling off the verandah of Serventy, PhD, FRAOU (Western Australia). the work shop. A steel reinforced concrete tank has been installed for the filling of scuba bottles, the NOTE: Other·specialists will be invited to join compressor has been moved out from the work shop the Scientific Panel as the book series moves and connected up with a cascade system wh ich ahead into the:ir respective fie lds of expertlze. consists of six EHP cylinders-which means that up to Literary: Professor Leonie Kramer, OBE, MA, DPhil, fifteen scuba bottles can be filled directly without FAHA. starting the compressor. A larger Bauer compressor has been ordered and will be arriving on the next History: Mr E. C. Slater, BEM, EFIAP, ARPS. barge.

66 THE AUSTRALI AN MUSEUM Another small aluminium work boat (Sm Quintrex wires. The purpose of the platform is to provide with 3Shp outboard) brings the number of Station short-term accommodation facilities for workers on boats to five. lt is also capable of trips to the outer the outer barrier reef. barrier when the weather is fine. Dr Goldman has commenced work on a study of The aquarium building has been completed. The fishery statistics relevant to the management of sex­ aquarium room, which can be made lightproof for reversing coral reef fishes . night day experiments, forms a natural extension of the laboratory block with a large semi-covered The month of September was taken up almost outdoor aquari~m bay between it and the library. A exclusively by the LIMER 11 expedition with up to larger 10,000-lltre header tank has been erected twenty-one visitors at the Station. The objective of alongside to provide salt water at constant pressure the expedition was a multidisciplinary study of the to the banks of aquaria. Using these new facilities, metabolic exchanges taking place in a body of water Mr Greg Stroud, a doctoral student from James Cook as it passes over the reef. A radar tracking station University who spends almost six months of the year was set up on t he lagoon shore of Lizard Island and at the Station, has just succeeded in spawning and water samples were taken across the fore and back reefs and analysed fer dissolved and particulate organic rearing the eggs of the reef fish he is studying (Parapercis cylindricus). nutrients, , temperature, salinity and bacteria. Participants included Drs Dave Barnes and Chris Freshwater problems now seem to be over as we Crossland from AIMS; Drs Dave Smith, Harry have a well on the Station with an electric pump Higgins, Barry Scott, Terry Gelding and Nick Bullied capable of providing 2,270 litres per hour. The site from CSIRO, Cronu ll a; Dr Dave Moriarty from for the well was located for us by courtesy of a CSIRO, Brisbane; Dr Bi ll Wiebe from the University water diviner from the Queensland National Parks of Georgia and Dr Peter Brownell from James Cook and Wildlife Service. A 10,000-litre header tank has University. The data are sti ll being analysed but been installed up the hill behind the Station and preliminary results indicate some very interesting provides pressure water to all buildings on the changes in the amounts of nutrients and bacteria in Station. Sinks and drains have been connected to the water-mass as it passes over different reEf zones. the laboratory block and fresh- and salt-water are In all, we had 152 visitors to the Station. This both on tap in the wet-lab. An air conditioner has number comprises sixty-six scientists, sixty-four been installed in the dry-lab, while two more air assistants, and twenty-two geography students from conditioners have arrived at the Station and are soon James Cook University. Of the scientists, thirteen to be installed in the dark-room and library. Many came for two or more trips, and nineteen were of the late Gilbert Whitley's books have been overseas visitors. registered and are now in the library at Lizard Island. In a joint project with Professor Talbot of THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM SOCIETY Macquarie University, a platform has been con­ structed on the outer barrier reef sixteen kilometres The Society has had an extremely active and varied from the Station. The structure, of Scm tubular year, beginning w ith a champagne supper to~ review steel scaffolding, measures four by five metres and 'Arid Australia' with Ms Jill Wran as our official stands six and a half metres high. lt has been guest. cemented to the reef surface and is held down by guy 67 ANNUAL REPORT 1977- 1978 and the General Office. Special assistance was given The members' programme of lectures, film evenings, family days, holiday excursions, cocktail by Mr and Ms N. R. Ireland. parties and dinners was very well attended. The Subscriptions and costs of functions have been kept series on 'Endangered Species', 'Doomsday-When low in accordance with the w1shes of The Australian Will it Be?' and 'Maya Civilization' attracted very Museum Trust. The Council of the Socie ty Intro­ large audiences. duced two new categories of me m be rshrp­ The study trip to Heron Island led by Vincent and Benefactor: $500 and Sponsor: $50 or $100. Carol Serventy was a great success and a highlight of the year was the December Drnner in the Skeleton Gallery. The Society has seen a rapid escalation in member­ ship during the past financial year. Membership now OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES stands at 1,911-the highest since the Inauguration of TAMS In 1971. Thrs has been achieved through Ms Blake is Treasurer of the Australian Society for increased promotional activity: the new display Fish Biology and attended the annual meeting 1n stand in the front foyer of the Museum, an attractive new introductory brochure and well-placed Coffs Harbour. advertisements in major newspapers. Mr Boles was a member of the Executive The Australian Museum Trust honoured the Committee of the NSW Field Ornithologists Club. Society by presenting to us The Australian Museum Vice Chairman of the Ornithologists Section of the medallion commemorating the Sesquicentenary year, NSW Royal Zoological Society, Assistant Secretary for t he special assistance the Society was able to give of the Australian Bird Study Association and on the during the Museum's I 50th Anniversary celebrations. Executive Committee of the Cumberland Bird Atlas. He gave a paper at the Royal Australia n Orni­ As from 30 June, 1977, the Society became the thologists Union Congress at Quorn, South Australia Secretariat for the Australian Federatron of Friends in August. Mr Boles also lectured jointly to t he of Gal leries and Museums. The AGM of the NSW Field Ornithologists Club and Ornithological Federation was held in The Australian Museum in Section of the NSW Royal Zoolog1cal Socrety and November, 1977. Ms Serventy was elected to the Museum Discoverers' Club. President and later represented Australia at the third International Congress of Friends of Museums Dr Cogger continued as a member of the Ed itorial in Florence from 6-11 June, 1978. Advisory Committee of Australian Wrldlrfe Research, as a Research Assocrate of the California Academy of The active encouragement and support given to the Sciences, as an Honorary Associate of the U n1versities Society this year by the Trust and especially by Dr of Sydney and New South Wales, as a member of t he Griffin and the staff of the Museum has been very International Commission for Zoological Nomen­ much appreciated. The Australian Museum Society clature, and as Honorary Consultant rn Herpetology assisted the Museum in providing volunteers for: to the Survival Service Commission of the Anthropology, Ornithology. Conservation, Marine International Union for the Conservation of Nat ure; Invertebrates, Malacology, Ichthyology. Entomology. he resigned from the Council of the Linnean Society Herpetology. Palaeontology. Publicity JPu blications of NSW. 68 TH E AUSTR ALI AN MUSE UM Ms Czuchnicka presented a paper by herself and member of the Council of the Australian Marine Dr Specht on the Norfolk Island archaeological work Sciences Association. During the year Dr Griffin at the ANZAAS Congress in Melbourne. was appointed to the Scientific Advisory Committee Mr ~isn ey ~emained on the Council of the Royal to Australian Broadcasting Commission. Zoolog1cal Society of NSW and the Field Investigation Ms Hingley attended a Symposium on 'Palaeozoic Commi ttee of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Australia and the Development of its Eastern Margin' Union. He continued as President of the Australian at Macquarie University in October, 1977 and a Bird Study Association. He has also continued as Seminar in Melbourne on 'Zeolites of Victoria and Scientist on the selection panel of the bird section of NSW' organized jointly by the Mineralogical Societies the National Photographic Index of Australian ofVictoriaand NSWfrom 3-SJune, 1978. Wildl ife. He was appointed Museum delegate to the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union Taxonomic Dr Hoese is a Councillor of the Australi an Society Commi ttee. for Fish Biology and attended the annual meeting in August. He is also the external supervisor for two Lectures were given by Mr Disney to the Australian graduate students at the University of NSW. A Museum Society and Canberra Ornithologists Group. nu mber of radio interviews on shar ks and sea He spoke to teachers attending the preliminary monsters were given. meeting before the opening of the Museum's Outer Ur ban Arid Zone Exhibition at Penrith. Mr Disney Mr Hunt has continued as President of the NSW Branch of the Museums Association of Australia and he Iped to organize a series of seven bird lectures has also represented the Museum on the NSW arranged by the NSW Field Ornithologists Club Public Service Professional Officers Association. given by Scientists on various aspects of bird biology and sponsored by the Museum and Caltex Oil In May Dr Hutchings participated in a workshop (Australi a) Pty Ltd as part of the I 50th Anniversary on the Planning and Management of the Northern celebrat ions of the Museum. Mr Disney also Barrier Reef, organized by the Great Barrier Reef attended the Parrot Symposium in Melbourne Marine Park Authority in Townsville. She was organized by the Royal Australian Ornithologists Australian Museum Representative on the Council Union. of the Great Barrier Reef Committee, and spent a few days in the South Australian Mu seum examining Mr Gray addressed the NSW Entomological material. Society on aspect of spider relationships. Mr lnder attended the Annual General Conference Dr Greer was appointed to the Editorial Board of of the Museum Association of Australia held in t he journ al of Herpetology and elected to the Council Adelaide 3-6 October, 1977. of t he Linnean Society of NSW. Dr Jones has delivered lectures to University of Dr Griffin continued as a Vice President of the Wollongong and Un iversity of Sydney students and Museu ms Association of Australia, a member of the talks to a variety of groups. He has also advised NSW National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council, bodies such as the State Pollution Control as councillor and member of t he executive of the Commission on the analysis of ecological data. Nati onal Trust of Australia (NSW), a member of the Ms Koettig was elected as a member of the Council Scientific Advisory Committee of the NS~ Public Service Board and (as Immediate Past President) a of the Anthropological Society of NSW. 69 A NNUAL RE PORT 1977-1978 h and 11 April, Mr Marlow paid Between I Marc . ) . . to the British Museum (Natural H1story severa I v1s1ts . h and the Zoological Society of Lon_don ~o examine t e c . s and consult the l1branes and staff. ..!! eo 11 ect1on · ·fi ~ ~ 13 April and 28 June, several sc1ent1 1c ~ Between d d' · <" · · · ·n Africa were visited an 1scu ss1ons