Australian Quality Awards Foundation

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COMMITTED TO AUSTRALIA'S FUTURE LBC'M CCA 0015 Up Front

Koalas and tree-kangaroos often exist in small, isolated colonies with greatly fluctuating populations. Now that their numbers are no longer curtailed by hunting, some colonies are faced with serious overpopulation problems. Unfortunately managing them isn't as simple as relocating colonies, so conservation managers face some tough decisions. Which spiders do you fear most? Odds on it's funnel-webs. Do you stomp on your shoes before :, :,;: z < inserting your foot or carefully check the bottom of �-..,, � ':- ...... � the pool in case one lurks there? These spiders are � 3 often accredited with legendary powers, so we sent < V funnel-web expert Mike Gray on a myth-breaking mission. Working directly across the corridor from him has its moments, as sometimes on particularly hot days, Mike has cooled off his heat­ stressed subjects by putting them in our fridge! Another summertime paranoia is the fear of sharks. These maligned creatures are detested and feared by people, yet we are more likely to be killed by a lightning strike than a shark! Indeed, people are a greater threat to sharks-for every person killed by a shark over 23 million kilograms of sharks and rays are killed by people. Also in this issue we look into the life of the talented but unrecognised Elizabeth Gould, who did most of the illustrations for John Gould's famous books; we find a platypus in South America, take a bird's-eye look at Australia with a pilot-turned-photographer Lindsay Stepanow, and learn about the potentially lethal hitchhikers in ship's ballast water.

Lindsay Stepanow: self portrait. -Fiona Doig & Georgina Hickey, Editors

ANH �NH OF KOALAS, TREE­ Summer 1992-93 KANGAROOS AND MEN Volume 24 Number 3 Most Australians are aware that Koalas are protected but Published by few realise that isolated The Australian Museum Trust populations often exhibit 6-8 College Street, cyclical changes in Sydney, NSW 2000 abundance, with eruptions Phone: (02) 339 811l followed by abrupt crashes. Fax: (02) 339 8313 Trust President: Robyn Williams The question raised is: what Museum Director: Desmond Griffin do we do when there are too MANAGING EDITOR many Koalas? Fiona Doig, B.A. Comm. BY ROGER MARTIN SCIENTIFIC EDITOR 22 Georgina Hickey, B.Sc. EDITORIAL COORDI ATOR Jennifer Saunders, B.Sc. ART DIRECTION Watch This! Design TYPESETTING Keen Permofllm PRINTING Excel Printing Company, ELIZABE TH GOULD Hong Kong MARKETING AND SALES John1804-1841 Gould is well known as Mike Field a colonial naturalist through Phone: (02) 339 8331 his brilliantly illustrated SUBSCRIPTIONS books. Less understood is that Mary Pollinger many of those lavish Phone: (02) 339 8119 illustrations were done by his Toll-free (008) 028 558 Fax: (02) 339 8313 long-suffering wife Elizabeth, Annual subscription (4 Issues) who managed to Within Australia SA30 circumnavigate the world, Other Countries SA42 produce 600 illustrations and Two-year subscription (8 Issues) raise six children during her Within Australia SASS short life. Other Countries SA78 Three-year subscription (12 Issues) FUNNEL-WEBS: BY MAUREEN Within Australia SASl.00 SEPARATING FACT LAMBOURNE Other Countries SA108.00 FROM FICTION It is claimed they can leap tall 40 New subscriptions can be made by credit card on the ANH toll-free hotline people, live under water and 008-028 558 or use the form in this magazine. bite through shoe leather. If it has been removed, send cheque, money Summer is the season for order or credit card authorisation to the funnel-webs and Australia's address above, made payable to the i'\ustralian expert gives the latest and Museum' in Australian currency. most up-to-date facts about All material appearing in ANH is copyright. these greatly feared spiders, Reproduction in whole or in part is not while laying to rest many permitted without written authorisation from fallacies. the Editor. Opinions expressed by the authors are their BY MIKE GRAY own and do not necessarily represent the 32 policies or views of the Australian Museum. ANH is printed on archival quality paper suitable for library collections. Published 1992 lSSN-0004-9840 SHARK ATTACK: BUT WHO'S THE VICTIM? Sharks have been seen by people as primitive, vicious, ANH is proud winner of the 1987, mindless eating-machines that ·ss, ·s9, '90, '91 & ·92 terrify people with the 'threat' Whitley Awards for Best of being 'eaten alive'. Yet the Periodical. reality is that people are Front Cover Many peopl� are campaigning to 'Save the Koala', attacking sharks to the point but conservingsmall patches of habitat can lead to ofendangeri ng them. overpopulation within colonies. As relocation is not always wise or possible, conservation BY JOHN D. STEVENS & managers face some tough decisions. Photo: JOHN R. PAXTON L.F. Schick. 46 2 ANH W I L D F O O D S QUIPS, QUOTES & CURIOS ITALIANS AND BIRDS, Egg-beater in the Eye; KANAKAS AND YAMS Wrinkles Rule OK; Violets A fascinating wild foods are Blue, Roses are ...; culture exists in the sugar belt Blue Whale Stranding; of norlhern Queensland. It Upsetting the Ballast; sprang from two groups: the Dinosaur Gastroliths; Taking Italians who supplemented The Bit between the Teeth; their diets with wild birds, Middens or Nests?; The and the Kanakas from the Spider and the Fly; Dog Melanesian islands who had Scents Nonsense; Quick Quiz. a fondness for Taro and yams. 6 BY TIM LOW 18

P R O F L E ROCKCHOPPER: DR PETER HUNT DES TI N ATIO NS Making awkward noises had always been his forle, so why CAPE YORK not have a larger audience? A pilgrimage to the top of No commercial broadcasting Australia during the wet THE BACKYARD NATURALIST organisation would dream of season is rewarded by some hiring such a brilliant spectacular birdwatching, not DECEMBER DECIBELS 'eccentric' but for the ABC he to mention crocodiles, quolls, In Australia December is was clearly a challenge. possums and pythons. heralded by a choir of cicadas drumming out their regular BY ROBYN WILLIAMS BY TIM LOW beat. First in a new series in 20 66 which Steve Van Dyck REVIEWS enlightens us on some of the The Cambridge Encyclopedia more familiar and often of Ornithology; Australia's nostalgic animals. Endangered Species; An Atlas of Queensland's Frogs, BY STE VE VAN DYCK Reptiles, Birds & Mammals; 14 The Toung Naturalist Series; Reflections of Melanesia; The Care and Handling of RARE & EN DANGE RED Australian Native Animals; BANTENG State of the World. These gracile cattle from 62 South-East Asia are vulnerable in their homeland but plentiful in Australia's Top End, posing some tricky management questions for conservationists. PHOTOA RTTH E LAST WO RD BY DAVID BOWMAN AERIAL ESCAPES THE GENOME 16 To fly above the landscapes GOLD RUSH and capture images ofpassing Jim Watson's resignation from beauty... a pilot turns the Human Genome Project photographer to give us a new was in protest against the perspective on this country. patenting of human genetic BY LINDSAY STEPANOW material. Has the project become an unholy scramble 54 for proprietary rights? BY JOHN MERSON VIEWS FROM THE FOUR TH DIMENSION 72 PATAGONIAN PLATYPUS Discovery of a tiny fossil tooth in South America disintegrated our cherished QUESTIONS & ANSWERS conviction that Australia is LffiERS Huddle or Die; Sizeable the sole parent of the Passover: the Woman'.s Role; Feast; Small Talk; Slow but Platypus. Sawflies and Pollination; Dangerous; Answers to Quiz; BY MIKE ARCHER Name of the Game. Pie Teaser. 60 4 70 3 ANH Passover: for ingredients) constitutes a the female from a grass stem, the Woman's Role major input into the festival. In flies into the wide blue yonder LETTERS I read with interest your addition, the woman of the and, after completing copula­ QQC report on research into house has responsibility for tion, places her back down at The forum for readers to deferment of death until after preparing the ceremonial plat­ ground level where she can lay air their views about their important occasions (ANH Au­ ter (shown in the illustration) her eggs. The larvae, when tumn 1992). and for setting the table and hatched, form that repulsive concerns past article,; and I wish to challenge the basic for serving food on the night. writhing mass of 'spitfires'. interesting personal events assumption of the researchers In orthodox families, there is The Flying Duck Orchid that Passover is more impor­ a requirement that the whole takes advantage of this proce­ tant to Jewish men than to Jew­ house is thoroughly cleaned dure. The excited male grasps ish women. It is true that, in before the Passover and that the 'head' of the 'duck' and tries orthodox or religious families, all crockery, cutlery and cook­ to fly off. The ingenuity of na­ the man has responsibility for ing utensils are replaced with ture then enters the game. many of the important special ones used only during The irritable 'head' is at­ ceremonial functions connect­ Passover, and that the every­ tached by a stalk to a flat strap. ed with Passover. However, day kitchenwares are packed The momentum of the sawfly the equally important role of away; or if a complete replace­ holding the 'head' as it flies, women has been disregarded. ment set is not available, spe­ swings it down and into the The Passover Seder (or cial cleaning of each item must 'body' of the 'duck' (the flower). ceremonial meal) consists of take place to purify it for the Here it is pressed firmly, two essential components: the Passover. All this is generally upside-down, probably tem­ ceremony, which is traditional­ women's work. Approximate porarily stunned, against the ly conducted by the senior time spent cleaning and column while the pollen grains male member of the family; cleansing would be about three are stuck to the sawfly's back, and the meal, which in both days. before being released. traditional and modern families These are not merely The gullible insect then flies is generally the responsibility peripheral aspects of the Pass­ off to hopefully repeat the mis­ of the woman. The meal is not over; they are central and in­ take with another Flying Duck tegral to this important Orchid, this time depositing festival. the pollen from its back onto The assumption that Pass­ the next flower, thus achieving over is of more significance to pollination. Jewish men than to Jewish Upsetting the current women is simply not correct. balance by increasing the para­ The results of Phillips' and sitic \vasp population to control King's research must be sawflies would, in the long run, brought into question, because account for the demise of one of their most important another of our wonderful na­ basic assumptions does not tive orchids. Biological con­ stand up to examination of the trols are to me only acceptable facts. If there is indeed a when both predator and prey difference between male and are exotic and specific. female mortality rates after -Reg Angus Passover, the causes must be Dee Why, NSW sought elsewhere. In considering the potential -Bernice Cohen impact of the wasp Ta eniogona­ Passover: the women's contributions Norwood, SA los venatoria on populations of should not be overlooked. the sawfly Lophyrotoma Sawflies and Pollination leachii, Mr Angus has over­ merely an optional extra-it is It was with interest that looked several fundamental an essential and equal compo­ read Philip Weinstein's article and obvious facts about the bi­ nent of the evening's festivi­ "Undermining spitfire defence ology and ecology of these spe­ ties. In less religious families, strategies" (ANH Summer cies. Both species are endemic the meal becomes more im­ 1991-92), but I was horrified to Australia, and if T. venator­ portant than the ceremony, with his suggestion for using ia were capable of parasitising which may be allotted only 15 the parasitic wasp Taeniogona­ L. leachii, it is likely that it minutes in a three to four hour los venatoria to control saw­ would already be doing so. family gathering. flies. Comments such as this However, T. venatoria has The Passover meal is very are frightening and throw never been recorded from L. special and even the poorest doubt on the author's under­ leachii, nor is it likely to be so in Jewish families will attempt to standing of ecology, regardless the future. There are many rea­ provide a substantial repast. A of his qualifications. sons for this; the more obvious typical Seder meal in a family The sole pollinator of our ones include habitat, behaviour with Ashkenazi origins will fascinating Flying Duck Orchid and population dynamics. comprise the following: chick­ (Caleana major) is a sawfly This wasp species is found in en soup and kneidlach (dump­ species with a flightless female inland New South Wales, Aus­ lings)-approximate prepara­ (Lophyrotoma leachii). The or­ tralian Capital Territory, Vic­ tion time, three hours; gefillte chid mi'"llics the female sawfly toria and eastern South � fish, five hours; meat and shape and also releases copy­ Australia. On the other hand, � vegetables, three hours; mat­ cat scents to attract the male. the sawfly Lophyrotoma leachii ; zah pudding, two hours. A total Under normal circumstances is found in coastal New South � of 12 hours preparation time this particular species mates Wales, Queensland and north­ � (exc]uding time spent shopping on the wing. The male plucks ern Northern Territory. The

4 ANH ft •• 304 PEA SOUP

Drier than a japara and less plastic than a mac, the One Planet PEA SOUP is the ideal jacket for murky weather. It's perfect for rainy rambles with the dog or foggy strolls in London, and it will keep you comfortable during all of vour walks in the wild. I rainfall, temperature and vege­ manipulating their natural The Scaly-breasted Lorikeet tation differences between these parasites or predators. Insects underwent a dramatic change in areas of distribution are unlike­ and other invertebrates are too Williamson's play. ly to favour the survival of often neglected by conserva­ either species in an area where tionists, and drawing attention new committee, being almost the other is found. The wasp ob­ to their roleas pollinators is one all scientists, treated their task viously cannot parasitise a saw­ effective means of increasing as being an exercise in fly species that is geographically awareness of their conservation taxonomy. removed from itself, no matter value. When particular insects At present there is confu­ how many there are! have clear conservation value, sion. My brother and I both This wasp is a poor flier, and as does L. leachii, it is counter­ tried to get a new vernacular oviposits predominantly in productive to refer to their lar­ names committee set up to those trees nearest to where it vae as "repulsive''. create euphonius and more emerges or is released. If it were -Phillip Weinstein popular names where needed introduced into a eucalypt plan­ Australian National University without success. Such a group tation, as my article suggests, would need to have a majority parasitism would be confined to Name of the Game of those whose profession is those insect larvae that defoliate The author of the letter writing and include at least one plantation eucalypts. The lar­ regarding common names poet. The PEA SOUP is made from vae of L. leachii do not defoliate (ANH Autumn 1992) has many Who could use Black-faced waterproof and breathable Milair, plantation eucalypts. friends in agreement. Where Cuckoo-shrike in verse? And because fog and damp belong When there is a large in­ birds are concerned, there had Scaly-breasted Lorikeet is so outside jackets, not in them. crease in the numbers of a pest been an attempt in the past to unpleasant that dramatist species, this is usually because improve the vernacular names David Williamson changed it to the pest has 'escaped; in time or of our birds with some suc­ Green Lorikeet in his play The PEA SOUP is a fullv featured in space, from the parasites and cess. The intention of this "Money and Friends". There rain jacket that doesn't blow vour predators that normally keep change was to make bird study are also Aboriginal names that budget. It packs small and k�eps the population in check. The more popular among lay folk might supply ideas. The you dry. What more could parasites eventually catch up, and, in particular, children. RAOU should have another you want? but serious crop damage could The worst of the old book try. occur in the interim. By in­ names were changed but there -Vincent Serventy troducing this parasitic wasp were still a number left as rel­ Pearl Beach, NSW into populations of sawflies that ics of the past. do defoliate eucalypt forest In 1969 my brother prepared (namely, Perga dorsalis) before An index of Australian bird ANH welcomes letters for the latter reach outbreak names, which was published by publication and requests that proportions, one is merely ad­ the CSIRO. Then the RAOU they be limited to 250 words For the complete O E PLA ET vancing in time what would decided that a new vernacular and typed if possible. Please have occurred anyway. Taeruo­ names committee should be supply a daytime telephone story, please send this coupon: gonalos venatoria wasps would set up. Unlike the first com­ number and type or print therefore not present a threat to mittee the members were your name and address clear­ L. leachii sawflies unless it almost all professional scien­ ly on the letter. The best let­ :S-:ame... were already doing so tists with little appreciation ter in each issue will receive Address ... naturally. that vernaculars were used by a $20 gift voucher from the Specific exotic biological con­ lay people and encouraged Museum catalogue. The win­ ....Postcod e trol agents clearly do not exist them to enjoy our wildlife. ner this issue is Bernice for endemic pests, and such Scientists use scientific names Cohen of Norwood, SA. pests can only be controlled by and have no problems. The ,l..... ANH 5 tances, up to two centimetres in the large eyes of birds. Such distances are too far for diffu­ sion to be the sole means by QUOTES & CURIOS which the retina's high meta­ bolic demands are satisfied. This is where the saccadic os­ Vl cillations come in. They evolved to enable the pecten to c.. drive nutrients bevond the dis­ tances accessible ·by diffusion. \Ve recently visualised this process by injecting the green dve fluoroscein into the bird's cfrculation and taking a video of the back of the eve. A Tawnv Frogmouth (Podargus strigol­ des) was the first subject be­ Egg-beater in aimed at revealing its role. It cause of its cooperative be­ wasn't until Christine Wildsoet haviour. This bird will sit still in COMPILED the Eye (Queensland University of its ·camouflage posture' while Te chnology), Josh Wallman one brings a camera close to BY ll birds' eyes have a peculiar (City University of New York) its eye. In addition, frog­ A structure inside called the and I teamed up to try and ex­ mouths do not blink very GEORGINA pecten, so named because of plain another puzzling feature often. thereby allowing a much HICKEY its comb-like folds. The pleat­ unique to the avian eye that better view of the oscillations. ed structure of the pecten the picture became clear. The rapid stirring action of the bears some resemblance to an Called saccadic oscillations, pecten during a saccadic oscil­ egg-beater or to the agitator in they rotate the eye back and lation led to plumes of green. an old-fashioned washing forth rapidly around the axis of fluoroscein-stained fluid being machine. This comparison may the pecten (20-30 times per distributed from the edge of sound bizarre, but recent work second for 3-10 cycles, de­ the pecten, where it is secret­ has shown that the pecten in­ pending on the species of ed. to the far reaches of the deed functions as an agitator bird). eye· inside the eye, stirring its con­ The pecten is packed with The new findings help to ex­ tents to aid the delivery of blood vessels with tiny pores plain why birds spend up to ten nutrients to a retina free of allowing nutrients to escape per cent of their total seeing blood vessels. toward the retina. However, in time jiggling their eyes in a way The exact function of the the absence of blood vessels to that must make it difficult for pecten had remained obscure, deliver nutrients to the far them to see during these despite hundreds of different corners of the eye, these times. But this potential defect theories and experiments nutrients must diffuse long dis- in their vision has a compensa­ tory benefit. Because there are no retinal blood vessels in the bird's eye like those that disrupt the retinal image of mammals, birds can enjoy acute vision over a much wider field of view. In mammals, vi­ sion is most acute in the blood vessel-free area of the retina (called the fovea), but drops off quickly away from that area. In birds, the image quality is maintained over the whole field of view. Consequently, pigeons trained to scan the ocean for orange life support gear per­ form much better than humans in search and rescue teams be­ cause the pigeons do not have to move their eyes around. Similarly, my tame owl can de­ tect out of the comer of its eye a tiny target in the sky, which is visible to me only after I have painstakingly managed to direct my fovea toward it by us­ ing the vague clues provided by the attention of the bird. -Jack Pettigrew Vision, Touch & Hearing Research Centre University of Queensland

6 ANH Slinging mud has its benefits.

casts were coated with mud and exposed to a warm dry at­ mosphere, they were found to retain moisture for about 23 hours (compared to 18 hours for flat casts). What's more. mud applied to the sculptured skin casts adhered throughout the drying period but mud ap­ plied to casts of smooth sur­ facescracked into loose pieces and dropped off. Folds and wrinkles, it appears, enhance mud adherence. Lillywhite and Stein believe differences -in the degree of sculpturing between the Afri­ can Elephant and its Indian cousin reflect the different habitats of these gargantuan beasts. African Elephants live in comparatively dry habitat where they are exposed to direct radiation in seasonally arid climates; Indian Elephants tend to inhabit forests at lati­ tudes where exposure to direct solar radiation and de­ casts made of flat surfaces. hydrating conditions is less. Wrinkles Rule OK with water retention being The researchers suggest that o worshippers of baby­ greater in the casts of African the principal advantage of the Tsmooth skin, there could be Elephants (Loxodonta afric­ more closely textured skin of few more abhorrent sights ana), whose skin is coarser the African Elephant may sim­ than metres of sun-tanned skin with deeper folds, than those ply be its capacity to grasp that with wrinkles so deep you of Indian Elephants (Elephas age-old preserver of life and could lose a lizard in them. maximus). When the skin beauty-the mud pack. -S.H. And yet, to elephants that sport such skin, those wrin­ kles are more precious than all the skin creams in Arabia. A study by Harvey Lillywhite and VIOLETS ARE BLUE, ROSES ARE ... Barbara Stein of the University ... blue! Well, they could be must transfer the petunia gene of Kansas has shown that wrin­ soon. Roses come in rich red, into roses.They will use a genet­ kles help the skin to absorb soft pink, snow white, pale yel­ ically modified bacterium to and retain precious water. low, even grey or brown, but 'carry' the gene into the rose Because elephants lack they don't come in any shade of plant. sweat and sebaceous glands, blue. This is a major oversight All things going well, the first to maintain body temperature on nature's part. Blue is a very blue roses will appear by late they must regularly wet their popular colour. 1993. This will leave authors of almost hairless hides. If they It is impossible to produce a etiquette guides with a problem. have access to water, blue rose by conventional breed­ If red roses are for passion and elephants bathe daily. When no ing techniques because roses white roses are for purity, what surface water can be found, lack the gene for making blue will blue roses be for? - C.A. 'they are known to dig for sub­ pigment. Researchers at Cal­ terranean water and, if all else gene Pacific, a biotechnology fails, they use their trunks to company based in Melbourne, withdraw regurgitated water are attempting to use genetic from their throats. Elephants engineering to give roses the re­ also coat their backs with mud, quired 'blue gene'. If they suc­ either by wallowing directly in ceed, they and the Australian mud or by spraying dirt over flower industry stand to do very the wet hide to create a form­ well. World sales of cut rose fitted mud suit. This natural flowers net $USS billion a year. spackle insulates the skin from The export potential for blue direct solar radiation, which in roses is enormous. tum significantly reduces de­ After several years' work, Dr hvdration. Edwina Cornish and her team · Lillywhite and Stein made la­ have successfully isolated the tex casts of the skin surfaces gene from petunias. Next they of African and Indian Elephants. These retained 4.5 to 10 times more water than

ANH Upsetting the Ballast everal recent studies have shown that foreign marine organismsS have been intro­ duced into Australian waters as a result of ships discharging their ballast water as they take on cargo. Among the organ­ isms are various species of fish. polychaete worms. mol­ luscs, crustaceans and. most alarmingly, toxic dinotlagell­ ates (planktonic single-celled algae). BLUE WHALE STRANDING The introduction of these foreign umvanted organisms is On 5 May 1992 a young male very thin, about five centimetres potentially a se,·ere threat be­ Blue Whale (Balaenoptera compared to the usual 15. The cause, once released into our musculus), 18. 7 metres long, carcass was stripped of its flesh, ,vaters, thev cannot be eradi­ was found dead on the beach at and further cleaning of the cated. A toxic algal bloom (or Cathedral Rock, five kilometres skeleton is continuing in a low­ red tide) can cause paralytic from Lorne in western Victoria. activity sewerage pond. shellfish poisoning in humans It was the Museum of Victoria's Not only will the prepared and can close down shellfish job to collect the animal whole, skeleton have great visual ap­ harvesting for many months. and prepare an articulated peal, it will also provide impor­ This would have severe eco­ skeleton for display. tant scientific information. In nomic repercussions for the Salvage of the dead weight the early 1960s a small subspe­ aquaculture industry. was a mammoth task. Bull­ cies of the Blue Whale, the Pyg­ Although not a problem res­ dozers dragged it from the my Blue Whale (8. m. tricted to Australia, we are beach, three cranes lifted it onto brevicauda), was described. < perhaps at greater risk than z a semi-trailer during the night, 0 While there are some criteria other countries because we z and it was transported to Werri­ that may distinguish this from are a net exporter of raw bee Treatment Complex where a the traditional 'Blue', it is not an materials (iron ore. coal. grain, w work site and facilities were easy task. Could our specimen c. woodchips) and we thus .. provided. A post-mortem was be a Pygmy Blue? Only careful receive an enormous volume carried out but no definitive study of the complete skeleton of ballast ,vater (over 65 million cause of death could be will tell. tonnes per annum, 59 million established. It was noted, -Joan M. Dixon of which are from overseas) in however, that the blubber was Museum of Victoria numerous Australian ports. Providing solutions to this problem is not simple. To be­ gin with, a ballast tank is not

Ships are encouraged to reballast at sea.

8 ANH just a large area inside the ship discharge of ballast water. that is filled with water in lieu Ships are being encouraged to of cargo. It is a complex struc­ reballast at sea. where the up­ ture with numerous compart­ take of sediment is minimised. ments and supporting struts and also not to take on ballast that give the ship its structural water during a red tide. strength. This means it is vir­ A Scientific Working Group tually impossible to completely on ballast water introductions empty a ballast tank of its and potential control mechan­ \\ater and accumulated sedi­ isms has been established. ment (where many of the un­ The group consists of scien­ wanted organisms occur). This tists. people from the shipping can only be done (with industry, tale fisheries. AQIS difficulty) when the ship is in and various government dry dock. departments. This multidis­ Initially it was suggested that ciplinary approach is essential, ships exchange their ballast as the problem has so many water in mid ocean. thus swap­ facets and has major economic ping coastal organisms for consequences for our aquacul­ oceanic organisms. which are ture, shipping and export in­ unlikely to survive \\·hen they dustries. are discharged into our ports. - Pat Hutchings However. this can only be done Australian Museum on board small ships in calm weather: larger ships would Dinosaur break their 'backs'. Further­ more. studies have shown that Gastroliths the ballast water must be astroliths may have been flushed more than three times digestive aids in the long before exchange is 100 per distantG past but in the modern cent, and even then accumulat­ age they have done nothing but ed sediments may remain in give palaeontologists stomach­ out of gastrolith identification. When is a gastrolith or gizzard the tank. aches. l ew work, however, Laser light shone onto a sur­ stone just a rock? Roger Johnston Another possible solution in­ usmg light-scattering tech­ face will be reflected at a cer­ analyses a sample. volves chemical treatment on mques should, at last. dispel tain angle and intensity board. But this is becoming an some of the controversy sur­ according to the relief charac­ increasingly unlikely option be­ rounding these rocks from the teristics of the surface (such as cause of the cost, the problem alimentary canals of dinosaurs. the depth of its pits, and the of disposing of the chemically It is thought these rocks angles of the walls of the pits). treated water, and also the fact were sv.-allowed by dinosaurs The rougher the surface, the that toxic dinoflagellates have to help grind up food in their more scattered the light. John­ the ability to produce a resting gizzards in the same way that ston and his colleagues found spore stage that is extremely some birds today swallow that gastroliths tend to be resistant to chemicals. Anoth­ smaller stones. As· a result of much smoother (that is, reflect er possibility is to filter the the mechanical and chemical the light with less scattering) water as it is taken on board. processes of dinosaur diges­ compared to river rocks, due But again there are problems. tion. gastroliths are usually to the time they spent in the Because the organisms are highly polished and round. Un­ gizzard (the smoothness being verv small. the filters would fortunately other rocks, partic­ measured is somewhere be­ have to be very fine and thus ularly those tumbled in rivers. tween smoothness on a would easily clog. This in turn can have a similar appearance. molecular level and smooth­ would mean that the uptake of So when is a gastrolith a gas­ ness of your kitchen table!). ballast water could be delayed trolith? The method provides the by many hours or even days, Identifying gastroliths up un­ opportunity to review the sta­ making it an extremely costly til recently has relied on some tus of many suspected gas­ exercise -one that the ship­ rather arbitrary and controver­ troliths. If they can be ping companies are unlikely to sial criteria. For example, ge­ identified as gastroliths, the comply with. ologists demand that a number of genuine specimens The main considerations for gastrolith must be found with available for research could anv solution are that it must be the bones of a dinosaur. Be­ rise dramatically providing a effective and cheap-in terms cause many bones do not actu­ vast new range of opportuni­ of time and money. If Australia ally fossilise and because those ties to better understand \\aS to impose costly meas­ that do can be scattered, a lot dinosaur digestion, population ures, overseas countries would of potential gastroliths may and migration. buy their raw material and have been disregarded over -K.McG. primary produce from else­ the years. where. Roger Johnston, Kim Man­ Carrie Arkinstall (education In an attempt to reduce the ley and Cheryl Lemanski of the officer at the Australian Mus­ risks of introductions of exotic Los Alamos National Laborato­ eum), Dr Suzanne Hand (biologist organisms into Australian ry in New Mexico have deve­ at the University of NSW) and Ka­ waters, the Austrnlian Quaran­ loped a practical, effective, ren McGhee (freelance science tine and Inspection Service non-destructive technique us­ writer living in Newcastle) are (AQIS) has imposed a series of ing light scattering that takes regular contributors to QQC. voluntary guidelines on the the 'hit-or-miss' subjectivity

ANH 9 riding or driving, providing a Taking the Bit mechanism for controlling the Middens or Nests? between the Teeth animal's pace and direction of small furore has erupted in movement. Bit wear on horses' Aarchaeological circles with arkings left by bits on teeth therefore offers an claims that the large and spec­ Mhorses' teeth suggest that avenue for identifying the use tacular shell mounds that dot the invention of the wheel of horses as transport. Since the northern Australian coast­ wasn't the first major develop­ wheels were not invented be­ line were built not by humans ment in human land trans­ fore 3300 BC, a bitted horse but by birds. For decades, it port...horseback riding was. earlier than that could only has been widely believed that The advent of horseback rid­ have been a mount. they are middens of Aboriginal ing represents a landmark in Although a bit is intended to origin -huge waste dumps human cultural evolution. It remain on the soft tissue in the built up over centuries by almost tripled the distances horse's mouth, horses can and generations of Aborigines on a and pace of daily travel, revolu­ do lift the bit off these sensi­ shellfish diet. tionising all aspects of life at tive areas onto their teeth, Questions about the origins the time from trade to combat. particularly their premolars. of the mounds have been Until now, however, it has been The huge strength of the raised most recently by Tim uncertain exactly when this horse's mandibular muscles Stone. a postgraduate student important event first took grinds the bit on the teeth in the Geography Department place. causing wear marks. of the Australian National Archaeological evidence has Anthony and Brown com­ University. Stone argues that been available for some time to pared the premolars from the mounds have been scraped Tell-tale marks left on teeth by a suggest that horseback riding modern-day domestic bitted and raked together by genera­ bridle's bit provide clues to the originated between 4000 BC horses with those from tions of Orange-footed Scrub­ origin of horseback riding. Top: and 3500 BC in the Ukraine. modern-day feral horses that fowl (Megapodius reinwardt). the wear on this 4,000-year-old This evidence includes antler had never worn bits. Using the He claims the coastal mounds premolar from the Ukraine is very tines shaped like cheek-pieces scanning electron microscope bear a "striking resemblance" similar to that of modern billed from early bridles, discovered they identified and clarified the to the large shell and earth horses. in Copper Age culture sites in wear as distinguishable from nests of the Northern Te rrito­ the Ukrainian steppes, north other tooth wear. They then ry, which ecologists describe of the Black Sea. I one of the set about looking for these as scrubfowl incubation nests. evidence, however, has been marks on teeth unearthed at According to Stone, the coastal conclusive. Until recently, that archaeological sites in Iran and mounds have long been aban­ > z 0 is. the Ukraine. They concluded doned by the scrubfowl, and ;: z David Anthony and Dorcas that horseback riding did, in the organic matter they would < 0 Brown, from Hartwick College fact, originate in the Ukraine in have contained to provide the � in Oneonta, New York, be­ about 4000 BC, several centu­ heat for egg incubation has lieved that the necessary proof ries before the advent of the decayed. "' :::, could be found on horses' wheel. Stone says the Aboriginal 0 u teeth. Bits are only used for -K.McG. origin theory for the mounds has grown in spite of claims by Aboriginal people, both histori­ cally and today, that birds are responsible for the mounds. Prehistorians have been too eager, he argues, for Australia to have its own archaeological monuments. Although some of the mounds contain Aboriginal ar­ tefacts, Stone suggests these have been raked in by scrub­ fowlor could have been left by Aborigines camping on the mounds. In fact, Stone goes on to argue that archaeological in­ terpretation in Australia should pay more attention to interfer­ ence by birds at prehistoric sites. The removal and reloca­ tion of artefacts by birds may have skewed the archaeologi­ cal record in more than one in­ stance. Stone's theory has many critics within the archaeologi­ cal establishment. Among them are Cambridge Universi­ ty archaeologist Geoff Bailey, who has examined more than 300 of the Weipa mounds, and Roger Cribb, a prehistorian at­ tached to the Alice Springs

10 ANH World's best selling compass with the world's best selling map and compass book. 1. Silva 15T Ranger, the highest quality liquid filled compass from the world's best selling compass name. Shockproof, waterproof and luminous for night use. Sighting mirror for 1° pinpoint accuracy. Finest Swedish steel magnetic needle on sapphire jewelled bearing. Inch, mm, 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 Large shell mounds in the Weipa and geomorphologists. The romer scales. Baseplate with non-slip friction grips and lanyard area of Cape York. natural habitat of the Orange­ with adjustable slider. Handsome presentation gift box. footed Scrubfowl is monsoon Instructions booklet. Five year warranty. $90 plus $6 p/p Central Land Council. vine forest, and the distribu­ 2. Be Expert with Map & Compass. Undoubtedly the 'bible' Bailey asserts that: "Only tion of the mounds that Stone of map and compass use. Over 500,000 copies sold in 4 languages! someone who had not visited claims to be discarded nests The A-Z of outdoor navigation from beginner to serious outdoor the area or who knew nothing ties in with evidence of past adventurer level. Clear and concise terms. Fully illustrated. With about archaeological field ob­ distributions of this kind of servation would be fooled into forest. a new section on Orienteering. How to join in an Orienteering confusing [middens and scrub­ Further work in progress by etc.event, etc. Fullcolour practice map in back cover. fowl nests]". Cribb, however, Stone has shown that shells $27.50 plus $6 p/p admits that it is possible to from all levels of one particular 3. Special offerto ANH readers. Silva 1ST compass and "confuse" the two. He des­ mound are the same radiocar­ Be Expert with Map & Compass book. $99 plus $10 pip cribes four types of mounds bon age. which means they did :II'( \Vhcn ordering compass for overseas use please indicate country, as from the Cape York area: mid­ not accumulate gradually as compass needle has to be specially balanced to allow for magnetic dip. To order send coupon or phone (03) 489 9766 for eel. cred_it card orders. dens, oven mounds, shell would be expected if they were ORIENTEERING SERVICE OF AUSTRALIA mounds and 'mounded mid­ deposited by generations of 44 Alexandra Pde, Clifton Hill, Melbourne Vic 3068. Fax (03) 481 5368 dens' (which appear to be Aborigines. Stone now be­ ------either scrub hen mounds lieves the mounds are deposits Please forward: Compass only D Book only D incorporating archaeological of coarse shell gravel left by Compass and book D. material or archaeological fea­ the sea as the shoreline built If compass is foruse overseas, which country? tures reworked by scrub out over the past 2,000 years, 0 My Cheque/Money Order is enclosed, OR please charge my hens). However, Stone argues and that their conical shapes D Bankcard D Mascc:rcard D Visa that these are not different can only be explained in terms types of mound, just one type of subsequent scrubfowl activi­ I I I I of mound with different kinds ty. Stone's latest findings are Cardholder's Name of sediment. yet to be published. When Despite the criticisms from they are, though, it will be Cardholder's Address the archaeological fraternity, very interesting to hear how Expiry Dace Stone's theory has received his critics respond. Signature support from biogeographers -K.McG.

ANH 11 then join an ant-trail and hunt down its prey. Ant mimicry may also be an effective defence against predatory birds. The birds avoid the ants because of their objectional taste and. by associating shape with taste. may al o avoid the ant-like spiders. There are obviously lots of ideas as to why jumping spiders are such prolific mim­ ics. What is needed is a few avid spider-watchers to test the validity of these ideas. -Robert Taylor & Liz Turner Tasmanian Forestry Commission Tasmanian Museum Dog Scents Nonsense he scales of justice have sometimes tipped under resembles a flv's head. The Why does the abdomen of this theT weight of evidence based The Spider and spider was caught in a pitfall jumping spider mimic the head of on the presumed infallibility of trap in dry sclerophyll forest in a fly? the canine sense of smell. But the Fly north-eastern Tasmania. The a recent study from the US verybody knows about the undergrowth there is very used as a food offering to the questions the traditional views Erelationship between the open with a scattered covering female to allow him to mate. of the olfactory capabilities of spider and the fly: the spider of bracken. A spider that in­ There are many examples ·man's best friend'. builds the web and entangles habits such open areas may be within the salticids of insect Lehr Brisbin, from the the fly. However. a species of subject to high rates of preda­ rrum1cry. pecies of the avannah River Ecology spider recently discovered in tion from birds and lizards. tropical genus Diolenius are Laboratory in outh Carolina, Tasmania omewhat blurs this These predators may find it also known to mimic flies. Ant and Steven Austad, from Har­ clear-cut relationship. The harder to catch a fast-flying in­ mimicry has been recorded in vard University, set out to test spider belongs to the genus sect. such as a fly. in compari­ the genus Myrmarachne. In whether dogs could discern Maratus in the family Saltici­ son with a terrestrial spider. these species the abdomen their trainer's smell from that dae. Salticids are active hun­ Thus, if this species is able to has evolved a constricted area of other humans, regardless of ters, commonly referred to as fool its predators into thinking that simulates an ant's waist the body parts from which the jumping spiders. They move it is a fly, it may be less likely and gives the pider an ant-like about in short dashes and swift to be attacked. appearance. The anterior pair It has long been presumed that the leaps, and will stalk and Another possible reason the of legs is slender and frequent­ sniffer dog's sense of smell is pounce on their prey. The sal­ spider may be mimicking a fly ly raised and waved like anten­ infallible. New research indicates ticids are known for their dis­ is to fool other flies into think­ nae. The disguised spider can otherwise. tinctive colouration and often ing it is one too. This may al­ brilliant iridescent markings. low it to approach closer to The most striking aspect of flies than would otherwise be this curious salticid is that the the case. It might then have a abdomen appears to mimic the better chance of pouncing on head of a fly. Two bulbous the fly and making a meal of it. projections look like the eyes �like Gray of the Australian of the fly, the spinnerets are �luseum has suggested that elongated and resemble the male flies might even mistake mouthparts of the fly. and the the spider for a female fly. A iridescent colouring is similar male fly usually approaches to that of a fly's exoskeleton. In the front end of a prospective contrast the front half mate and then goes to the rear (cephalothorax) of the spider of the female to mount. At this is drab-coloured. point the masquerading spider .Males in some of the other could make a meal of its Maratus species have move­ amorous suitor. able lateral flaps on the abdo­ On a lighter note Mike Gray men that wrap around under came up with a further the body. These can be ex­ hypothesis. As both specimens tended and are used during obtained were males, it mav be courtship. The eye-like pro­ that females do not possess jections in the fly-mimicking the fly's head. Other species of Maratus may parallel the evo­ spiders are known where the lution of these lateral flaps. male offers food to the female There could be several rea­ in order to distract her while sons why this spider has he mates. Maybe the fly-like evolved an abdomen that abdomen in the male could be

12 ANH scents had been collected. Us­ have individual odours recog­ Hutchings, P.A., 1992. Ballast water mg standard training proce­ nisable by dogs but these are introduction of exotic marine organ­ QUICK QUIZ dures, they taught three dogs clouded by the distinctive isms into Australia-current status (a labrador, an American scents of the different body and management options. Mar Poll. 1. Who was the author of the A brief history of Staffordshire terrier and a parts. The latter would explai� Bull. Special Issue. bestseller bloodhound) to recognise the why the dogs in the experi­ time? scent of their trainer's palm to ment became confused when Johnston, G., Manley, K. & Lemanski, 2. What is Lapila? retrieve an item with that presented with odours from C.L., 1990. Characterizing gastrolith surface roughness with light scatter­ 3. Reproductively, what makes smell. and ignore items with other parts of the body. seahorses so unusual? any other scents. They found If the latter theory proves to ing. Optics Communic. 74: 279-283. the animals had little difficulty be correct, training regimes 4. What is the name of the distinguishing objects with the clearly need to be altered so Lehr Brisbin Jr, I. & Austad, S.N., largest proven meteorite smell of their trainer's palm that dogs, particularly those 1991. Testing the individual odour crater in Australia? theory of canine olfaction. Anim. Be­ from objects with no human used in law enforcement, are 5. In which country was the hav. 42: 63-69. scent or objects that had been trained to recognise the scents 1992 Earth Summit held? handled by a stranger. The of individuals regardless of Lillywhite, H.B. & Stein, B.R., 1987. 6. In what year did Lake dogs also readily distinguished which body parts the scents Surface sculpturing and water reten­ Torrens (South Australia) objects with the scent of their come from. tion of elephant skin. 1. Zoo/. Lond. last fill with water? trainer's elbow from objects -K.McG. 211: 727-734. with no scent. But when con­ 7. What does AIMS stand for? fronted with the scent of their Pettigrew, J.D., Wallman, J. & Wild­ 8. How many legs does an trainer's elbow and the scent of Suggested Reading soet, C.F., 1990. Saccadic oscillations adult tick have? a stranger's hand the dogs facilitate ocular perfusion from the 9. Who, in the late 1970s, avian pecten. 343: 362-363. came unstuck. In this test, Anthony, D.W. & Brown, D.R., 1991. Nature proposed that the whole statistically, the dogs' selec­ The origins of horse back riding. An­ Earth be considered as a Stone, T., 1989. Origins and environ­ tions could be shown to be lit­ tiquity 65: 22-38. single, self-serving super­ tle more than random. mental significance of shell and earth organism, called Gaia? mounds in Northern Australia. Brisbin and Austad suggest­ Bailey, G., 1991. Hen's eggs and Ar­ ed two possible explanations chaeol. Oceania 24: 59-64. 10. In whose navel would you cockle shells: Weipa shell mounds expect to find more fluff: for this: either humans do not reconsidered. Archaeol. Oceania 26: Italian opera singer have an individual characteris­ Stone, T., 1991. Two birds with one 21-23. Stone: a reply. Archaeol. Oceania 26: Luciano Pavarotti or tic scent recognisable by dogs, 26-28. Singapore's first Prime in which case the use of dogs Cribb, R., 1991. Getting into a flap Minister Lee Kuan Yew? to match presumed criminals about shell middens in northern Aus­ Stone, T., 1991. Megapode mounds Answers In the Questions & with physical evidence would tralia: a reply to Stone. Archaeol. and archaeology in Northern Austra­ Answers Section be invalidated; or humans do Oceania 26: 23-25. lia. Emu 91: 255-256.

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ANH 13 by the shear aural agony generated by the THE BACKYARD NATURALIST all-male hummers. It's just as well our priorities change with the passage of years otherwise I'd still be knee-deep in cicadas. In my day J¼ might well envy a cicada's every red-blooded ten-year-old spent life, which ends in a six-week every afternoon and every weekend of blaze of flying, singing and summer catching cicadas, and our long­ procreation. handed nets, gauze-covered carrying cages and bare feet marked us as profes­ sionals and separated us from the sissies who wore hats or boots. A cicada hunt had all the elements of DECEMBER the real thing for young 20th-century irnrods ever since giant tree sloths could no longer be ambushed in peat bogs DECIBELS on the way home from school. Cicadas were every bit as tricky and calculating, BY STEVE VAN DYCK requiring stealth and slyness from the hunter. Even their detection required Cro-Magnon cunning because, like a good Double Drummer at close range can ventriloquist, a cicada's voice and its body pump out 120 decibels, which puts it up always seem to be in different trees. near the pain threshold along with ads for The hunt also developed leathery, or at used cars and carpets. And by the time a the least well-scabbed, knees, heads, male in full voice has drummed up the shins and elbows. This horny covering support of 50 or 60 other tenors, it's time protected more delicate tissues when a to look for a new spot to boil the billy. rough ride down a banksia trunk got out This type of passive eviction is exactly of control, or when there was no time to what some species of cicadas are count­ organise a fall during a miscalculated leap THER COUNTRIES MAY HAVE ing on. You see, these magical insects for a hard-to-get specimen. snowmen, yule logs and roast- hatch on the horns of a dilemma. With If you were by yourself you could dare ing chestnuts to remind them that it is only two to six weeks to indulge in all the to wear a hat, but only if you knew there Christmas, but here in Australia we can pleasures of reasonable parenthood, they was no chance of bumping into any mates. boast a heavenly choir capable of pound- have to not only sing hard to attract mates It was a help in countering a nasty trick ing out more December decibels than all quickly, but at the same time avoid being cicadas had of flying off together in a the sleigh bells of the north put together. seen and eaten by predators. By massing vapour trail that left you thinking the mon­ Our cicadas are now up and carolling, and together and making such a quadraphonic soon cloudbanks had burst. Being young there is no way anyone can turn a deaf ear din, those birds that would dearly love to to their Christmas chorus. Even alone, a dine on cicada-rear-end are driven away Cherrynose cicada.

14 ANH and vile (and male) we always ascribed this sap-sucker's bespattering proclivity to females, which were called by the foul but universally accepted name of 'piss­ whackers'.We were wrong of course . . . feeding cicadas (both sexes) suck so much for so little return and have to relieve themselves so often that their be­ haviour might be far more appropriately likened to that of the average drinking male of a higher order! But coming home well-marinated and red-eyed to a bedroom of dying and drying cicadas was all part of the chase.Even a Neanderthal could be excused for coming through the door smelling a little musky after a good hard yak hunt. Like the music to "Blue Hills", the names of those cicadas we chased can still bring a nostalgic tear to my eye. Greengrocers and Yellow Mondays (pronounced 'Yella-Mundies') were really just colour variants of the same species Cyclochila australasiae; Cherrynoses or Whiskey-drinkers (Macrotristria an­ gularis) were prized and beautiful but some years you'd never see any; Razor Grinders (Henicopsaltria eydouxii) would send waves of evening chorus blowing around the hot valleys; Double Drum­ mers (Thopha saccata), the Schwart­ zeneggers of cicadas, were big on noise and big on bodies but unbearable to be around for long; Bladders or Gas Bags ( Cystosomasaundersii) were slow, easy to catch green blimps; and Black Princes (Psaltoda plaga) ...the cat's pyjamas of cicadas. It was common knowledge that any chemist worth his aspirin would pay through the nose for the chance to get his pestle on a pair of a Black Prince's wings. The said price was between ten pounds and ten shillings depending on who was spinning or swallowing the yarn.And who would press the question as to what the chemist did with them for that price? Many people look on the cicada's strange existence as a Romeo and Juliet affair, where youth and beauty are ravaged by a devastatingly short life ex­ pectancy. But a deeper look well below the trees reveals that, far from having a premature swan song, some cicadas rank with the longest living of insects. Soon after mating, female cicadas slash was I with cicada worship that if, on my The shrill of the Greengrocer is a common little pockets along a branch and lay a tenth birthday I'd been granted one wish, sound around Christmas time. small number of Rice-a-Riso eggs in each it would have been for a swarming cloud of pocket. After hatching, the tiny nymphs cicadas consisting of all of the 200-odd fall and bury themselves about 30-40 Australian species to land in my net. Now centimetres below the soil's surface for that I'm much older and wiser and more anything from 1-17 years depending on aware of what's waiting in the wings, all I the species. In its cool subterranean cel­ can pin my hopes on is reincarnation lar, the growing nymph relaxes and sips cicada-style.But knowing my luck 111 see on the rich liquor of sugary juices it has my rear half go down a currawong's throat tapped from surrounding tree and grass just as I'm about to spread my wings.• roots. So instead of pitying the cicada, many Suggested Reading might even envy the prospect of a long life such as theirs, installed in a cool dark dis­ Moulds, M.S., 1990. Australian cicadas. New South tillery with a firm promise that the end Wales University Press: Kensington. would come in a six week blaze of heaven­ ly light, singing, flying like angels, and Steve Van Dyck is in charge of the Mammal procreating until their tymbals fall off. Section of the Queensland Museum where he As a child, so completely consumed has worked since 1975.

ANH 15 protected in national parks, and even in R A R l & I N O A N C ( R [ 0 these reserves the future of wild Banteng is far from secure. Given this situation the IUCN has listed the species as vulnerable Their continued existence in to extinction throughout its range. The Australia was unknown to threat of extinction of wild Banteng in scientists until they were South-East Asia raises some complex is­ sues concerning the future of the Aus­ rediscovered in 1948. tralian herds, which represent the largest and most secure untamed population of the species in the world. The Cobourg herd provides an extraor­ BANTENG dinary opportunity to study the behaviour and ecology of a rare bovine in the wild. Big game hunters from all over the world BY DAVID BOWMAN pay substantial safari fees to hunt Banteng on Cobourg Peninsula. The safari hunting is regulated by the Gurig National Park. Presently 80 cows and 30 bulls are per­ mitted to be shot by hunters within the park over a five-year period. Aborigines currently receive about $2,500 for each trophy-sized bull and $400 for each cow shot. Research into population numbers and impacts of exotic species in Gurig Nation­ al Park has shown that the most conspicu­ ous impact of Banteng is the reduction of grass biomass in savannas (which may HAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU have the beneficial effect of reducing wild­ are harbouring a large and fire intensity). But they also trample bur­ stable population of an exotic animal that rows of some native rodents, create a is vulnerable to extinction in its native browse line on trees, and create tracks homeland? This is the type of conserva­ through monsoon forests. Obviously tion conundrum that South-East Asia's these impacts increase with greater den­ Banteng (or Bali Cattle) poses for Aus­ sities of animals. The relative impacts of tralia. different stocking levels of Banteng on Banteng (Bos javanicus) are smaller both the native flora and fauna remain an and more gracile than the more familiar important, and as yet unresolved, beef cattle and Water Buffalo, with dis­ question. tinct white rump patches and short white The Banteng poses a complex conser­ 'socks' above their hooves. A single in­ vation conundrum: a feral animal whose troduction of 20 Banteng was made in of about 1,000 to 3,500 animals. wild relatives are endangered, existing in 1849 at Victoria Settlement on Cobourg Why Banteng never spread poses an in­ a national park at the request of the Peninsula. The herd was imported from triguing biogeographic question. One Aboriginal owners of the land. Further, the island of Bali in Indonesia (hence the plausible hy pothesis is that the specific the animal is of cultural and historic in­ common name 'Bali Cattle') but ran feral habitat requirements of these ungulates terest being a living reminder of an early following the evacuation of Victoria Settle­ could not be met in environments beyond period of European colonisation of north­ ment later that same year. the Peninsula. Banteng naturally occur in ern Australia. Obviously, exotic animals Banteng remain one of the more eso­ a mosaic of savanna and rainforest should not be introduced into areas dedi­ teric additions to the Australian fauna. In habitats, retreating to the shady forests cated to nature conservation, but the contrast to feral buffalo, which quickly during the heat of the day. They require presence of the Banteng in Gurig National colonised the coastal regions of the To p fresh drinking water every day but are Park appears to be a special case. It is End (see ANH Winter 1992), Banteng re­ also known to occasionally drink highly desirable to keep some large mained so isolated on Cobourg Peninsula seawater in order to acquire minerals. It representative areas of the park free of that their continued existence in Australia is therefore possible that the extremely Banteng and this can be readily achieved was unknown to scientists until they were infertile soils that support eucalypt savan­ by the construction of fences across the rediscovered in 1948. Cobourg Peninsula na may cause mineral deficienciesin Ban­ narrow peninsula. A fence at the neck of is a declared national park (called Gurig teng, hence explaining the close the peninsula has been built to stop Ban­ proximity of the teng moving out of Gurig National Park. animals to the As environmental changes continue to The threat of the Banteng s coast. threaten global megafaunal biodiversity, The isolated herd the question of some parts of Australia of Banteng on functioning as a Noah's Ark may increas­ extinction m Asia raises complex Cobourg is becom­ ingly confront the 'lucky country'. • ing internationally issues for Australian herds. significant because Dr David Bowman is a wildlife research of their shrinking officer with the Conservation Commission of National Park), which is jointly managed distribution throughout South- East Asia. the Northern Territory. Over the last eight z by the traditional Aboriginal owners of the Threats to Banteng in their native habitat years he has undertaken biogeographic � Peninsula and the Conservation Commis­ include poaching, competition with feral studies of both animal and plant distributions � sion of the Northern Te rritory. Banteng stock, and both legal and illegal habitat throughout northern Australia. His research � are locally abundant in the park with re­ destruction for intensive agriculture and into Bantenghas been funded bythe AN PWS � cent aerial surveys indicating a population forestry. Only a few herds are currently endangered species unit.

16 ANH REED BUYS REED One of Australia's leading publishers of natural historyand botanical books has a new owner.

REED ISBN 0 7301 0088 X, Reed, Sydney. $89.95

Author Dr Harold Cogger, Deputy Director of the Australian Museum interviewed by Michelle Bums from Reed.

Dr Harold Cogger says "the aim of my book is to provide a means of identification; what reptiles we have in Australia and how to identify them as easily as possible". Now in its fifth edition, Dr Cogger says "the book is a great pleasure to me. I originally wrote it because there was nothing around that was a means of good identification. This is the book that I wished I'd bad". Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia now bas 776 pages. I asked Dr Cogger if there was an interest in a 2 or 3 volume Established in New Zealand as AH. & AW. Reed, set? "The real advantage of maintaining an identification Publishers and Booksellers over eighty years ago manual in one volume is because there is no other way, with roughly 1000 species, that you can easily identify. I have, as and in Australia in 1958, it became Reed Books in others have, used this bookas a field guide and a manual 1983. In June 1992 the company was acquired by at home. The text is an essential part of the book and the Reed International Books Australia Pty Ud, its U.K specialist has the keys and line drawings, and the layperson parent company being one of the world's leading the colour photographs for identification. publishing and information companies. Thename's the same but co-incidental. Reed Publisher Bill Dr Cogger agrees that frogs are wonderful. One of bis favourites is the Southern Gastric Brooding (Rheobatrachus Templeman, considers this a positive move for the silus). The eggs hatch in her stomach and the young jump company with the new Group providing a good out of her mouth. "Australia bas the only animal in the home for the imprint. world that broods the young in her stomach". Now trading as Reed the company will continue in its publishing tradition of natural science, natural This edition was a combined effort between the author and history, botanical and pre-history subjects. The his wife Heather, he drew from slides and Heather inked catalogue lists some 100 active backlist titles from them in, "with close to 1000 drawings and an average of two hours each, we've spent a total of one years full time authors who are either scholarly or good writers on work on the drawings". their subject. International co-publishing is well established with University presses in America such Since the first edition an extra 50% of species have been as Princeton, Cornell, the Smithsonian Institution, added. Is it because of new breeding patterns or cross and with leading publishers in Europe. breeding? "There are two main reasons; there are more people exploring remote areas like Amhemland and finding Reed is embarking upon an ambitiousexpansion species never seen before. We are finding more species programme. For this we invite submissions of because when looking at something well knownand do biochemical or genetic work, we discover what we thought publishing proposals in natural history, natural was one species is in fact five species in different places science, botanical and horticultural,and pre-history in Australia . We do not have as many species as South subjects. These could be works prepared and ready America but 95% of the species in Australia are not found to go or a long term project requiring an expression anywhere else in the world, except the Pacific Islands". The of publishing interest and commitment. Such book bas a special section on Australian island territories, proposals would be for adult general interest, not Christmas Islands, Cocos (Keeling) and Norfolk Islands. educational text works. Dr Cogger says "The previous editions did not have the Enquiries and submissions to Bill Templeman quality of design and layout which now places the relevant Publisher or Louise Egerton Managing Editor at text adjacent to the photographs. The new edition is Reed. tremendous, with full colour photographs, colour maps, identification keys and line drawings. There is no PO Box 5335, WestChatswood NSW 2057 comparison". Telephone (02) 372 5252 Facsimile (02) 419 6159 . ..l the cane fields under slave-like condi­ w1Lp rooos: tions. After their terms of labour ended, �-"" �· ... _; �..... _,, -iol many chose to stay in Australia, and northern Queensland now has a vibrant Kanaka community. Yam chips are superb, he says, A few years ago Barry befriended an but boiled mashed yam is elderly Kanaka, Smiler Backo, who in­ dreadful. troduced him to the local yam culture. Kanakas are verv fond of Taro (Colocasia esculenta) and the Asiatic Yam (Dioscorea alata, see ANH Autumn 1989). Smiler died a couple of years ago, but Barry was ITALIANS AND able to tell me much of what he'd learnt: "Old Smiler planted out patches of yams years and years ago. I don't think they had BIRDS, KANAKAS enough land of their own so they'd plant out yams by the river, in a wild or semi­ wild situation. This assured them of a AND YAMS good supply. \ou see them now with their BY TIM LOW

S 12 YEAR OLDS. BARRY LYON and I were obsessive about snakes. Every weekend we were down the local creek flipping over sheets of iron and other junk after keelbacks and whip snakes. After graduation Barry became a national parks ranger in northern Queensland, catching crocodiles and tur­ tles for research. He now lives with his family in a farmhouse south of Ingham, where he runs wildlife tours and writes quail, duck, Australian Brush-turkeys and magazine articles. Magpie Geese. owadays, Barry, like myself, has be­ Even flocks of "bullfinches" (Chestnut­ come obsessed with wild foods. He breasted Mannikins) were shot for the ta­ spends his spare time nibbling strange ble, although it was tedious plucking the fruits and digging up yams. Most signifi­ tiny birds. These were fried and eaten cantly, by talking to local people, he is un­ whole, bones and all. Toni remembers covering a fascinating wild foods culture in her father making a trap to catch Peaceful the sugar belt of northern Queensland. Doves. She used to sit on the window sill

Some Thursday Islanders came and filled the back of the ute with yams-some of them wouldn't fit into potato bags.

Bamberoo, his local township, is popu­ to pull the string, and when enough were lated by Italian sugar cane farmers, the caught a meal was made. John still shoots descendants of farm labourers who occasional Brush-turkeys. He remembers migrated to Australia after the Kanaka eating Pandanus seeds (Pandanus spira­ trade ended. Times were tough for the lis) and Cluster Figs (Ficus racemosa), first generation, and wild birds were an but no other wild plants. important food. Barry has developed a special interest When I visited Barry last summer he in the tucker of another local culture-the took me to meet his Italian cane-farming Kanakas. Brought in last c�ntury from neighbours, John and Toni Truffa, aged 35 Vanuatu, Tonga and other Melanesian is­ � and 34. They reminisced about eating lands, the Kanakas were forced to work � such birds as Rainbow Lorikeets, Worn­ :'. poo Fruit-doves, Brown Cuckoo-doves, Sweet, succulent Cluster Figs were eaten by !§ Torresian Imperial-pigeons, cockatoos, Aborigines, colonists and Italian immigrants in il:: "storm birds" (Channel-billed Cuckoos), northern Queensland. 18 ANH sacks. after vams. Smiler said some On To nga, 86 vanet1es are known.) He Thursday lsla�ders came and filled the became an expert yam cook. (Yam chips back of the ute with yams and some of are superb, he says, but boiled mashed them wouldn't fit into potato bags. They vam is dreadful.) Barn· also became in­ were digging them with crowbars. There terested in growing y;ms. Smiler gave are lots of good yams along the Herbert him some seed. The yams thrived. River. Barry recalled: "I had too many yams ''.Also while I was on the hunt for vams for us, so I gave some away to neigh­ I picked up an islander called Phillip- who bours. The Italians like them. I had asked was hitchhiking to Cairns. He had an un­ earlier on in shops if they sold yams, and cle in Babinda who, during the war. was one shop in Townsville. BJ's Fruitbowl. worried the Japs were coming, and plant­ said they had previously sold yams grown ed out vams so thev were assured there'd by :-Jew Guinea people on the Atherton be a food supply. He said their favourite Ta blelands. They said they"d take yams wav to cook them was to boil them in the from me, at $2 .50 a kilo. My biggest yams water thev'd cooked corned beef in:· were five-and-a-half kilos. I sold $800 Aided bv Smiler. Barn· learned to worth. Next year rn be selling more. Al­ recognise five wild forms of Asiatic Yam. together f"ve sold to three shops. I even distinguished by tuber and stem colour. sold about S150 worth of wild yams from

The uniformly green colouring of this Taro growing near Barry's house indicates it is native. I tasted boiled young shoots and was stung in the mouth.

along the Herbert Ri\·er. But I ne\·er told the vege blokes \\"here they came from." Kanakas also have a fondness for Ta ro. which they grow. The heav y starchy tubers are eaten boiled or baked. and the young leaves are boiled and eaten. Ta ro is a native plant in northern Queensland. but Australian forms. unimproved by agriculture, have very irritant tubers. caused by the sharp crystals of calcium oxalate. Before eating, these must be re­ moved by grating and soaking. Native Ta ro flourishes in a creek onlv 100 metres or so from Barn•s house. He warnedme against trying it."for this is the native variety that burns. He knows this for sure because of a storv told bv Smil­ er's daughter, Carol Manzoni. Bar;y said, "Her cousin and some friends wert> driv­ ing past the creek when they saw the taro. 'You beauty'. they thought, and they pulled up. They boiled up the taro. and burnt themselves!" Barry's anecdotes provide an unusual insight into the lifestyle of Australia's Kanaka population. In all the literature on Australian wild foods I have come across only one account of Kanakas harvesting wild plants. Mrs Lance Rawson in 1890 told of Kanakas near Maryborough eating a delicious fungus found on trees and logs, and said they boiled the shoots of Sandpiper Fig trees (Ficus opposita) to eat like cabbage. •

Suggested Reading Rawson, L., 1890. The Queensland cookery and poultry book. William Hopkins: Rockhampton.

Tim Low is a nature writer and environmen­ tal consultant living in Brisbane. He is the author of four books, including Wild food plants of Australia, recently revised and reis­ sued in paperback by Angus & Robertson.

ANH 19 Peter llunt's career never looked back. PROFI l E He produced and presented "Technology Report". "Warmboot'' (an irreverent pro­ gram about computers and how to He made his programs, finished despise them), then "Earthworm", about his doctorate, built a mudbrick the environment. and finally "Green and house- all while living in a Practical". In a 12-year spell of incredibly hard caravan. work in radio. Peter Hunt showed how one could be tenaciously journalistic while at the same time maintaining first-class scientific standards. He investigated the ROCKCHOPPER: case of the Long-footed Potoroo in the southern forests of >Jew outh Wales and what it meant to the future of logging. He DR PETER HUNT ventured into the Karri forests of Western Australia. talked to the timber workers BY ROBYN WILLIAMS there. and exposed the practice of wilful damage of valuable timber so that it could qualify for chipping. He exposed the same fraud elsewhere. For these programs Peter won the :vlcKell Award for environmental journal­ ism and the Michael Dalev Prize for science reporting. There �ere lots of other accolades for a true Australian E \\i\S lli\LF \\i\\' THIWL'CH .\ original whose determination to get to the H PHO in geology when a friend truth of the scientific matter at hand was saw the ABC cience Unit's advertise­ matched only by his sweetness of tem­ ment for a broadcaster and commented perament. "You've got a big mouth. Why not apply?.. . He died at 39. very suddenly. The ABC So Peter Hunt. despite his academic had just launched a weekly program on successes so far. did indeed write to us. environment ("Green and Practical") of Making awkward noises had always been which he was the backbone. Everyone his forte. so why not have a larger was shattered. audience? We withdrew to consider our options. Peter Hunt's heart had been twisted in Even his PhD showed a determination There was no doubt. This fellow was a his body when he was born (Fallot's to take an unconventional course. It was ·one-off. >lo commercial broadcasting tetralogy) and had been subject to exten­ on polar wander paths: charting the organisation would dream of hiring such a sive surgery. Having spent years of his movement of magnetic poles through brilliant 'eccentric·. But for us he \vas youth in hospital or struggling for health, traces preserved in the magnetism of clearly a challenge. someone who would it was only in adulthood that he seemed rocks. It was the kind of project that was stir up the ABC and, no doubt. our fit. But the flaw still lurked there. risky and difficult, but like the very best listeners. We hired him. On the morning of Peter's death the of research, likely to open whole areas of On his first day I asked Peter Hunt to Federal Minister for Education, Kim further investigation if it came off. It did. write down a page of the most arid and Beazley, announced the 1992 Earthworm A\vards program, a project for youngsters that stemmed from Peter's broadcasts. It No commercial broa!'.lcasting was the first of many tributes from nation­ al figures in politics and in science: from organisation would dream of hiring conservation groups of course. but just as much from leaders in the corporate sector. such a brilliant eccentric. And from overseas, one of the tributes I found most telling, given the unexpected The PhD was eventually completed in mind-numbing geological jargon he could nature of Peter Hunt's arrival at the ABC, the unlikely setting of an ABC radio muster. I did not tell him what it was for. came from Anita Gordon. Executive office. He made his programs, finished his I took the page, inserted a few verbs and Producer of Canada's science show doctorate, and built a massive mudbrick gave it to John Clarke, newly arrived from "Quirks and Quarks". She had produced a house-all at the same time-while living 1 ew Zealand. (Clarke now writes films sensationally successful series called "It's in a small caravan in the bush north of and appears weekly with Brian Dawe on a Matter of Survival" with David Suzuki, Sydney. the television programs "A Current Affair" inspired, it turns out, by Peter Hunt. She When he came to be interviewed I was and "Daybreak"). wrote: "It was Peter's passion for the en­ astonished to meet a very young looking Clarke and I then went bush. He adopt­ vironment and the program he was doing man. He had a small failure of a beard, ed a Scottish accent (which Dr Alex when we were in Australia in 1987 that and an odd hunch, which turned out to be Ritchie, head of fossils at the Australian first got me fired up about the future of the outward sign of congenital malforma­ Museum, took to be a send-up of himselO the planet. I often quoted him later when tion that was to be his undoing. He was and read Hunt's words while scraping at people asked me about 'It's a Matter of incredibly funny. We asked him about the ground as I recorded both. It became Survival'. I'm only sorry that I never got to 2 overseas travel: he'd never left New South the opening of one of the iirst Science tell him that personally. But I guess that's � Wales! Did he read widely? Hard to tell. Show hoaxes: The Fossil Beer Can, in often the way." • � Had he any creative activities that might which we showed that modern humans, f Homo micturans, As Presenter o Radio Nationals Science � assist in broadcasting? It turned out he had their origins in � helped run both a rock band, a wind quar- Australia! Show, Robyn Williams has the opportunity to 8 tet, and played both flute and clarinet. With such an outrageous beginning interview many interesting people in science.

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HE BASIC FACT OF KOALA"S �ATURAL Why don't koalas regulate their numbers in history, known to most school chil­ accordance with their food supply? Tdren, is they feed on eucalyptus leaves. When I began research into the 1915. In 1977 I began monitoring a popula­ ecology of the Koala (Phascolarctos ciner­ tion at \Valkerville in South Gippsland. eus) 15 years ago, the question I ad­ This \vas an endemic (naturally occurring) dressed was why they did not regulate population in a large area of woodland their numbers in accordance with the with many avenues of dispersal available availability of this food supply. Often to it. When I began the study many of the populations increased to the point where large Swamp Gums (Eucalyptus ovata), they over browsed, defoliated and killed the major Koala food trees in the area, their major foodtrees. In many cases this were being overbrowsed. During the next led to food shortage, malnutrition and the four years the number of Koalas in­ death of the animals. creased, as did the scale of defoliation, There have been many examples of this until most of these trees were killed. The in Victoria, the most famous on Quail Is­ condition of the animals then deteriorat­ land in 1944. Artificially established in the ed; many died and some, particularly the early 1930s, this population increased ex­ young, emigrated. Over the final few ponentially until most of the food trees on months of the study the population the island had been stripped bare. Then declined from over 40 individuals to just the Koalas began to die. Once the general six. public became aware of this, there was a One of the tenets of textbook ecology substantial outcry that eventually resulted is that animal populations evolve, through in government wildlife authorities relocat­ natural selection, to a point of self­ ing all the surviving Koalas to the main­ regulation. In this \YaY overpopulation and land. This marked the start of a overexploitation of resources are avoided. translocation program that became the In mammal populations this is usually standard method of managing overpopula­ achieved through competition, either with tion in Victorian Koala colonies. members of the same species (in­ Mammal populations often exhibit cycli­ traspecific) or other species (interspecif­ cal changes in abundance with eruptions ic). The maintenance and defence of an followed by abrupt crashes. Most predic­ exclusive territory would be an example tably this happens when individuals are of intraspecific competition. and the im­ unable to move to other areas, such as pact of predators and parasites of inter­ may occur in artificial enclosures or on specific competition. Koalas. however.

small islands. Quail Island seemed to be a are not territorial and the Walkerville 0 On Quail Island an artificially established Koala typical case. However the phenomenon study provided no evidence of any other � colony grew until the food trees were stripped had also been reported for mainland Koala regulating mechanisms. Significantly, this � bare, resulting in wide-scale Koala deaths. populations, as on Wilson's Promontory in population, in common with most other e

24 ANH

Koala populations in Australia, had no pre­ some areas between 1870 and 1890. He was a significant force in regulating the dators. In Victoria the assumed predators observed that this increase coincided abundance of a large mammal species. of the Koala-Aborigines and Dingoes­ with the annihilation of the resident The reviewers of my thesis had trouble had been eliminated shortly after Europe­ Aboriginal population and suggested that believing it too! To quote one: "although it an settlement. It has been argued, in an it was their hunting that kept Koala num­ does present a plausible story, [the treat­ article written by Harry Parris in 1948. bers low. ment ofJ historical population changes is that Aborigines were the more significant Despite his failure to consider the role speculative and unsatisfying because of of the two. Parris' forbears settled on the of other influences, such as Dingo preda­ the poor data base available". Goulburn River in the 1870s and. relying tion and bushfires, I found Parris' argu­ In the late 1980s I began a study of one on their recollections and other published ment most appealing. There is no doubt of Australia's least-known marsupials, accounts of early settlers. he reconstruct­ that Aborigines were significant predators Bennett's Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus ed the changes in Koala abundance in the of Koalas-numerous references in the bennettianus). This species is found only area from the time of white settlement. contemporary literature attest to this. He found Koalas were not mentioned in There is also no doubt that the decline of An Aboriginal hunter heavily laden with any accounts prior to 1850. occasionally the Victorian Aborigines began around animals, circa 1915: hunting of Koalas and sighted in the early 1850s, abundant by 1840. Intuitively, however, I found it tree-kangaroos in the past helped keep the late 1860s and in the thousands in difficult to accept that hunting by humans populations stable .

• , .. • • 9 , .., "",

26 ANH here is no doubt that Aborigines were significant predators of Koalas-numerous references attest to this.

Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroo from Papua New Guinea. in northern Queensland in the rainforests north of the Daintree River. Its habitat was coming under increasing pressure from new roads and associated tourist de­ velopments. My brief, from the World Wide Fund for �ature, was to accumulate basic ecological information on Bennett's Tree-kangaroo so that its conservation status could be assessed. At that time the question of human predation and its im­ pact on tree-kangaroos wasn't a priority. However, I was aware of recent work in the area by an anthropologist who sug­ gested that the local Aboriginal people still used some traditional foods. It oc­ curred to me that this could include game species and I might be able to get some idea of hunting intensity and its impact on tree-kangaroos: the sort of first-hand in­ formation I was never able to obtain for Koalas. It didn't quite work out that way. The combined effects of alienation from their traditional lands, close settlement and al­ cohol have devastated traditional Aborigi­ nal society on Cape York. I only spoke to one old man who had hunted tree­ kangaroos. However, from p1ecmg together what he told me with fragments of oral and published information, a fas­ cinating picture that was in many ways complementary to Parris' story emerged.

E1''.'IETTS TREE-KA::--:GAROO. THE TCHA­ ribeena of the Kuku-Nyungkul people, wasB a prestigious game species in the Bloomfield River District. Dudley Le Souef, an early director of the Melbourne Zoo, relied on the hunting prowess of these people when he made collecting trips to the area in 1894 and 1897. On his first trip he collected 12 tree-kangaroos, most of which were found in the difficult terrain near the top of the range above the Bloomfield River. Le Souef was told by the Aborigines that tree-kangaroos were more plentiful further south, on

A six-month-old Koala being weighed. A low birth rate is the only factor retarding population growth in some areas.

ANH 27 Mount Peter Botte. and he went there with them on his second trip in 1897. The hunters collected several tree-kangaroos on the mountain but, to Le Souefs frus­ tration. they would not go with him to the summit. In their mythology the twin monoliths at the summit were the sisters Barbar and Cinpure. All of the upper slopes were a taboo area for them. Ylv studv site was further north at Shipton's F°iat, an area of lowland rain­ forest at the base of Mount Finnigan. The Aborigines had permanent camps here until they were moved to the Bloomfield River .\,lissionin the 1950s. From mv con­ versations with the old Aboriginai' man. who had lived around Shipton·s Flat. I learned that he and his tribesman had once hunted tree-kangaroos throughout these lowland forests. Dogs were used to find the animals and they were usually shot out of the tree tops. However. the hunters never visited the upper slopes of .\,fount Finnigan as this too was a ·story place· where they were afraid to go. Other elements of the ston· came from a local white family. remarkable naturalists who

The hunters never visited the upper slopes of Mount Finnigan as this was a 'story place' where they were afraid to go. have been mining tin and running cattle at the base of .\fount Finnigan for several generations. They told me that until 20 years ago the upper slopes of the moun­ tain were the only place they reliably saw tree-kangaroos. In recent years. however. they have seen them so frequently around Shipton's Flat they now consider tree­ kangaroos to be common in the area. Yly research confirmed that thev were now resident and moderately abundant in these lowland forests. It also indicated that the abundances of the other major tree-kangaroo predators. Dingoes and Amethystine Pythons, were high. This implies that hunting by Aborigines had been the predominant influence keeping tree-kangaroos in low abundance in these lowland rainforests. However, my evi­ dence was still thin; Aboriginal mythology and the stories of a few old men are given little credence as scientific evidence. In 1990, together with Tim Flannery of the Australian Museum, I visited �ew Guinea to help ascertain the status of the The Grizzled Tree-kangaroo is now the only common tree-kangaroo on Mount Somoro in north-western Papua New Guinea.

28 ANH Relocating Koalas is not always the most effective means of managing overpopulation. recently discovered Black Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus scoltae). This species is now only found in the vicinity of Mount Somoro in the Torricelli Range, north­ western New Guinea. It is a prized game species to the Olo people of the Torricelli \fountains, as Bennett's Tree-kangaroo used to be to the Kuku-.\iyungkul on Cape York. We spoke with the men of Wilbete. a village on the lower slopes of \fount Somoro. and for the first time I was able to collect direct evidence of the impact of hunting on tree-kangaroo abun­ dance. Fifty years ago there were three species living on the mountain but today only one species. the Grizzled Tree­ kangaroo (Dendrolagus inustus), appears to be common. Of the other two. one. a beautiful white-faced form of Goodfellow·s Tree-kangaroo (Dendro/agus goodfellotci), disappeared 50-60 years ago. It was remembered only by the old men who had seen it as children when it was hunted by their fathers. The trend with the second species. the Black Tree-kangaroo. was similar. \\'hile the most skilled hunters of the village were now lucky to take one a year. the old men. in their prime as hun­ ters 30 years ago. took them freely. Over­ hunting appears to have driven the Black Tree-kangaroo to the point of extinction. \\'hile the trends were in different directions. the parallels with Benneu·s Tree-kangaroo were remarkable. In the Torricelli Mountains the decline in tree­ kangaroos reflects the increase in hunting pressure. This correlates with the in­ crease in the population of hunters (the :\Tew Guinean population is increasing at a rate of around two per cent per year) rather than with any change in hunting ef­ ficiency. The hunters still use clogs to find and kill tree-kangaroos. just like they have clone for thousands of vears. As well. the mythology of the Olo hunters once provided some sanctuary for the tree­ kangaroos. They also. had 'story places·­ taboo areas on the mountain that thev feared to visit-but Western missionaries have since exorcised the demons of these 'pies tambu'. . ow the only refuges left for the Black Tree-kangaroos are the steepest, most inaccessible slopes. the Kuku-.\iyungkul people are able to nurture their myths and preserve their �IO\G \\"HITE ALISTRAI.IA\S THE Ill \T ·story places·. In this way they will remain Aing of wildlife has always been an wildlife refuges. as they appear to have emotional issue. It is particularly so at the been for many thousands of years. present time. In Queensland the new The future management of Koala popu­ Aboriginal land rights legislation will lations in Victoria is a far more challenging return many national parks to their tradi­ problem. With the constant loss of tional owners and the Kuku- yungkul habitat, much of it to urban and coastal people, the traditional owners of the Ce­ developments, most populations now oc­ dar Bay-Mount Finnigan ational Park, cur in small isolated pockets and live at have indicated their intention to resume population densities far higher than they traditional hunting. While there is no were at European settlement. In some of question of the cultural importance of this these populations, in the absence of pre­ to them, it will mean that the abundance dation, the only factor retarding popula­ of tree-kangaroos in the accessible areas tion growth is low fecundity (birth rate). of lowland rainforest wiJI inevitably In the main this is caused by female infer­ decline. But it does not follow that the tility, resulting from disease caused by species will become less secure, provided infection with Chlamydia psittaci, which

ANH 29 VENEREAL DISEASE The Chlamydiae is a group of bacteria, resultant inflammation usually causes widespread as pathogens of birds and sufficient damage to sterilise the female. mammals. Strains of one species, In many colonies most of the middle-aged Chlamydia psittaci, cause disease of the and old female Koalas are infertile as a reproductive tract and eye of the Koala. result of chlamydia! infection. The disease The bacteria are predominantly sexually of the eye-a keratoconjunctivitis com­ transmitted and the reproductive tract ap­ monly known as 'pink eye'-

is a widespread pathogen in mainland colonies (see box). In disease-free colo­ nies, where the majority of females breed every year and the populations double ev­ ery three years, the management problems are acute. Until now these colo­ nies have been managed by regularly cap­ turing and removing surplus animals. Since 1941 over 10,000 animals have been translocated. Serious doubts are now be­ ing expressed about the wisdom of con­ tinuing this policy. There are few areas of vacant habitat left and it is futile and pos­ sibly inhumane to release these Chlamydia-freeanimals into areas already occupied by infected Koalas. They have no natural resistance to Chlamydia infec­ tion, many suffer badly from it and almost all females become infertile after matings with infected males. There is also the question of swamping the gene pool of en­ demic populations by introducing animals

30 ANH from a few inbred colonies and the impli­ Papua New Guineans holding three species of Suggested Reading cations of this for the longer-term sur­ tree-kangaroos. From left to right: the Grizzled, vival of the species. Goodfellow's and Black Tree-kangaroos. The Lee, A. & Martin, R., 1988. The Koala: a natural The potent influenceof hunting on tree­ Black Tree-kangaroo was only recently history. New South Wales University Press: kangaroo populations has convinced me discovered by Tim Flannery. Kensington, NSW. that Harry Parris' thesis was correct and Aboriginal hunters played the pre­ drought if these were transgressed. Le Souef, W.H.D., 1894. A trip to North Queens­ eminent role in regula�ing Koala abun­ While there is no evidence, one suspects land. Vic. Natur. 11: 3-29. dance in south-eastern Australia. ft is that their my thological relationship with now difficult to understand what con­ this eminent animal was so strong that it Le Souef, W.H.D., 1897. Ascent of Mt. Peter Botte, strained them from overhunting and ex­ would also place constraints on their North Queensland. Vic. Natur. 14: 151-167. terminating the species. The surviving hunting activity. fn our own culture it myths of the Kurnai, the tribe which oc­ seems to me that the re-introduction of Parris, H.S., 1948. Koalas on the Lower Goulburn. cupied South Gippsland, give a clue. To hunting, in the form of a controlled cull, is Vic. Natur. 64: 192-193. them the Koala was 'muk-kurnai'-one of now the only sensible, humane and eco­ the eminent animals-and their stories logically responsible way to manage some linked it to the availability of water and the Koala colonies. Unfortunately, any at­ Roger Martin is a Research Associate of the corning of the rains. According to William tempt by wildlife authorities to implement Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Thomas, an early Guardian of Aborigines such a policy would provoke a strong pub­ Biology at Monash University in Victoria. in Victoria, they had rules as to how the lic reaction, much of it sustained by a nar­ He now mainly works as a researcher­ Koalas were to be prepared before eating, row and squeamish view of ethics that has consultant on conservation and management and they believed there would be a severe no ecological validity. • issues affecting mammals.

ANH 31

The female Sydney Funnel-web spider.

one funnel-web. In an area of little more than 300 square metres there must have been thousands of spiders'. Given this, I was amazed to find the remains of a rough, bough-frame hut near the middle of this forest. Inside on the dirt floor was a rusty iron bed and old food cans. Some­ body had been living there, spending their nights with several thousand of one of our most toxic species of funnel-web. Steven Spielberg, where were you? 't\rachnophobia" had nothing like this! I checked for skeletons but there was none. Presumably, this person knew nothing about funnel-web spiders, espe­ cially the wandering habits of the males. It seems that in this case, ignorance real­ ly was bliss. Some Sydney residents imagine their houses to be similarly besieged with funnel-webs. From time to time local newspapers reinforce these feelings with rousing headlines such as "Funnel-webs ::E advance on Bankstown". In this case, the �::, fact that Bankstown has never been an ::E z < area where funnel-web spiders are com­ :::. mon seems to be totally ignored. Of < t;; ::, course, the hey-day of funnel-web jour­ < nalism was prior to 1981 when no antive­ nom was available. In those days a death occurred on average every four to five years. The development of an effective funnel-web antivenom, although a severe he development of an effective funnel­ blow to newspaper subeditors, was a great relief to ordinary Sydney-siders and web antivenom was a great relief to has enabled us to take both a slightly more relaxed view of our funnel-webs, ordinary Sydney-siders. and even a perverse pride in their world­ wide notoriety. mythology is that much of it has some fac­ Funnel-web spiders remain deeply tual basis. But, as we know, facts are embedded in the psyche and folklore of rarely allowed to get in the way of a good Sydney. Indeed, the funnel-web has even story. So let's look at the basis of some of inspired artistic impulses in such Aus­ these 'factual myths' and try to answer tralian cultural icons as Barry Humphries some basic questions about funnel-web (Edna Everage's funnel-web cake) and spiders. Thomas Keneally (in his most recent book, Women of the inner sea). The brief IRST. IT IS USEFUL TO CLARIFY JUST funnel-web passage in Keneally's book Fwhere funnel-web spiders live. Geo­ touches upon a situation familiar to many graphically, funnel-webs occur in eastern Sydney residents - one's personal con­ Australia only, from the Daintree rain­ cerns about setting up house in a funnel­ forests of northern Queensland to the dry web area. This struck a chord because I open forests of the Eyre Peninsula, South sometimes get anxious calls from home­ Australia. They prefer the moister cli­ buyers about their choice of homesite. I mates of highland and coastal regions, but can rarely give them much joy, most al­ in New South Wales have been recorded ready having set their hearts on some as far inland as Dubbo. The Sydney funnel-web-ridden suburb. A simple real Funnel-web Spider is foundfrom Newcas­ estate rule of thumb for Sydney is that tle to owra and west as far as Lithgow. the more desirable the area, the greater The comment is sometimes made that the funnel-web population. Historically of funnel-webs are 'advancing' and expanding course, the man responsible for this sorry their range. On the contrary: as Sydney state of affairs was Captain Arthur Phillip. and other eastern population centres ex­ It was his decision, in 1788, to found Syd- pand, we invade more funnel-web areas, "' ney on the shores of Port Jackson, right encountering spiders that probably have � in the middle of the Sydney Funnel-web been there for millions of years. Since we ; (Atrax robustus) distribution. destroy vast tracts of funnel-web habitat, <:§ Part of the charm of our funnel-web it seems only fair that some of them come "' t;; to live with us in our gardens. � A Southern Tree Funnel�web Spider exposed in The hoary old myth that Sydney A map of Sydney and suburbs showing � its burrow on a paperbark tree. The four book­ Funnel-webs are only foundon the 'North approximately the relative abundance of � lungs (breathing organs) are clearly visible on Shore' also has little currency these days. Sydney Funnel-web Spiders. Colour scale: red ;; the ventral abdomen. Funnel-webs can be found in most areas to white, high to low.

ANH 35 A network of silk trip-lines radiates out from the entrance of a Blue Mountains Funnel-web Spider burrow in a log.

ning out from the entrance across the ground surface? Only the latter type be­ longs to a funnel-web. The characteristic trip-lines alert the spider. lurking in am­ bush just inside the entrance, to the presence of passing prey. mates or danger. Many spiders fulfil the old adage that the female of the species, being larger. is more dangerous than the male. By con­ trast, in funnel-web spiders the size dis­ parity between the sexes is not so great and in most species tested the toxicity of male and female venom is rather similar. A remarkable and important exception to this is the Sydney Funnel-web Spider. in which male venom is about five times more toxic to humans than female venom. Interestingly, funnel-web venom contains many chemical components (as do all spider venoms), and the venom molecule that effects humans so severely is quite different to the components that kill the funnel-web's normal prey (which ranges from insects and slaters to frogs and liz­ ards). A similar situation exists for the venom of widow spiders (the Redback Spider and its relatives). One exotic widow spider has a venom component that shows particular toxicity for marine worms! This is as unlikely a prey item for a widow spider as is a human for a funnel­ web. Such biochemical accidents are con­ sequences of the 'chemical cocktail' na­ ture of spider venom, which enables spiders to poison a diverse spectrum of extreme susceptibility of humans and other normal prey. Also noteworthy is the ex­ treme susceptibility of humans and other primates to funnel-web venom sharply contrasts primates to funnel-web venom, in sharp contrast to the mild reactions seen in all with the mild reactions seen in other mammals. other mammals. This should bring com­ fort to pet-lovers but it poses an interest­ of Sydney, but they especially favour the ing problem for religious fundamentalists forested upland areas surrounding the and their notions of a 'special creation' for lower, more open country of the central humanity. Cumberland basin. This includes the Hornsby Plateau to the north, the E.\IALES RARELY .\1O\'E OUT OF THEIR foothills of the Blue Mountains to the Fburrows, but they do occasionally hunt west, and the Woronora Plateau to the on the surface at night. It is the male south. Funnel-web prevalence is low in spiders that are the real wanderers, leav­ much of central-western Sydney, and also ing their burrows after maturation to be­ the sandy coastal parts of the eastern come vagrants of no fixed abode. suburbs and the Botany Bay area. They Funnel-web spiders take two to four years do better in areas of sandy clay, shale or to mature. Females are long-lived, some basaltic soils that can retain moisture lasting perhaps ten years or more. By more effectively. Generally, funnel-web contrast, most males die about six to nine spiders prefer moist, cool micro-habitats months after maturing. Hence, their under rocks and logs, in shaded banks or frenetic nocturnal wanderings - the males leaf litter, and sometimes in holes in tree will attempt to locate and mate with as trunks. Gardens, rockeries and dense many receptive females as possible to en­ shrubberies provide excellent funnel-web sure the thorough propagation of their habitats, sometimes harbouring dozens of genes. spiders in close proximity. They are only Male activity is concentrated in the rarely found in more open situations like summer-autumn period and most human lawns. encounters occur in this period. The male If in doubt about the occupant of a silk­ Sydney Funnel-web Spider's combination lined hole in your backyard, make this of wandering behaviour and an extremely simple assessment: does the burrow's toxic venom is a primary cause of serious silk lining stop at the entrance rim, or are human envenomations around Sydney. there some irregular silk 'trip-lines' run Males accidentally walk into garages and

36 ANH A male Southern Tree Funnel-web Spider. houses, mostly via gaps under doors. Ground-level concrete slab houses are most at risk; fitting draft strips on outside doors is not a bad idea. Although most funnel-webs are not keen climbers. thev are capable of scaling rough-textured walls and so occasionally may gain entry via unscreened windows. Once inside. funnel-webs rapidly lose body water in the dry house environment and can't sur­ vive for more than a couple of days. For the same reason you rarely find funnel­ webs living in soil under houses- it's too dry and there i not enough food. Some other sensible precautions. especially during the summer-autumn 'funnel-web season'. are as follows: check clothing and equipment stored in garages and sheds before use; check sandpits and swimming pools; don't walk around barefoot at night; wear gloves when gardening or cleaning up the yard; use a 0oored, zippered tent when camping in funnel-web areas: be aware of proper first-aid technique; and, don't panic! In the unlikely event that you are bitten by a funnel-web spider. what happens and :a what should you do? Funnel-webs have :::, :a large fangs connected to venom sacs in z < :::; the jaw bases. These sacs are under mus­ < "' t;; cular control and extruded venom :::, droplets readily appear on the fangs of an < agitated funnel-web. To use their fangs in feeding or defence, the funnel-web must raise the front part of its body and legs to allow the fangs to open downwards like daggers. The fangs can then be driven Left: male and female Sydney Funnel-web down with considerable force (in one in­ Spiders courting. stance penetrating the finger-nail of a vic­ tim) and several strikes can be delivered in quick succession. Naturally enough. with the trauma caused by the fangs and the acidity of the venom, such a bite is painful. However, for a variety of reasons not all bites have severe outcomes, even with Sydney Funnel-webs. For example, the venom supply may be low due to recent prey-catching activity, excessive venom shedding may have occurred dur­ ing the agitated pre-strike phase, the spider may be a subadult etc. Funnel-web venom contains a nerve toxin that must be distributed around the body to have its full effect. Without treat­ ment signs and symptoms appear within 10 to 15 minutes and include tingling and numbness of the lips, sweating, salivation, eye watering, tongue twitching, nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and general mus­ cle spasms, increased blood pressure and heart rate. Mental confusion precedes the onset of profound coma, during which blood pressure declines. Death probably results from brain damage due to lack of oxygen. Funnel-web venom is mainly transport­ ed through the lymphatic system. Venom movement is thus effectively reduced by use of the pressure-immobilisation first-

Northern Tree Funnel-web Spiders (Hadronyche formidabilis) mating. The male is in front.

ANH 37 Antivenom research-milking venom from a aid technique, as routinely used for snake research project supervised by Dr Ylerlin male Sydney Funnel-web Spider. Note the bite. This involves the rapid and firm ap­ Howden at Deakin University has suc­ mating spurs on the second legs. plication of a pressure bandage (such as a ceeded in producing an experimental long crepe bandage) wound over the limb funnel-web spider vaccine. from the bitten area upwards. A splint It may be of some comfort to know that should be applied to immobilise the limb not all funnel-web species are dangerous. and the victim kept as quiet as possible. Of the 35-odd species known, only a few Unlike a tourniquet, such a bandage can (and notably the largest- the Sydney, be left in place for many hours without Blue Mountains, Southern Tree and damage or excessive discomfort. It . orthern Tree Funnel-web Spiders) have should only be removed under medical caused serious human envenomations. Of supervision. these, the Sydney Funnel-web alone is The search for a funnel-web antivenom known to have caused deaths. This dubi­ took many years. Research at the Com­ ous record is attributable both to its high­ monwealth Serum Laboratories by Dr ly toxic venom and its occurrence in the truan Sutherland and his team was ham­ midst of the largest human population pered by difficulties with identifying and centre in Australia. The smaller species refining the minor venom component tox­ found in the Melbourne and Adelaide ic to humans, the loss of toxin activity areas have never caused dangerous en­ when using normal laboratory glassware venomations and probably pose little (this was solved by use of treated glass­ threat. Even so, it is safest to regard any ware and more acidic solutions), and the funnel-web spider bite as potentially dan­ weak antibody response of standard test gerous and treat it accordingly. animals to venom exposure. In 1980 a last ditch attempt was made using a new tech­ :--;E OF THE .\

38 A N H tened. This, admittedly. is a fairly effec­ tive strategy for dealing with people. but it is a last-resort defence reaction. not a prelude to jumping as some seem to think. �aturally enough. such feeble ef­ forts come nowhere near claims like the two-metre leap once reported to me by some person calling from a pub! Breathless claims have also been made that funnel-webs can survive days of im­ mersion in swimming pools. A pool is like a gigantic pit-fall trap set in the ground to catch wandering funnel-webs. The spiders may also be attracted by the high humidity in the pool's vicinity. Immersion tests conducted at the Australian Muse­ um show that Svdne,· Funnel-webs can survive 24 to 30 ·hours of full immersion. Upon removal from water. the spider is completely torpid and incapable of biting, but gradually recovers over an hour or so. The ability of the abdominal hairs to trap an air bubble around the abdomen (which contains the breathing organs) certainly " must lengthen survival time. This bubble "'3 also allows the spider to float and so es­ ::," z cape full immersion for some time. In :a< Museum tests funnel-webs have floated <"' t;; for up to 44 hours. So. provided it floats, <::, it is possible for a funnel-web to survive in a pool for over three days. making this one of the more factual of the funnel-web fables. Given this, it is not difficult to see why one interesting 1970s innovation in Venom drips from the fangs of an angry, wan­ new housing subdivision. A great pity. in swimming pool design did not succeed in dering male funnel-web spider, disturbed at the my view. Ylore urban sprawl will replace Sydney. This was a black-tiled pool that entrance of a female's burrow. a unique habitat remnant, valuable for fu­ would absorb the sun's radiant heat and so ture research (biological and pharmaco­ warm up the water. A nice idea, but im­ but. if one is found inside the house or if logical) on an important animal where it is agine checking for black funnel-webs in a someone has been bitten, the spider numerous and accessible. Thinking later­ black pool! should be collected for removal or identifi­ ally (and commercially, as we must these How effective is pesticide spraying? To cation. A wandering spider, often a male. days), perhaps some such sites could be spray or not to spray is an individual deci­ should be approached with due caution. saved as attractions for controlled sion. I don't think it can be effective un­ and at the end of a broom forthe especial­ tourism. A simple boardwalk into the less the spiders are very localised and ly nervous. However, it is quite safe to forest, ending at a feeding platform, is all accessible. as in a rockery perhaps. gently approach the spider and place a that would be needed. The nests are Spiders distributed sporadically around a wide-neck bottle over it. Slip a piece of highly visible and the spiders can easily garden in their sheltered, underground stiff cardboard under both jar mouth and be enticed to come out and feed at any retreats are difficult to locate. and the spider, and up-end the whole lot so that time of day (unlike their ground-dwelling blanket application of spray is undesirable. the spider is safely captured in the jar relatives). This is a spectacular sight. Also, wandering males from unsprayed (don't forget to cap it). Live or dead speci­ Japanese and other overseas tourists areas can reinvade. Another problem is mens can then be taken to the Australian would probably love it-funnel-web spider that, after spraying, more spiders of both Yluseum for positive identification (still a feeding tours! Well, I'd like it, anyway. • sexes may be encountered than before. free service!) and deposition in the collec­ This is because the pesticide, at non­ tions for biological research; live speci­ Suggested Reading lethal dose levels, acts as a nerve mens can also be donated via Gosford stimulant and so increases spider­ Reptile Park for the antivenom production Gray, M.R., 1987. Distribution of the funnel-web wandering activity (which also increases program at the Commonwealth Serum spiders. Pp. 312-320 in Toxic plants and animals, with other sorts of habitat disturbance Laboratories in Melbourne. A wad of ed. by J. Covacevich, P. Davie and J. Pearn. Queens­ such as heavy rain or excavation). Pesti­ moist cottonwool in the jar and avoidance land Museum: Brisbane. cides that kill funnel-webs also kill all the of excessive heat and light will keep your Gray, M.R., 1988. Aspects of the systematics of the other innocuous and beneficial inver­ funnel-web healthy for quite a while. If Australian funnel-web spiders (Araneae: Hexatheli­ tebrates in the garden -the 'innocent you just want to kill it, put the jar in the dae: Atracinae) based upon morphological and bystander effect'. They may even affect freezer for an hour or so. electrophoretic data. In Australian arachnology, ed. you or your pets. If you feel you must For better or worse, the presence of by A. Austin and N. Heather. Aust. Entomol. Soc. spray, make sure the spray used is not a funnel-web spiders lends a certain edge Misc. Pub/. 5: 113-125. long-term residual type. However, it's to life in Sydney. They will continue to best to simply observe the precautionary cause minor medical emergencies but. Meldrum, P., 1983. A little nest of funnelwebs. measures outlined earlier. Remember, without the protracted episodes of public­ Hale & Ironmonger: Sydney. no-one has died from funnel-web bite ity surrounding fatal bites, their notoriety since the funnel-web antivenom became will lessen. Meanwhile, if you want to test Dr Mike Gray is Division Head of Inver­ available. your funnel-web tolerance levels at that tebrate Zoology at the Australian Museum. Perhaps at this point something should Gosford paperbark forest, you'd better He has worked on funnel-web and other be said about catching funnel-webs. Nor­ hurry. At my last visit in early 1992 there spiders for the past 20-odd years and also has mally, funnel-webs should be left alone were signs advertising the swamp as a a particular interest in cave-dwelling faunas. ANH 39

Her short life provides a demonstration of the immense problems involved in combining the role of wife and artist in 19th-century society before the notion of the career woman existed.

UST O\"ER 150 YEAR AGO. O:'\ 16 MAY 1838. had numerous brothers and sisters, but a young Englishwoman set out from many died in infancy (including two London with her husband in the sailing .\1arys, an Ann and a M·ary Ann) . Two J Parsee barque on a two-year expedition to brothers, Stephen and Charles, emigrat­ draw and collect material for a set of illus­ ed to New South Wales and by the time trated books on the birds of Australia. she was 20, she was the only offspring left Her name was Elizabeth Gould, and her in England. Elizabeth became a gover­ husband, John Gould, was then curator ness, then one of the few professional oc­ and taxidermist at the museum of the cupations available for an educated Zoological Society, London. They worked woman and a role often described in nov­ as a joint partnership, Elizabeth supplying els of the time. A letter to her mother the artistic talent and John the scientific from James Street, London, reveals that knowledge and business acumen. The she sometimes felt "miserably, wretched­ outcome of their travels, The birds of Aus­ ly, dull" even though her pupil, a nine­ tralia (1840-1848), published in London year-old girl to whom she taught French, and dedicated to Queen Victoria, was an Latin, music and probably drawing, was "a outstanding financial and artistic success. perfect child in mind and manners". She Lithograph of Swift Lorikeet Originally priced at £115 (about SA290) for felt isolated from society and, although ( Lathamus disco/or) by Elizabeth the 36 parts with some 600 plates, the her bedroom overlooked Buckingham Gould. complete set now fetches over a thousand Palace, she wrote, "& times as much and, at an auction in Mel­ were it not that I see bourne in 1987 of prints from Gould's per­ constantly living beings sonal library, a double-paged print of a really moving back\vards Satin Bowerbird by Elizabeth Gould went & for wards there I for S17,600. should fancy I was to be Elizabeth's name has been dominated shut up here forever by that of her husband, partly due to his without knowing any one ELIZABETH forceful personality, but chiefly because of who could enter into her early death in 1841 . She was only 37. one's feelings". During the following 40 years John Gould It is not certain how Elizabeth came to produced further lavish books on the meet her future husband, but it may have birds of Great Britain, Asia and New been through a Mr Coxen 'the Birdstuffer' GOULD Guinea, so that by the time he died, in (probably a relation) of 12 Broad Street, 1881 , Elizabeth's name and contributions London. He was a colleague of the enter­ 1804-1841 had been almost forgotten. Ironically, prising John Gould, who had abandoned a even the Australian Gouldian Finch dedi­ career as a gardener to set up as a tax­ cated to her by her husband, despite idermist. Gould showed such expertise the correct scientific name of gouldiae that he received commissions from the ( the -ae shows it is named after a woman), royal family and, in 1829, had the impor­ BY MAUREEN LAMBOURNE bears the common name Gould and so tant task of assisting in the dissection and ends up by commemorating the ornitholo­ stuffing of George IV's pet, the first gist himself! Giraffe to live in England, which had un­ happily died two years after its arrival LIZABETH COXEN. CALLED BY HER HUS­ from Egypt. In the same year the Goulds, Eband Eliza, was born at Ramsgate, both aged 24, were married at St James', Kent, of a naval and military family. She Piccadilly, and for many years both Gould's publishing and taxidermy busi­ Oil portrait of Elizabeth Gould, by an unknown nesses were situated at 20 Broad Street, artist. She is holding a falcon. Golden Square, Soho.

ANH 41 The stor�· of how Elizabeth came lo il­ have learnt the technique from Ch;trles lustrate their first book Birds from the Hullmandel's manual The art 1f dm1('i11g Hi111alm·as was related over 40 vears later on stone (1824). which adrnc;1ted shading by Gouid to Richard Bowdler Sharpe. his with lithographic crayons for tonal effects biographer. Soon after his appointment to and the softness of fur and plumage. The the Zoological Society, Gould preserved title page shows an elegant young lady in and mounted a valuable set of bird skins a white dre s seated at her desk holding from the hill districts of India. These a lithographic pencil-an indication that aroused such interest at scientific meet­ 'drawing on stone' was a suitable and not I ings that he decided to make a permanent too messy accomplishment for an aspiring pictorial record. He discussed the need female artist. Elizabeth wo rked from r for illusttations by the new printing Gould's quick sketches. and drew the out­ 4' method of lithography with his wife lines of the birds on prepared slabs of Elizabeth. who asked "But who will do limestone. which were taken to I lullman­ the plates on stone?" "Who?" replied her del' lithographic workshops near Broad husband. "\Vhv vou. of course". Street to be printed. The outline prints As Gould had· no art training. and was were then hand coloured by professional not a skilled draughtsman. he relied colourists using Elizabeth's careful water­ greatly on his wife's artistic talents. colour studies as references. Elizabeth soon learnt to be proficient at Elizabeth's first birds-the owls. tits. lithography or 'drawing on stone·. which shrikes and jays in the Himalayan did not require the long training needed volume-perch stiffly on tiny mounds. John Gould in 1849. for engraving in wood or metal. She may tree stumps. or stubby branches in the conventional manner of 18th-century illus­ tration. But gradually she depicted her models in a less rigid manner and the last lizabeth asked "But who will do the H imalayan prints are rich I�· coloured pheasants with elaborate. detailed spot­ plates on stone?" "Who?" replied her ted markings. .\Jicholas Vigors (who wrote the text and described the species) husband, "Why you, of course". dedicated to her a rare Himalavan sun­ bird. Cin11yris gouldiae, which is still known toda,· as \frs Gould's unbird. For the next project The birds of Eu­ rope, the Goulds tra\'elled through con­ tinental Europe to see museums. private collections and meet eminent zoologists. In the summer of 1835. the,· sailed to Hol­ land. up the Rhine to Frankfurt. tra,·elled by road to \lunich and \'ienna. and returned to England ,·ia alzburg and Switzerland. "\1rs Gould accompanied me··. Gould wrote to a fellow naturalist. "and I am happy to say stood the journey remarkably well" (she was then in an ear­ ly stage of pregnancy). Gould employed Edward Lear. a natural histor y artist. later famous for his ·non­ sense' verse and comic drawings. to work with Elizabeth in preparing The birds of Europe and A monograph of the toucans. Lear had previously illu trated a wonder­ ful book of lithographs of parrots. and was particularly gifted at portraying the larger. more flamboyant birds, toucans, owls. eagles, pelicans and herons. He descri­ bed Ylrs Gould as "exceedingly pleasant and amiable" and helped her in the draw­ ing of the foliage and foregrounds. The gaudy toucans were followed by A mono­ graph on the Trogonidae, a family of birds that also lived in dense tropical forests but were less strident and more graceful. Elizabeth's 'Narina Trogon' is one of her most delicate compositions. and the 'Mexican Trogon', although more formal, is simple and elegant. Encouraged by these successes,

Elizabeth's name was overshadowed by her husband, John. Even the Gouldian Finch, which he dedicated to her by designating the feminine suffix for the scientific name (gouldiae), ended up commemorating him!

42 ANH The Narina Trogon (Trogon narina) from Africa, drawn and lithographed by Elizabeth Gould, was named after a Hottentot woman who was said to be beautiful, led a sad life and died young.

Gould, always restless. embarked on a larger enterprise. For several years he had been intrigued by the strange mam­ mal and bird skins that arrived in London from Australia, and by fascinating ac­ counts sent from Elizabeth's two emigrant brothers. A few natural historv artists. such as the botanical illustrator Ferdinand Bauer (see A:---IH Autumn 1990). .\llidship­ man George Raper. the convict Thomas Watling, and colonial artist John William Lewin, had already portrayed some Aus­ tralian birds, with Lewin's Birds of New Holland with their natural history (1808) going into three editions and attracting considerable interest. But the extent of these early efforts was limited. Gould. therefore. was determined to be the first in the field to make a comprehensive list of species and. after issuing a Synopsis and two parts (later called the cancelled plates) of The birds of Australia, he decid­ ed to see the birds for himself. and take Elizabeth with him as his artist. For Elizabeth, who loved her children. it was a great wrench to be parted from her young family. Arrangements were made for the care of the three youngest: Charles, aged four (who would at the age of 26 become first Geological Surveyor of Tasmania). was sent to a boarding school, while two-year-old Lizzy and six-month­ old babv Louisa were looked after at Broad Street by Elizabeth's mother. her niece and husband. The eldest boy Hen­ ry, aged seven, accompanied his parents; and a nephew. two servants and Gould's assistant. John Gilbert, completed the party. Although Elizabeth had agreed to be with her husband, she \vas frequently homesick and longed to hear details from home of her children's health and progress. "I hope my dear little Louisa is not suffering from her teeth. How does my Charley like school and does Lizzy look as rosy as before her illness?" she asked her mother in one of a series of let­ ters, which are of great human interest and now belong to the Mitchell Library. country was "teeming with beautiful Sydney. natural productions, both in the animal During the four-month voyage and vegetable kingdom". The dynamic, in­ Elizabeth was not allowed much time to tellectual Lady Franklin-the first woman be idle. Gould arranged for a cabin to be to climb Mount Wellington, and founder of equipped with storage cabinets, drawing a botanic garden and museum near apparatus and reference materials, so that Hobart-eagerly planned expeditions for ornithological work could be carried out Gould to see birds in various parts of the on board. In calm weather, Gould, lo­ island. John explored Tasmania, visited wered in a boat from the side of the ship, New South Wales and South Australia, caught sea birds by baited hook and line, while Elizabeth remained in Hobart, stay­ and Elizabeth made careful watercolours ing at Government House during the of them, including several species of pregnancy of her third son. To her mother petrels and albatwsses. she wrote about the grand ball to The Goulds were welcomed in Hobart, celebrate the Queen's birthday. "Can you Tasmania, by the Governor and his wife, imagine such a shy, reserved being as my­ Sir John and Lady Franklin, who were self frisking about in the midst of 200 peo­ both keen to promote natural history in­ ple? Don't fancy I attempt dancing-no, terest, despite the wranglings of internal no. I am well content to look on". She politics. Elizabeth wrote home that the much preferred to collect local plants and

ANH 43 Superb Lyrebird (Menura superba) drawn and lithographed by Elizabeth Gould.

Hunter River, Gould ordered a tent to be pitched in a bush clearing, where Elizabeth drew plants and the soft parts (bills, legs and feet) of recently shot birds in order to capture their colours before they faded. The family next continued up the Hunter River by boat to Maitland, where Elizabeth "drew all day" for three days, her labours relieved by walks in the cool of morning or evening. From Mait­ land they travelled by bullock cart to the Coxens' property at Yarrundi. There Elizabeth continued to draw and tend to the children while Gould set out into the bush on his most successful and ambi­ tious journey to discover new species in the sparsely settled country. Elizabeth correctly prophesied that the great mass of material accumulated by her husband would be of immense in­ terest to the scientific world. After their return to England on 18 August 1840, Gould exhibited skins and described the bowerbirds' habits at zoological meetings, and at social soirees showed off his live "pretty singing New South Wales parrots". The latter sprightly birds were probably the Budgerigars given to him by his brother-in-law, Charles Coxen, and be­ lieved to be the first breeding pair of 'Budgies' in England. A Cockatiel also brought back from Australia was for many years a pet in the Gould family. The birds of Australia was once again quickly set in action, the two parts previ­ ously printed were cancelled, and the first >"' part of the new edition came out in De­ "'< a, ::a cember 1840. The parts were issued at three-monthly intervals, each consisting of about 17 plates and text placed in a folder, with a cover design of a lyrebird based on Elizabeth's lithograph. Eighty­ four plates are credited to her, but her bird studies and botanical drawings provided invaluable source material for numerous other illustrations, even 40 years later in the Birds of New Guinea blossoms in the surrounding grounds and (1875-1888). In May 1841, Gould rented a gardens, which she drew as appropriate cottage at Egham by the Thames where backgrounds for her bird pictures. She he hoped the family would benefit by a also drew lorikeets, honeyeaters, and holiday in the country. But the pressure some little Tasmanian owls and owlet­ of work, added to by the responsibility of nightjars that were kept for a short time her young children, may have combined to in captivity. Elizabeth remained in good undermine her health, for tragically she health, due to the pleasant climate and died in August, aged 37, from puerperal or Lady Franklin's hospitality, and the baby, childbed fever five days after the birth of christened Franklin, was "a prodigious fel­ her eighth child, Sarah, the sixth to live low ". He soon became "a great pet with all past infancy. Puerperal fever was later in the family" and later, Lady Franklin, found to be caused by uncleanliness on herself childless, thought of adopting him, the part of the doctor or midwife. but Elizabeth refused to part with her "little Tasmanian". HROUGHOUT THE REST OF HIS LIFE In August 1839, the Goulds, with their TGould paid her heartfelt tribute, and in son and baby, left Tasmania for New the Handbook to the birds of Australia South Wales to see Elizabeth's brothers. (1866) expressed the "purest affection for Elizabeth's entries in a short diary reveal my late wife, who for many years labori­ that her travels were very much working ously assisted me with her pencil, accom­ holidays. They sailed first to Sydney, panied me to Australia, and cheerfully where they visited the Botanic Gardens, interested herself in all my pursuits". To then travelled by steamer to Newcastle. his naturalist friend, Sir William Jardine, On Mosquito Island, at the mouth of the he wrote: "All and everything is secondary 44 ANH to her faithful, gentle, and amiable Chris­ During 12 years of marriage Elizabeth tian disposition". Although shattered by produced over 600 illustrations for her her death, he was determined to continue husband's bird books, had a family of six his ornithological publications, and after a children, and circumnavigated the world. search found the young H.C. Richter, Her short life provides a demonstration of whom he trained to work to the same the immense problems involved in com­ standards set by his wife. One of Richter's bining the role of wife and artist in 19th­ illustrations is of the rainbow-coloured century society before the notion of the Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae), career woman existed. Was Elizabeth found in the Northern Territory by John Gould overstretched due to her complian­ Gilbert, Gould's explorer, and dedicated cy to Gould's demands? Has her name as to Elizabeth in memory of her work in an artist in her own right been over­ Australia. shadowed?• Edward Lear, who had given up zoologi­ cal painting for landscape, asked Gould Suggested Reading for "a little sketch . . . as a memorial of a Chisholm, A.H., 1944. The story of Elizabeth person I esteemed and respected so Gould. Hawthorn Press: Melbourne. greatly". In his last years when he was often lonely, embittered and cantanker­ Hindwood, K.A., 1938. Mrs John Gould. Emu 38: ous, Lear recalled unhappy memories of 131-138. The cameo brooch sent to Elizabeth Gould. his earlier days at Broad Street. He Lambourne, M., 1987. John Gould--Oird man. remembered Gould as outwardly jolly, but Osberton Productions Ltd: Milton Keynes, England. also "harsh and violent", who owed "every­ fashionable society lady) and a "skilful thing to his excellent wife, & to myself.­ lithographer of his birds". Elizabeth, Sauer, G., 1982. John Gould: the bird man. A chro­ without whose help in drawing he had modest about her own talents and retir­ nology and bibliography. Lansdowne Editions: Mel­ done nothing". Other contemporaries ing by nature, was surprised by the bourne. remarked on their complementary perso­ praise given to her bird illustrations. nalities. Lady Franklin's initial impression One of the most precious compliments Maureen Lambourne is a great-great grand­ of Elizabeth was of a "very unassuming paid to her was from Prince Charles Lu­ daughter of John and Elizabeth Gould. She and diffident person" whereas her hus­ cien Bonaparte, an eminent naturalist has written several books about the Goulds band was described by the colonists as and nephew of the Emperor. He and other natural historyartists. After taking "fully conscious of his importance as a promised her a fine cameo from his own a degree in Fine Art at Reading University lion". The American bird illustrator John collection in Italy, but sadly it arrived in she worked in the Prints and Drawings James Audubon thought Gould was "rich England by messenger shortly after her Department at the Victoria and Albert Muse­ and renowned" and his wife a "plain, fine sudden death, and instead was present­ um, London. Jn her spare time she enjoys woman" (inferring that she was not a ed to her five-year-old eldest daughter. watercolour painting and bird watching. LORDAHOWE NORFOLK T OGETH E R Experience The Nat ural Beauty of � this WORLD HERITAGE PARK § (Lord Howe Island) § combined with the magic of � HISTORICAL NORFOLK ISLAND § Pictorial Norfolk book � FREE oz· with every booking made g I f:<__,I Lani Howe Island � & NartallfIsland TouristCe11tte 7th Moor, 39-41 York Street, Sydney 262 6555

ANH 45

HARKS ARE SEEN AS PRJMITIVE, about sharks and the general conserva­ own. They also possess relatively large vicious, mindless eating-machines to tion ethos, attitudes are changing. People brains, complex behaviour and social Sbe killed at every opportunity. In are finally appreciating sharks as superbly structure. part these feelings are related to the adapted and successful predators that Sharks play a similar role in marine threat (real or perceived) these animals play a vital role in marine ecosystems. ecosystems to the birds of prey in the air pose to humans and, at the extreme, the Rather than dwelling on the grossly inflat­ or the big cats on the African plains. Pre­ fear of being 'eaten alive'. We can make a ed phenomenon of shark attack, attention dators control the number of prey and useful analogy between the fear of sharks is being focusedon the fascinating biology maintain the genetic 'fitness' of the prey and the fear of flying; most people are, at of these animals with their diversity of species by taking the weaker or less well­ the least, apprehensive if not downright body form and feeding mechanisms that adapted individuals. In turn, the abun­ frightened about both (even though they have enabled them to succeed as the top dance of prey indirectly controls the num­ may not admit it), although sharks and fly­ predators of most major marine habitats. ber of predators. Any ecosystem is an ing are a miniscule source of human mor­ Sharks have a battery of sophisticated amazingly complex and finely balanced tality. The negative image of sharks has prey-locating sensory systems, including blend of all the plants and animals in it. worked against them so that, even if they vibration detection and a bioelectric Removal of a key species such as a top are no longer the subject of personal ven­ sense. They have a variety of reproduc­ predator, or introduction of an exotic spe­ dettas (as was the case in the post "Jaws" tive methods that range from bizarre egg­ cies with no natural predators, can throw era), there is indifference to their future eating and intra-uterine cannibalism the system out of balance. plight. (where an embryo eats the other eggs To day, as never before, sharks and In the last few years, in the light of and embryos in the uterus, resulting in their relatives, the skates and rays, are more factual reporting by the media, the birth of only one large pup) to placen­ facing an increasing threat from humans. together with more accurate information tal live-bearing remarkably similar to our For every person killed by a shark, over

48 ANH Diver with baby Port Jackson sharks (Heterodontus portusjacksoni).

23,000 tonnes of sharks and rays are killed through commercial and recreation­ al fishing and shark control programs such as meshing of swimming beaches.

HY ARE SHARKS PARTICULARLY VUL­ Wnerable to fishing pressure? Associa­ ted with their predatory lifestyle sharks have adopted a reproductive strategy that relies on the production of relatively few, large, well-protected young. The range of young produced in a reproductive season ranges from two in such sharks as the Grey Nurse (Carcharias taurus) and some whaler sharks (Carcharhinus spp.) to a maximum of 135 in the Blue Shark (Prionace glauca). By contrast, some bony (as opposed to cartilaginous) fishes such as the North Atlantic Cod ( Gadus morhua) produce millions of eggs, a much smaller proportion of which need to sur­ vive to maintain the species' population size. In nature these are just two different strategies; the differences become a problem when fishing is introduced. For some bony fishes, for example, it is possi­ ble to fish stocks down to very low levels, but still have enough eggs to replenish the stock. But if you halve an adult stock of sharks, then you come close to halving the number of young produced. While some shark species breed every year, others breed only every other year or even less frequently. Sharks also have generally slow growth rates and a late age of sexual maturity; many species do not mature until they are 10-12 years old. Clearly the replenishment rate of shark populations is low, and the maximum sus­ tainable yields for commercial shark fish­ eries are heavily influenced by shark birth rates. Sharks are an important source of pro­ tein in many parts of the world. In addi­ tion to their meat, other parts of the sharks are highly prized. These include the oil in their livers (used as a lubricant and in cosmetics), their carWage (used for the treatment of burns and in anti­ tumor research), corneas (for human transplant operations), gall bladder ex­ tracts (for acne treatment), and their fins (used in shark-fin soup). Recent high prices of over $100 per kilogram for shark fins have made it profitable to target sharks specifically for their fins. Smaller markets exist for shark leather, and for jaws, teeth and vertebrae as curios. The markets for shark products are supplied either by target fisheries, that is fisheries directed specifically at the spe­ cies in question, or through bycatch fish­ eries where the sharks are caught incidentally to the desired species. Historically target shark fisheries have had a chequered career often following a 'boom and bust' pattern. Rapidly increas­ ing catches were followed a few years later by declining catch rates due to deple­ tion of the local stocks to the point where the fisheries became uneconomic. The

ANH 49 problem of overfishing is still occurring in most shark fisheries today. Until recently the southern Australian shark fishery produced about 5,000 tonnes annually of School and Gummy Sharks (Galeorhinus galeus and Mustelus antarcticus). This $20 million fishery has had an unusually long history dating from the early 1900s. For a number of years scientists have warned that the stocks are being severely depleted and that the fish­ ery faces economic collapse. While most fishermen agree that restrictions are necessary, many have difficulty reconcil­ ing severe depletion with the long history of the fishery and their own catches, which some claim are as high as ever. The scientific counter-argument is that, although the fishery has existed for a long time, it has undergone periods of expan­ sion followed by periods of decline allow­ ing some recovery of the stocks, and it is only recently with much improved tech­ nology and stable demand that fishing ef­ fort has increased dramatically. Bycatch fisheries for sharks are in many ways of even more concern than directed fisheries, because the catch is usually poorly documented. Massive quantities of sharks are taken by the high-seas long­ liner and driftnet fleets of nations suchas Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Russia. These vessels usually target species such as tuna or squid, but retain the high-priced low-volume shark fins while trashing most of the carcasses that would otherwise compete for the limited freezer space. It has been estimated that some 34,000 Blue Sharks are taken by Japanese tuna longliners each season off Ta smania alone. Estimates from Greenpeace sug­ gest that the north Pacific driftnet fleets may catch in excess of two million Blue Sharks annually! While Blue Sharks are an abundant and widely distributed spe­ cies, no-one knows what impact these huge catches are having either on the Blue Sharks themselves or on the oceanic ecosystem of which they are an integral part. Australia has made some attempt to restrict fin removal by the Japanese within the Australian Fishing Zone by prohibiting the retention of fins unless the whole car­ cass is retained. However, the legislation is largely token and will do little to pre­ vent the killing of the sharks even if the fins are not kept. Large numbers of sharks are also caught by sportfishermen, particularly in the USA and Australia. OffCalifornia, the recreational catch of Leopard Sharks (Tri­ akis semifasciata) is estimated to be six times the commercial catch. In the past the sharks were caught, weighed for com­ petition purposes and then dumped back into the sea. More recently there has been a welcome trend towards tag and release competitions, which can still pro­ vide sport without killing the sharks and at the same time provide useful biological information. Most angling clubs and

A recreational fisherman with catch: a species of whaler shark.

50 ANH ----==-:----

Shark nets used on Sydney's surf beaches are designed to trap and kill sharks that run into them. They are not designed to stop sharks e� tering the beach area. loosely hanging nets are anchored in water about six metres deep.

fishermen now realise that they must adopt a more responsible attitude both to conserve the stocks for their own sport and to avoid a growing criticism from con­ servation bodies and the general public. Recreational spearfishing had such an im­ pact on the population of Grey Nurse Sharks off New South Wales that the spe­ cies is now protected. Also the Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) has recently been declared an endan­ gered and protected species in South Africa.

HE CO SERVATION OF LARGE CARNl­ Tvores that impact on human popula­ tions, such as tigers, crocodiles and sharks, is a contentious issue. Few in­ formedpeople would urge that these spe­ cies be slaughtered to extinction. Many of these animals are endangered, and some are protected. For sharks, what is re­ quired is enlightened public debate on the value of each species, the actual versus the perceived risk to humans, how best to minimise that risk, and the methods and consequences of protecting threatened species. Although the potential threat of sharks attacking humans occurs around the world, only two countries-Australia and South Africa -have resorted to beach meshing, which, in New South Wales, in­ volves the use of a 150-metre-long net set parallel to the beach and near the bottom, about 500 metres offshore. Beach mesh­ ing works by catching sharks, reducing the population size and thus the statistical chances of attack; they do not prevent sharks from enteringthe surfingbeach en­ virons. (This is in contrast to the 'shark­ proof swimming areas at Balmoral, Niel­ sen Park and other Sydney Harbour "'>- beaches where the finer-meshed nets "'< completely enclose the areas, and are not ::,"' designed to catch sharks.) 0 0:,: Beach meshing in Au stralia is limited to �"' the States of New South Wales and z � Queensland. It was introduced to beaches .,, s3: School and Gummy Sharks caught in nets to be sold for human consumption. i ANH 51 A netted shovelnose ray . servation has prompted one State, New South Wales, to review its beach meshing of New South Wales in 1937, Durban program. It is a sad fact that, after more (South Africa) in 1952, and Queensland in than 50 years of shark meshing, we have 1962. Following the introduction of beach no idea of the sizes of the populations of meshing, catches were typically high for a the shark species involved, nor of the op­ couple of years before levelling off. More timum population sizes that would result than 1,000 sharks were caught in the first in an acceptable level of attack. We will 12 months of meshing off Sydney surfing not be able to obtain this information until beaches alone; meshing currently catches meshing is stopped for a period of time so about 150 sharks per year off the beaches that catch rates can be compared, and tag of Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong. and release and other research initiated. While there is no question that meshing Research into the effectiveness of mesh­ has been associated with a major reduc­ ing is urgently required, as is morP tion of shark attacks (there have been no fatalattacks on Sydney surf beaches since ACCIDENTAL CAUSES OF HUMAN DEATHS meshing began), the practice is extreme IN AUSTRALIA, 1980-1990 overkill. Also, other factors may have in­ fluenced the number of attacks prior to No. Average meshing. For example, in Queensland a Activity Deaths /year number of attacks were associated with discharges from an abattoir in Townsville, Crocodile attacks 81 0.7 Shark attacks lF 1.0 and the Homebush abattoir on Sydney Lightning strikes 193 1.7 Harbour attracted numerous sharks. Dis­ Bee stings 203 1.8 charges of this nature are now prohibited Scuba diving accidents 88' 8.0 in both States. Drownings and In Australia, shark meshing costs well submersions 3,3673 306.1 over $600,000 per year and yet no effort Motor vehicle traffic is made to use the sharks for scientificor accidents 32,7723 2,979.3 other purposes. Some basic data are col­ 1 from Dr Graham Webb, Darwin. lected before the carcasses are dumped, 2 but are of little use because the species from John West, Shark Attack File, Taronga Zoo, Sydney. identifications are so poor. At least in 3 From the Australian Bureau of Statistics, South Africa, meshing is linked to a scien­ Canberra. tific program that has provided valuable • from Dr Doug Walker, Operation Sticky The Grey Nurse Shark is a protected species in data on shark biology and distribution. Beak, Sydney. New South Wales. Of major concern is the bycatch from shark meshing. Between 1972 and 1978 in research into shark behaviour and fatalities from shark attack each year. (It is Queensland the nets killed at least10,889 biology, and alternative methods of apparently acceptable to kill ourselves rays, 2,654 turtles, 468 Dugongs and 317 reducing shark attack. through automobile accidents, but the dolphins. '.Vlany of these are protected For shark attack, the perception of the consequences are immense if another species, and some such as the Dugong threat far outweighs the real risk. More species does the killing.)In fact, the num­ are considered critically endangered. It is people are killed annually by bee stings or ber of deaths in Australia from shark at­ an undeniable fact that the impact of lightning strikes than shark attacks (see tack totals 11 for the years 1980-1990, shark nets requires urgent assessment, table). Although many more drown each slightly more than the eight deaths from both on the bycatch problem and the ef­ year, swimming is not made illegal. Our crocodile attacks in the same period -yet fect on the ecosystem of removing traffic fatality rate is massive (about ten the Saltwater Crocodile is considered an sharks. per week in New South Wales alone). Im­ endangered and totally protected species. The current concern about shark con- agine the public outcry if there were ten Last summer a small pack of sharks off 52 ANH Manly resulted in shark alarms, police International Union for the Conservation Suggested Reading helicopters and surf boats attempting to of Nature. Perhaps at long last things are scare the sharks to sea. All swimmers left changing for the shark. • Cliff, G. & Dudley, S.F.J., 1992. Protection against the water safely, and no damage was done shark attack in South Africa, 1952-90. Aust. J. to the sharks. Surely this is preferable to Dr John Stevens is a shark biologist and a Mar. Freshw. Res. 43: 263-272. the indiscriminate killing that currently Principal Research Scientist with the CSIRO Reid, D.D. & Krogh, M., 1992. Assessment of occurs with shark meshing. Fisheries. He is currently investigating the catches from protective beach meshing off New Ideally, people should be educated to inshore nursery areas of commercially impor­ South Wales beaches between 1950 and 1990. accept the occasional attack as a known tant ScJwol and Gummy Sharks in south­ Aust. J. Mar. Freshw. Res. 43: 283-296. but miniscule risk associated with using eastern Tasmania. Dr John Paxton is a the sea. Already Grey Nurse Sharks are Senior Research Scientist at the Australian Springer, V.G. & Gold, J.P., 1989. Sharks in ques­ protected in ew South Wales, Great Museum where he has been studying Aus­ tion. Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, White Sharks are protected in South Afri­ tralian and deep-sea fishes for more than 20 DC. ca and a newly established Shark Survival years. Both are members of the IUCN Shark Stevens, J.D. (ed.), 1987. Sharks. Golden Press: Group has been set up as a branch of the Survival Group. Sydney.

ANH 53 P H O T O A R T

Hay gathered for stacking.

Frosted paddock at first light.

54 ANH Fire has turned this forest into a tapestry of regrowth.

BY LI.'.\!DSAY STEPANOW

OW YIA�Y OF US HAVE DREAYIT OF flying? To rise above the fences and Hills Hoists, over church spires and Hrooftops, to drift away over the city? To hover above country lanes, farms and moun­ tains, to go with the birds and wafting sum­ mer breezes ...to the wilder places ...then swoop down to admire it all in finer detail? After years of flying light aircraft, I decided to capture some of the images that passed beneath my wings. My aerobatic flight training has taught me to fly the aircraft solely by outside refer­ ence, so I can concentrate on photography. AERIAL ESCAPES Most of my photographs are taken between 150 and 900 metres altitude around Victoria. Upon seeing a potential picture, I fly into position, transfer the control stick to my left hand, while holding the camera with my right; the lens resting on my left elbow and viewing through an opening vent in the canopy. Vibration is only a problem if the

ANH 55 Sheep on the move.

56 ANH Saltbush and rising salt claim a pasture in western Victoria.

AERIAL ESCAPES

01mera or the arm holding the camera 1s m contact ,,·ith the ;iircraft frame. From abm·e. the limits of our em·ironment are all too obYious: those precious fe,,· hundred metres bet,,·een the topsoil and clouds ;ire all we haw. Fires frequently smudge large swaths of forests into crazy abstracts of ash white. charcoal and orange.. xast landscapes of crisp desolation. In the wetter seasons. sheets of shallo\\· water co,·er the flatter wetland areas in a shimmering liquid. creating muted water­ colour hues. After the slumber of ,,·inter. flocks of birds return to the \\'etlands. form­ Pelicans in formation. ing ,·ast clouds of life in motion. Beneath the aircraft. spread out like an endless textured tapestry. the changing scenes below provide an unlimited and amazing diversity of images to photograph.

P ff O T O A R T

ANH 57 Flooded eucalypt forest west of the Grampians, Victoria.

I P H O T O A R T

The shoreline of Corangamit Lake, Victoria

58 ANH A driver's signatur-ehicle tracks in a dry lake bed.

AERIAL ESCAPES

ANH 59 V-shaped transverse blades and basal VIEWS FIOM THE FouttTH DIMENSION cusps found in nothing else in the world except the upper molars of monotremes. But why, if our beloved flat-foots tram­ pled Patagonia's paddocks before Australia He felt a sharp pain - the was recognisably Australia, hadn't platypus tooth had taken its first palaeontologists found South American bite in 63 million years. monotremes before now? Rosendo ex­ plained that this tooth came from a newly discovered deposit that was older than most previously known mammal deposits in Argentina-61 to 63 million years, bare­ PATAGONIAN ly three million years after the last of the giant dinosaurs nose-dived into the muds of eternity. Knowledge of the kinds of PLATYPUS creatures inhabiting South America at this time has therefore just started to accumu­ BY MICHAEL ARCHER late. Furthermore, because of geological connections and barriers at that time, Patagonia may have had more in common with the Antarctic and Australian portions of Gondwana than it did with the rest of South America. For example. Patagonia and Australia once shared ceratodontid lungfish, Australia's living Lungfish being the only survivor of this once-widespread NYO:-IELISTE?\ING 0:-1THAT U:--:­ group. forgettable night in June to We asked Rosendo to recount the the multilingual small talk coming from events of the discovery, wanting to learn Argentinian Professor Rosendo Pa scual's everv detail of this momentous find. Sydney hotel room might have thought it Rosendo dropped his head and smiled in a very relaxed international reunion. recollection. One of his students had sat Everyone seemed so normal, so decep­ down on the fossil deposit for a rest and tively calm and collected. Yet, mere felt a sharp pain in his rear end-the tooth minutes after Rosendds arrival, beads of having taken its first bite of something sweat had begun to betray trembling edible in 63 million years. Plucking the fingers, because we all knew he had in his fossil from his savaged posterior, he had pocket a tiny black object of immense passed it to Rosendo for comment. For a potential power. If its identity was con­ moment Rosendo puzzled over the un­ firmed, it would blast the hallowed text­ The Patagonlan platypus Is known from a single familiar thing, then dryly asked the stu­ books and disintegrate cherished tooth, held by Professor Rosendo Pascual. dent if he was absolutely certain he hadn't conviction that Australia was the sole par­ 'produced' it himself! ent of the Platypus-that national natural But it is one thing to allow the possibili­ Back in the Museum in La Plata, they treasure we all naively assumed was as ty of monotremes rolling their rubbery lit­ tried in vain to match the tooth's weird uniquely Australian as vegemite and tle eggs through the muds of other shape with that of any other group of lamingtons. continents. It is another thing entirely to mammals previously known from South True, the possibility of finding a non­ have a South American colleague beam a America. Zero. They then ran it alongside Australian monotreme (platypus, echidna puckish smile across unclenching fingers the choppers of creatures known from or close relative) had long been accepted to reveal a very real, tangible tooth of a North America and Europe. Still zero. Fi­ for mainly geological reasons. Until some­ grossly un-Australian monotreme. The nally one of his students joked "Maybe it's time between 38 and 45 million years ago, sight of this 'thing', which he and his stu­ a monotreme!" Rosendo laughed ...but as Australia had openly carried on an inti­ dents had found on the wind-swept slopes memories were triggered the laughter mate biogeographic affair with South of a Patagonian hill, caused instant silence suddenly trailed off. He raced for his files on extinct Australian mammals and, an instant later, pulled out a 1975 paper by Mike Woodburne and Dick Tedford What resembled a weary wad of licorice describing two isolated teeth, which they perceptively concluded came from an ex­ bubblegum was actually the upper molar of tinct platypus-like monotreme. They named it Obdurodon insignis, meaning a monotreme 'lasting tooth of significance' in reference to the fact that this platypus-like beast had functional teeth unlike the living America, one albeit controlled by the in­ in the whole group-a moment of palaeo­ Platypus whose teeth drop out when it is u tervening chaperone Antarctica. These geographic reverence for a prehistoric still a chubby little youngster. 11: future continents were the last vestiges of treasure no-one really expected to see. Comparing his tooth with those pic­ � the once giant supercontinent Gondwana. Reluctant to give up Australia's claim to tured of the extinct Obdurodon insignis, � Further, because we knew monotremes monotremes, my eyes nevertheless con­ Rosendo noted many similarities-but � existed in at least the Australian portion of firmed Rosendds conclusion that this also many differences. Because Wood­ � Gondwana as farback as 110 million years thing was indeed a monotreme. What to burne and Te dfordhad guessed incorrect­ � ago (see ANH Autumn 1986), there was the uninitiated might have looked like a ly (as we later discovered following no obvious reason why monotremes could weary wad of licorice bubblegum, un­ discoveries of more complete Obdur­ � not have existed in other areas of mistakably displayed for aficionados of odon material from Riversleigh; see ANH � Gondwana. teeth the characteristic wide and doubled Summer 1990-91) that the two Australian

60 ANH teeth were upper molars, Rosendo was 15-million-year-old Riversleigh deposit, zarrodontans', creatures unique to Austra­ misled into concluding that there were he gasped "Mon Dieu.'" What he saw was lia that survived long enough to leave fos­ significant differences between his tooth, most certainly not what he expected. All sils at Riversleigh, inhabitants of that an undoubted upper molar, and the teeth of the key features he previously thought same patch of Patagonia? As our Argentin­ of the Australian animal, which were in distinguished the Patagonian animal were ian colleague has so often been heard to fact lower molars. But spurious differ­ there in the Riversleigh platypus-despite say, 'for sure, maybe'. ences or no, there was an overall basic a separation by continents and more than There is, of course, only one certain similarity that left no doubt in his mind 40 million years. way to find out. Rosendo, squirming in that this was the first non-Australian Although in the end we concluded that the same fires of curiosity as us, has monotreme-and he was verv excited! there were enough differences to confi­ generously invited us to join him in the His exuberance overflowect'in a letter of dently separate the Patagonian form from follow-up University of La Plata Expedi­ early 1991 to Mike Augee and me at the the Australian beasts and named the tion to Patagonia in late 1992. All that University of �ew South Wales. He Patagonian platypus Monotrematum stops us is the need to find sufficient sup­ offered to announce the discovery at the sudamericanum, it is clearly very similar port for the Australian part of the team. Royal Zoological Society of �ew South to species of Obdurodon. Add to this the The Australian Geographic Society has Wales' Monotreme Symposium being or­ fact that the lower molars of the early made a substantial contribution towards ganised by Ylike. After gawking at a pho­ Cretaceous Lightning Ridge monotreme the costs but, with time rapidly running tograph of the tooth Rosendo had sent (Steropodon galmani) are also very similar out, we still have a long way to go­ with his letter, we dove into a frenzy of to those of Obdurodon and we have one of $20,500 is still needed. Is there out there fund-raising to ensure his transport-with the most remarkable cases of long-term an angel of mercy sufficiently curious the thing-to Australia. The Royal Zoolog­ constancy of general tooth form known about Australia's past to help Australians ical Societv of �ew South Wales, the among mammals-a period in excess of explore this extraordinary aspect of Aus­ Riversleigh. Society and the University of 110 million years. Whatever these early tralian prehistory? • �ew South Wales tipped out their pockets monotremes munched with their distinc­ guaranteeing a high-profile scientific fo­ tive molars, it seems that they did it for Professor Michael Archer lectures in biology rum for this venerable Patagonian debu­ a very long time despite worlds literally and geology at the University of New South tant and her Argentinian godfather. crumbling beneath their feet. Mitles. Most of his non-teaching hours are When Rosendo arrived accompanied by The discovery of the Patagonian platy­ devoted to the study of the fossil faunas of his charming wife �ellie he was still con­ pus is one of the most exciting palaeonto­ Riversleigh. vinced he had in his pocket a monotreme logical events of the century. But just as A PLEA FOR HELP quite unlike any previously known from certainly it will prove to be the first of Anyone who can help the 'Reunite Gond­ Australia. But that brief glance in his hotel many equally exciting discoveries waiting wana' Patagonian expedition is urged to room told me the differences were amaz­ to be made in that tantalising deposit. make tax-deductible donations to the ingly few. The next day, when we lined up Could our beloved koalas, bandicoots or Vertebrate Palaeontology Research Fund, his tooth beside the tooth of an undoubt­ even kangaroos have representatives School of Biological Science, University of ed upper molar of Obdurodon from a there? Were archaic 'thingodontans' or 'bi- NSW, PO Box 1, Kensington NSW 2033.

I I ! l

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ANH 61 the occasional mention of the other ver­ tebrates. Australia's endangered species REVIEWS stands out because it clearly considers the invertebrates and plants as well. Biol­ COMPILED BY ogists. as opposed to some lay conserva­ tionists, know that for the well-being of JENNIFER SAUNDERS fauna. flora and humanitv the conserva­ tion of invertebrates sucl; as earthworms is far more important than that of ver­ tebrates such as the Panda or the Koala. Unfortunately for the invertebrates. none is as cute as the Panda or as cuddly as the Koala. The knowledge of invertebrates section on conservation. This is a valua­ among leading conservation organisations ble conclusion to the book, particularly as appears to be shaky. The \Vorldwatch In­ it is as current as any other general text stitute. for example. did not realise nema­ on the constantly varying nature of the todes. eelworms and roundworms are topic. one and the same. and therefore their es­ The volume is attractively produced. timate of the world's species is too large and compares very favourably with other bv two million. ornithological reference books in terms of - Conservationists. including the editor its illustrations. Most are attractivelv ex­ \ilichael Kennedy. argue that "all species ecuted and serve well to support the on this planet maintain an inalienable right point being made (a few, however. are to existence". and that other reasons for quite inadequate). Unlike almost all of its conservation (maintenance of a genetic competitors, the Cambridge volume has bank. the pleasure given by organisms copious colour illustrations. This certainly and the environmental services they pro­ adds to the overall attractiveness. but in vide and so on) are subsidiarv. But wh\· The Cambridge Encyclopedia only a few instances does it seem to make do all species have an inalienable right to of Ornithology* a substantial difference to the subject be­ Ed. by Michael Brooke & Tim Birkhead. ing illustrated. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Overall. The Cambridge encyclopedia of 1991, 362pp. $65.00. ornithology is a worthy and high-quality publication. and compares well with other Conservat n o The study of birds is a constantly ex­ texts on the market. One advantage it panding science. The many ornithologists offers to the Australian reader is its great­ mvertebrc1te uch d\ worldwide engaged in advancing our er availability in this country. along with a knowledge of birds do so at a rate that an­ more competitive price than most. earthworm , far or nually fills many scientific publications. Because of the depth of its subject mat­ important than that of Distilling this vast body of information ter. The Cambridge encyclopedia of or­ down into an easily digestible and accessi­ nithology will better suit a reader with a vertebrates ble overview of ornithology. and at the developed interest in ornithology than same time maintaining a feel for the cur­ one needing just an introduction to birds. rency of findings on a di\·erse range of However, anyone beyond the introductory fronts, is an exacting endeavour. There stage will find it a useful and attractive are already general ornithological texts of acquisition. quality on the market, some recent. -Walter Boles live? Because the\' were created in some some of long standing, as well as some Australian Museum Garden of Eden or because thev are the classics now out of print and outdated. end points of evolution? · Perhaps The Cambn.dge encyclopedia of orni­ philosophers can tell but they will not thology is an attractive newcomer to this convince me that Plasmodiurn falciparum company. has an inalienable right to attack and kill In contrast to the single or dual author­ human beings to survive. and that it was ship that characterise most of the existing immoral for the World Health Organisa­ texts, an impressive selection of 39 con­ tion to trv to eradicate malaria. Has the tributors has been assembled for the Koala, \�hich conservationists try to compilation of the encyclopedia, many of preserve, a greater inalienable right to whom are at the forefront of their sub­ survive than the Chlamydia that attacks jects. The coverage of ornithological it? topics is comprehensive. The 11 chapters Politicians, who dole out the money for deal with all the major subjects a reader conservation and who say yea or nay to would expect: external morphology, anat­ the exploitation of biologically important omy and physiology, evolution. classifica­ areas. may well dismiss the inalienable­ tion, distribution, populations, breeding, right argument as mere sentimentality, so flight, migration and navigation, and be­ it is politic for the conservationists to haviour. push the other arguments. They are, af­ The final chapter, "People and Birds", Australia's Endangered Species* ter all. convincing enough. explores the many facets of our relation­ Ed. by Michael Kennedy. Simon & Schuster, Fortunately, the authors of this book do ship with these animals. Starting with the Sydney, 1990, 192pp. $39.95. not dismiss the less emotive organisms so history of human interest in birds, it readily. Geoff Williams, for example. reviews the use of birds in art, literature Of the dozens of recent books pub­ stresses the role of invertebrates in and music; domestication; the impact of lished on endangered species in Australia ecosystems, which would soon be out of birds on people; the exploitation by peo­ and overseas, almost all have been con­ kilter without them. And John Benson re­ ple of birds; and finishes with a lengthy fined to birds and mammals with only minds us that there is a host of new genes

62 ANH and new drugs out there that could be record of a Bilby from near Roma on the promise. Wise choices need to be made, more valuable in hard cash than felled Darling Downs. Bilbies are now confined especially by grown-ups buying for trees. to the Channel Country of far western intelligent but perhaps less discerning Australia has a poor record. We are los­ Queensland. young relatives. ing species at a greater rate than other Some of the maps tell of new discover­ . o better choice could be made than areas of the same size-although perhaps ies. �otable among these is the addition the four books in the Young �aturalist it is worth pointing out that we probably to Queensland's fauna of several new bats Series published by Reed Books in never eradicated an animal as numerous and three possums-the .Ylahogany association with the Australian Museum. as the American Bison or Passenger Glider. Daintree River Ringtail and Rock As the titles suggest, each book covers a Pigeon. We have lost our animals and Ringtail. Fifty-one new reptiles have been major environment with its associated plants through habitat destruction and the described since 1980. and almost 40 per plants and animals. Each is written by a impact of introduced animals and weeds, cent of Queensland's frog fauna was dis­ scientist eminent in his field. giving not through Buffalo Bills. Our problems covered after 1970. Also significant are authority to the lucid explanations of are indeed great, and this excellent book. dramatic range extensions. such as the ecological concepts. fundamental with its careful catalogue of endangered finding of Tiger Snakes in central Queens­ biological relationships and conservation and vulnerable species and sound biology. land and Ringed Brown Snakes along the will pro\'ide us with a good tool in our east coast. attempts to save all of Australia·s endan­ Fascinating but brief introductory chap­ gered species. ters describe the holdings of the .Yluseum -Arthur Woods (16.000 frogs. 24.000 reptiles. 12 .000 University of NSW birds. 2.000 bird eggs and 16.500 mam­ These books should mals). and other chapters discuss endan­ set many eager feet along gered species and provide a checklist of the groups. along with map of collecting their own paths of AnA1lru.of Quecnsland's localities and biodiversity. Frogs, Rep1ilcs, This is a very intelligently produced exploration. Birds & M.immals book. and a great tribute to computerY technology as a biological tool. .ly one criticism is that no common names ac­ company the maps-a reasonable omis­ sion for reptiles and frogs. but not for mammals and birds. whose common concerns. The books. although far from names are standardised and common cur­ superficial. are simply written and a rency among naturalists and biologists. delight to read. full of fascinating facts -Tim Low about plants and animals. their environment and interactions. The Young Naturalist Series* Design can make or mar a book. and l personally find the layout of text and Cities and Towns; Forests, illustrations in these four adds a great An Atlas of Queensland's Frogs, Woodlands and Heaths; deal to their attractiveness. The text is in Reptiles, Birds & Mammals* The Deserts; Exploring Lakes, manageable sections. The photographs, Ed. by G.J. Ingram & R.J. Raven, Rivers and Creeks often several to a page. are of different Queensland Museum, Old, 1991, By Courtenay Smithers; Harry F Recher; sizes and attractivelv linked to avoid 391pp. $45.95. Penny van Oosterzee & Stephen R. Morton; boring uniformity. Noel Tait & Robyn Stutchbury. Reed Books, The photographs range from adequate This is a book of maps-pages and NSW, 1991, 79pp. and $12.95 each. to excellent. I hesitate to pick favourites, pages of them-1.259 in all. It may look or make comparisons, but find most like a dull read. but I found it engrossing. In the green years of my youth. non­ notable Mike Gillam's environment shots and commend this book \·ery highly. academic books on native fauna and flora in The deserts and Kathie Atkinson's Distribution maps are a cornerstone of were scarce. and each find was a treasure aquatic invertebrates in Lakes, riuers and biology. In guidebooks and taxonomic re­ beyond price to this budding naturalist. creeks. In all. but especially the latter visions they complement text and illustra­ Those first natural history books still sit book. attractive line drawings and tions to conjure up a three-dimensional proudly on my library shelves. Among the diagrams provide information not easily portrait of a species. A good distribution authors, it was Australian .Yluseum gained from photographs alone. map is worth 1.000 words or more. It can entomologist Keith McKeown. writing In the face of such overall excellence I point to climatic. habitat and historical simply and with enthusiasm about insects am hesitant to make such minor constraints on a species· existence. and spiders in the 1930s and 1940s. who criticisms as the following: in the section The distribution maps in this book were did much to set me on my own chosen on recycling in Forests, woodlands and generated from the Queensland :\1use­ path. heaths it was surprising to see termites um·s computer database and correspond To day. the nature section of many twice referred to as ·white ants'. I thought with specimens held by the Museum dat­ general bookshops overflow with white ants had long ago been recycled into ing back to the 1860s. For reptiles and tempting titles in technicolour dust­ their proper taxonomic sisterhood. Also, frogs they provide a most up-to-date jackets. but not all deliver what they as a champion of invertebrates I have record of distribution, but for mammals and birds they are less comprehensive and their interest is sometimes historical. Some of the maps tell sad stories. I had not realised that the extinct Paradise Par­ rot once graced the forests of Brisbane, nor that _ orthern Quolls previously prowled within 100 kilometres of that city. This quoll is now restricted to northern Queensland where it continues to decline. Equally surprising is an old

ANH 63 reservations about killing and collecting tory text, brief identifying captions and with a new perspective. For those for them, as suggested in Cities and towns. more detailed commentary at the end. whom the Solomon Islands and Papua We don't encourage children to pop lizards McCoy is an informed observer and, New Guinea are remote and enigmatic lo­ or frogs into methylated spirits, so why apart from the obvious aesthetic appeal of cations, McCoy's book is a fascinating and insects and spiders? Living insect pets are images, the book establishes itself informative window on two of Australia's more fun and certainly more educational. strongly as documentary work. Among closest Pacific neighbours. The garden slug (Limax) caption in Cities the many scientifically valuable photo­ -Alexandra Szalay and towns is wrong; Limax does not feed graphs is the shy and elusive Grey Dor­ Australian Museum on snails, it is a scavenger. Several photo­ copsis, the rare Solomon Islands Giant graphs are printed upside down. And fi­ Tree Rat and, my favourite, a Mourning nally, why do publishers persist in Gecko falling prey to a huntsman spider. C....,/ A quarter of the photographs in Reflec­ ,,,.,,.,,,.. spreading pictures and diagrams across A,,u,.u:f. two pages, losing information in the cen­ tions of Melanesia are of people, and most N,,,;,;,A,.;_i, tral gutter? I feel some of the illustrations regions in Papua ew Guinea and the could have been better adjusted to the tall Solomon Islands are represented. For the format of these books. Those small things aside, in all impor­ tant ways the books are truly excellent • value and should set many eager young feet along their own paths of exploration. McCoy is an informed • A love of nature is innate and requires no The Care and Handling of teaching, but an understanding of nature observer and the book Australian Native Animals* needs a helping hand as we build on the establishes itself strongly Ed. by Suzanne Hand. Surrey Beatty knowledge of others. There could be no & Sons, NSW, 1990, 210pp. $30.00. better foundation for building than these as a documentary work four books. This book is one of a few dealing with Although I wish they 'd been around emergency care and captive management when I was young, I am not too old and of native fauna, but it is the only one I certainly not too knowledgeable to have have looked at in any detail. It is the result enjoyed reading every word for this of a symposium held by the Royal Zoologi­ review. I recommend that you buy them most part, the book avoids the insentient, cal Society of '.'Jew South Wales organised for someone you love. Why not yourself? emblematic portrayal of Melanesian peo­ by Ylichael Archer and Marianne -Densey Clyne ples so characteristic of such books as Cochrane in September 1986. The chap­ Mantis Wildlife Films, NSW Malcolm Kirk's Man as art (1987). ters largely represent the material McCoy's portraits of men, women and presented at the sy mposium, with one or children engaged in both the drama of two subsequent updates and additions. ritual and the minutiae of daily life are sel­ As can be expected from this, there are dom intrusive and often compelling. 14 authors covering 20 chapter topics and There is a warmth of intimacy in many of the style and amount of information the images, most particularly in those varies. Some chapters cover only one from the Solomons, where McCoy has species in great detail, (for example, lived since 1969. By subtle contrast, a "Koalas" and "Grey-headed Flying­ certain distance is discernible in the New foxes''), while others are far broader (for Guinea photographs which, to the careful example, "Bird handling" and "Diseases eye, is not present in the other images. and parasites"). This leads to the only criticism of Most chapters are illustrated with Reflections of Melanesia. In his commen­ black-and-white photos, colour photos tary, McCoy has taken considerable care and illustrations. The papers presented at to record not only the precise localities of the symposium obviously had a slight bias his photographs, but also the exact date towards mammals as a breakdown of the Reflections of Melanesia on which each was taken. Yet the names subject matter runs as follows: 12 chap­ By Michael McCoy. Crawford House Press, of the individuals who appear in his por­ ters on mammals, three on general NSW, 1990, 159pp. $39.95. traits are entirely absent. This is a regret­ topics, two on birds, and one chapter table 01TIJss1on, which somewhat each on reptiles, fish and frogs. Mike McCoy is a Sydney-born pho­ undermines McCoy's argument for the This is not meant as a criticism of the tographer whose images of various value of documentary photography in book, as most material is adequately co­ aspects of Melanesian natural history and recording cultures undergoing rapid social vered. It seems more a case of mammals social life have been published widely. change in the wake of European impinge­ being the ones more frequently kept and Reflectionsof Melanesia, his third book, is ment. More importantly, it effectively re­ often casualties of human activities. a collection of photographs of the land­ moves an avenue of recognition for the Different types of mammals require such scapes, fauna and peoples of Papua New photographed individuals and their specialised care that a 'one chapter covers Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The descendants in the future. This is a sig­ all' approach wo uld not suffice. The only breadth of material presented is quite ex­ nificant lapse, but a relatively small flaw in obvious shortcoming in lack of informa­ traordinary, demonstrating McCoy's skill an otherwise excellent book. tion was in bird care. Birds would surely and versatility as a photographer. From Most people with a particular interest be as regularly encountered a casualty as the air, he offers seldom seen views of is­ in other worlds and other cultures can mammals and frequently kept in captivity, lands, rivers, deltas and coasts; from the name a book from their childhood that so a greater detail on dietary require­ forests and plains, incisive images of in­ fired their imagination and offered rich ments, husbandry and tips on getting sects, plants, mammals, reptiles and material for thought and enduring fascina­ them to feed would have been very birds; and under water, the intriguing tion. The added value of Reflections of useful. realm of corals, nudibranchs and fish. Melanesia is that it is just such a book. Unfortunately, I did notice a few mis­ The photographs, many of which are of Those familiar with Melanesia through takes, and one or two were impressive. quite astonishing clarity and beauty, are field research, wartime service, reading For example, plate 4A indicates how to accompanied by an informative introduc- or travelling for pleasure will be rewarded hold a large \vaterfowl and labels the bird

64 ANH used in the demonstration as a Mute problem, however, as the situation of Swan. It is quite clearly a white barnyard these issues does not change much year duck! to year. For an annual publication, it be­ Just Published Each chapter tries to cover all the comes boring to report on the extra 100 aspects that will be of use in treating and July million people, declining forests, and The Australian Guide to Whale caring for the animals concerned. Where small changes in temperature that occur Watching possible, details of medications, milk for­ over a year. Therefore, the series has By Tina Dalton and Ross Isaacs. mulae and dietary supplements are in­ diversified into some of the side issues Weldon Publishing, NSW. $14.95. cluded. The preface also carries the and moral questions. timely warning that most native fauna is The book begins with a strong chapter Nature of Australia protected and "this volume is not intended entitled "The New World Order" by By John van der Beld. Allen & to encourage the unauthorised keeping of Lester Brown. lt covers the paramount Unwin, NSW. $39.95. Australian native animals by well meaning areas of food production, population, fore­ August unassisted novices. A licence is required stry resources, political change and much The Proteaceae of the Sydney to keep most Australian native more. It is vital and compelling reading for Region animals... and infringements incur stiff those who would like a world overview of By Alec M. Blombery and Betty penalties". To assist in information on the biological crisis. Many of the following Maloney. Kangaroo Press. NSW. these legal considerations a list of ap­ chapters, however, lack the punch of $49.95. propriate wildlife authorities for each Brown's opening. These cover topics of Pest Animals in Australia: A State is provided. energy, recycling, urban transport, fore­ Survey of Introduced Wild All in all, I think this book would be a stry, eastern Europe, abortion (surpris­ Animals useful addition to anyone who works with, ingly), the military and the environment, By George Wilson, Nick Dexter, or cares about, our native fauna. patterns of consumption, and the global Peter O'Brien and Mary Bomford. Kangaroo Press. NSW. $16.95. - Martyn Robinson economy. Australian Museum The most interesting and laudable of Gone Bush (compact disc) these chapters for me is the one on abor­ By Les Gilbert. Produced and tion. It establishes the importance of distributed by Natural Symphonies. State of the World* abortion as a birth control method (with NSW. $27.95. By Lester R. Brown. Allen & Unwin, around 50 million being performed each September NSW, 1991, 254pp. $19.95. year) and furnishes information on abor­ Greening a Brown Land: tion laws worldwide. It will make fascinat­ The Australian Search for The Worldwatch Institutes State of the ing, indeed essential, reading for the Sustainable Land Use World Series, published annually since largely orth American market of this By Neil Barr and John Cary. Macmillan 1984, has served as a useful vehicle to fo­ book. Australia. paperback. cus attention on the really big environ­ Vic. $32.95 -Tim Flannery $64.95 bound. mental issues. The series runs into a Australian Museum October The Greening of the Hill: Revegetation Around Broken Hill "AUSTRALIA: EVOLUTION OF in the 1930s BMR By H. Webber. Hyland House GEOLOGY AND A CONTINENT" GEOPHYSICS Publishing, Vic. $29.95. (full-colour illustrated book) AU ST RAL IA Dinotopia By James Gurney. Crawford House Press, NSW. $29.95. Rocksand fossils can tell usenvironments and ages from which Bivalves of Australia Volume I By Kevin Lamprell and Thora we can map the past geography of Australiathrough time. Whitehead. Crawford House Press, Reconstructions of these past The past patterns of land and NSW. $49.95. geographies, by geologists, are sea, mountains and rivers, Collins Eyewitness Guides revealed in this full-colour book lakes and deserts have been Sharks by Miranda MacQuitty. through a set of 70 maps-each quite different from those of Volcano by Susanna van Rose. with a simple illustrated text. today. Collins, Angus & Robertson. NSW. $19.95 each. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks Mail to BMR Sales Centre, GPO Box 378, Canberra ACT 2601 Shells by S. Peter Dance. Australian Telephone(06) 249 9519; Facsimile (06) 257 6466 Seashores by W. J. Dakin. revised by Isobel Bennett. Collins, Angus & Price: Australia A$32.50 I Overseas A$39.00 (postageincluded) Robertson. NSW. $29.95 each. Please send me copies of: J\.ustralia: Evolution of a Continent" --, Elephants I enclose my cheque for A$L_ . � n � By Jeheskel Shoshani. Reader's Please charge my BankcardNisacard/Mastercard Expiry Date: Cl Digest, NSW. $52.00. February Name: ...... Signature ...... The Complete Diver's and Fishermen's Guide to Coastal Company: ...... Position: ...... Fishes of South-Eastern Australia Address: ...... Postal Address (if different) By Rudie H. Kuiter. Crawford House Press. NSW. $29.95 All books marked* are available from the Australian Museum Shop. which Telephone: ...... Facsimile ...... operates a full mailing service - call (02) 339 8150. 'l& 'Burtau ofMinaal 'J(Jsourus (jeo£ogy and (jtopfu;sics ('B?-{2/J is a rtStarcft 6u m,u of tftt co",monwtaltftv, panm,:n, of'l.',imary rnaus,n·tS 11J1a'E.ncr@

ANH 65 rainforest canopy and nearby tea-tree woodlands. Their stems at the base are very swollen and riddled with tunnels, providing a ready nest site for small ants. I spotted a cuscus in a palm In return for free rent, the ants provide nutrients and protection for the plants. tree and was able to climb to Lockerbie Scrub does not harbour a within a couple of metres of its large mammal fauna. The drawcards for small frightened face. the naturalist are the Spotted Cuscus (Phalanger maculatus) and Striped Pos­ sum (Dactylopsila trivirgata), although both are secretive and difficult to find. CAPE YORK Slow-moving cuscuses sometimes ven­ ture forth by day, so it is worth scanning BY TIM LOW the trees for grey balls of fur. I spotted one in a palm tree and was able to climb to within a couple of metres of its small frightened face. Another time I saw a cus­ cus late in the morning munching leaves in tain slopes have served as wet refuges open forest near a rainforest gully. After during dry times, preserving a diverse clambering into the upper branches of a fauna and flora. eucalypt, it curled into a ball and fell Nonetheless, the Lockerbie Scrub fea­ asleep, looking just like a small Koala. tures spectacular plants. The showy Cape Cuscuses and Striped Possums are York Lily ( Curcuma australasica) sprouts both possums, but they present an amaz­ a spike of yellow flowers each framed by ing contrast. Cuscuses, slowest of the a pink bract. Rainwater trickles into the possums, seem sedated; Striped Pos­ OST AUSTRALIANS THINK bracts and the seeds develop under sums act like they are high on ampheta­ that Cape York is that huge water, presumably to deter seed-sucking mines. Never still, they scamper and column of land marching north from bugs. This line of defence does not stop frolic and fly through the branches. When Cooktown. Even in reputable wildlife one kind of bug, which marches under pausing to feed, the extravagantly furry books one reads about the Cape York water to attack the developing seeds. tail twitches and curls with a life of its rainforests, home to cassowaries and cus­ Other unusual plants are the ant plants own. You don't look for Striped Possums, cuses. This is all nonsense. (Myrmecodia tuberosa and Hydnophytum you listen for them. If not crashing Cape York is no more than a barren papuanum), odd-looking epiphytes of the through the branches they are noisily rocky headland, carrying little vegetation and even less wildlife. It is the lump of rock constituting the northernmost tip of mainland Queensland, and it is from this that the much larger Cape York Peninsula takes its name. Because it's the very top of Oz, Cape York has long been a point of pilgrimage for four-wheel drivers. Although the road up from Laura includes some rough river crossings, providing a small dose of adventure, many dusty pilgrims are disap­ pointed by the scenery on the way­ mainly flat eucalypt woodland. The more satisfied pilgrims are proba­ bly those who fly up for the birds. The monsoon rainforests behind the Cape are a birdwatcher's mecca, and in the wet season the twitchers come with lists and pens to tick off the 'Cape York endemics' -a group of about 18 birds found in Australia only on Cape York Peninsula. Others come with a more general curiosi­ ty and are delighted by sightings of quolls, crocodiles and py thons. The forest below Cape York is one of those special places where nature still holds sway. Most of the wildlife lurks in Lockerbie Scrub, a large block of monsoon rainforest a few kilometres south of the Cape. The dry season here is very harsh, and only the hardier rainforest species do well. Many rainforest trees shed their leaves after the wet. Plant and animal diversity is much lower than in the wetter rainforests further south, in Iron Range, Mcllwraith Range, the Daintree area and Atherton Ta bleland. In these regions mountains capture a regular rainfall, and the moun-

66 ANH tearing back bark after insects. Boldly striped in black and white they are ex­ traordinarily· beautiful- my favourite possum. While searching for possums at night you are likely to hear the doleful call of the Marbled Frogmouth (Podargus ocella­ tus). Although it scarcely looks any differ­ ent from the very common Tawny Frogmouth (P. strigoides), the Marbled Frogmouth draws birdwatchers to Cape York from all around Australia because it is one of the 'Cape York endemics'. Strict­ ly speaking the term 'endemic' is incorrect because they are all, apart from the White-streaked Honeyeater (Trichodere cockerelli), predominantly New Guinea birds with outlying populations in Austra­ lia's far north, You must travel north of Cooktown to be assured of seeing any of them. All but four can be seen at Locker­ bie Scrub or in adjacent open forest. The Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus), Australia's largest parrot, is probably the most famous of the 'endemics' and rightly so, for it is an imposing bird, with an enormous hooked bill. It often feeds in open forest where it is easily seen. The jewel of the 'endemics' is perhaps the Red-bellied Pitta (Pitta erythogaster). When one of these quail-like birds skips across your path, flaunting dazzling red belly, blue breast and iridescent green back, it is difficult not to gasp. The sight is a very special one, for these birds come

to Australia only for the wet season (sum­ The Palm Cockatoo is our largest parrot. mer, autumn), spending the rest of the year in New Guinea. macrourus) vie for scraps, taking care not A very difficult 'endemic' to tick off is to venture too close to the large the Yellow-legged Flycatcher (Microeca Amethystine Pythons (Morelia amethisti­ griseoceps), a tiny dull bird of the rain­ na), which lurk in the shrubbery (see forest limbs and canopy. Fortunately ANH Winter 1989). Although bandicoots there is an easy way. The Cape York sometimes fall into the swimming pool, it Wilderness Lodge, situated just behind is a safer alternative to the sea, which the Cape, has a bird tower bolted to a tall harbours marine stingers, sharks and the rainforest tree. If you sit and wait (or play occasional crocodile. From the lodge it is a tape-recording of the calls) you can see only a ten-minute walk to the top of Aus­ flycatchers, Frilled Monarchs (Arses teles­ tralia, although the view is somewhat in­ cophthalmus) and Yellow-billed Kingfish­ terrupted by the small islands offshore. ers (Syma torotoro), to name a few. To see wildlife, and birds in particular, Magnificent Riflebirds (Ptiloris magnifi­ you should visit the Cape during the wet cus) display near by, and Buff-breasted season, preferably January to March. Paradise-kingfishers (Tanysiptera sylvia) With the onset of the dry season many often streak by. birds fly to New Guinea, and others be­ The Cape YorkWilderness Lodge is the come secretive. The road to the Cape is ideal place to stay during a visit to the closed at this time, but you can fly to the Cape. Apart from its comfortable semi­ nearby Aboriginal and islander settlement detached units there is a dry-season of Bamaga. This community recently camp-ground. Canvas accommodation is bought the lodge, so it is likely that future also available a few kilometres away at visitors will be treated to displays of local Punsand Bay. culture. Alternatively, a three-day boat The lodge is surrounded by open forest trip from Cairns allows you to take in the and rainforest, and spectacular wildlife sights on the way and gives you a very can be seen from the open-plan dining different look at Australia's northern area. Northern Quolls (Dasyurus halluca­ coastline. • tus) scamper around the swimming pool and Northern Brown Bandicoots (lsodon Tim Low is a nature wn'ter and environmen­ tal consultant. He worked for two months as Looking south to mainland Australia, a naturalist at the Cape l'ork Wilderness Cape York appears as a rocky finger of land. Lodge.

ANH 67 THE DIRECTORY CHRIS PAINE'S HAlLS CREEK AND Walk The BUNGLE BUNGLE TOURS Desert Ranges The Larapinta Trail is a SAFARI TOURS staged 200 km walking BUNGLE BUNGLE track being developed KIMBERLEY GOLD FIELDS Four-wheel drive small CANNING STOCK ROUTE through Central Australia's spectacular group safaris into West MacDonnell nature's own backyard. Ranges. Camp oven cooking. Sleep under the stars Stages 1 to 3 are now in our luxury swags. open - offering an Australia all over! exhilarating 60 km walk across this ancient and SPECIAL INTEREST fascinating landscape GROUP CHARTERS Derby with stunning views and CHOOSE FROM Broome a powerful sense of OUR ITINERARY Wyndham isolation. Kununurra TRANSCONTINENTAL Halls Creek For more informa­ tion contact the Geikie Gorge .-L_A_R_A_P-IN_l:_A_, o n ,. Windjana Gorge TRAIL N.T. C nservatio SAFARIS Fitzroy Crossing Commission, P.O. Box 1046, FOR PERSONAL ATTENTION ALICE SPRINGS CONTACT CHRIS PAINE PH (091) 686217 N.T. 0871. JAMES ROAD CLARE SA 5453 NH (091) 686092 h,,.l4C�� Ph (089) 51 8211. PHONE 088 423469 FAX (091) 686222 ��T� ...--- FAX 088 422586 WALKING HOLIDAYS W·O·R·L·D·W·I·D·E

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Please mention ANH when replying to adve r tisements Huddle or Die to start the process all over A• Your predator is the jump­ QUESTIONS . When Emperor Penguins again. As a result of this cons­ • ing spider Bredajovialis. • in the Antarctic huddle tant circulation of birds. a hud­ This common jumper is not togetherQ to survive the exces­ dle gradually moves downwind. known to regularly feed on & sive cold and high winds, do Huddling is an important much larger prey, like a hunts­ those poor individuals stuck survival mechanism for Em­ man, but clearly they do so oc­ on the outside die from ex­ peror Penguins as it can cut casionally. This applies to ANSWERS posure? the bird's heat loss by as much many spiders, and behaviour -E. Gaulstin as 50 per cent and thus ena­ and the use of silk often helps. Balgowlah, NSW bles the males to survive the Trapdoor and funnel-web COMPILED long winter fast as they incu­ spiders, for example. ambush BY bate their eggs. frogs and lizards in their sticky JENNIFER A• :Jo. This is because an -J.S. 'spring-loaded' webs. 1 et­ • Emperor Penguin huddle casting spiders snare large SAUNDERS is not static-each bird takes a Sizeable Feast crickets in their stamp-sized turn occupying both the war­ . Smaller hunting spiders nets, and large orb weavers oc­ mest and coldest positions of • are a delight to watch casionally trap small birds (and the huddle. andQ are encouraged to cohabit then wonder what to do with As coldest position of the with us. The commonest one is them-usually cutting them out huddle is on the windward a glossy black spider with of the web before too much side. the birds constantly peel creamy or yellowish markings. damage occurs, and only rarely off one-by-one from the group Recently, we witnessed what feeding on them). and shuffle. with their egg, appeared to be an egg­ As far as cannibalism is con­ down the flanks of the huddle distended female of this spe­ cerned, this often happens in to rejoin the group on the lee­ cies preparing to feed upon a the spider world. Spiderlings ward side. Here, they are soon much larger huntsman spider. disperse to get away from mum absorbed into the mass as Is cannibalism amongst and their siblings who might more and more birds follow spiders common, especially eat each other if they stay suit and pack in around them. when the size difference be­ together too long. Spiders like In this way, all the birds pass tween predator and prey is so the White-tailed Spider prey through the warm centre of great? almost entirely on other the huddle, eventually return­ -Nick Romanowski Emperor Penguins huddle to ing to the windward side only Forrest, Vic. survive the cold Antarctic winters.

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er ::;: < "'er 70 ANH spiders, as does Portia, a trop­ ical jumping spider, while two entire families, the assassin spiders (Mimetidae) and the long-jawed spiders (Archei­ dae), do nothing else but eat other spiders. In these cases, predator and prey are usually about the same size. This, however, is not the case for Argyrodes incursus, a small spider that preys exclusively on its much larger cousin, the Platform Spider (Achaeranea mundula). The small assassin is suitably garbed in undertak­ er black with a red flash. 1 ot content with eating its 'host', the spider takes over its web and makes its egg sac inside the host's leaf retreat. -Mike Gray Australian Museum Small Talk

5 Q : Why are pygmies small? :i: -J. Derwent .,,s 0 Oatley, NSW V z < E . Despite an interest in this A• question for over 4,000 Slow but Dangerous years, scientists still don't The three-toed sloth is able to Answers to Quiz In Quips. know for sure just why some One of the Guiness Book double its speed when threatened Quotes & Curios (page 13) races are small. A recent study Q •. of Records lists the three­ by a predator. by Robert Bailey from the toed sloths as the slowest I. Stephen Hawking 2. A type of pottery University of California, Los mammals in the world but a gency' for a sloth is the possi­ 3. The males give birth Angeles, in the USA has sug­ footnote indicated they could bility of predator attack. The to the young. gested it is the result of genet­ double this speed "in an ur­ major predators would be the 4. Wolf Creek Crater (WA) ic factors rather than physio­ gent situation''. What would Jaguar or other big cats, and 5. Brazil logical ones (an initial detailed constitute such urgency for any speed that the sloth can at­ 6. 1989 study seemed to indicate that these beasts and would this tain would not help it if it was 7. Australian Institute of extra speed really help if they Marine Science pygmies were of normal size caught on the ground by these 8. Eight until puberty, where they are so slow? animals. Sloths, however, are 9. James Lovelock failed to undergo the adoles­ -S. Harvey not entirely defenceless as 10. Pavarotti. (He, presum­ cent growth spurt characteris­ Brisbane, Qld their large powerful claws can ably, has more hair on tic of other humans). If it is inflict severe wounds. his stomach to direct genetic, then the next step is • The only situation that -Linda Gibson fluff Into his navel.) to identify what ultimate selec­ A• might constitute 'an emer- Australian Museum tive factors have caused it. This is where scientists run into problems, as one factor alone cannot account for all the different pygmy populations P I C T E A S E R that exist. Current factors un­ der consideration include heat Do you recognise this? If you control (hot, humid climates favour small body size), ease think you know what it is, then of movement through dense vegetation (efficient movement send your answer to ANH Pie through dense forest favours small body size), and low and Teaser. Please don't forget to fluctuating productivity (small people are better able to en­ include your name and ad­ dure starvation under such conditions). Bailey's studies dress. The first correct entry seem to indicate that in order will win a $20 gift voucher to answer questions like this one, we need to go beyond from the Australian Museum focusing solely on pygmy size and look at the whole issue of catalogue. just what determines human body size. -J.S.

ANH 71 issue that led him into a head-on confron­ tation with his boss at the >!IH, Ber­ nardine Healy. Like most government agencies these days, the NIH is con­ The Human Genome Project cerned with cost recovery. It clearly doesn't want to see the fruits of its invest­ has become an unholy scramble ment simply being transferred over to the for the proprietary rights of private sector with no benefit returning to human genes. either the scientists or the public institu­ tions that carry out the crucial research. There are already many patented diag­ nostic and other medical products now on THE GENOME the market as a result of recent genetic research. Most pharmaceutical compa­ nies are also aware that gene research is GOLD RUSH the real growth area for new drugs and BY JOHN MERSON therapies. However, there is more to patenting nated through the US National Institute of than just lodging a claim. The problem for Health (NIH) and the Department of the IH is that, because Venter has relied Energy. These genetic cartographers on cDNA techniques, it's not possible to were to build the maps that would reveal define what the genes he has discovered how the various sections of DNA in our actually do. Fortunately, or unfortunately, genes govern our physical and mental de­ patent law has evolved from the 16th cen­ velopment and, more importantly per­ tury to deal with inventions and not dis­ haps, how they make some of us prone to coveries. One of the requirements that a MAGINE A SITUATION WHERE A MICRO­ certain types of disease. patent must have, apart from being biologist searching in the more The first indications that all was not well unique, is the need to have a clearly de­ uncharted regions of our D A stumbles with the venture came in 1991 when Dr fined function. Now there is considerable across an undiscovered gene, one whose Craig Venter, from the National Institute doubt whether Venter's patent will stick, function is also unknown. On announcing of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in but the NIH supporting this approach has the news, his or her research institute Maryland, filed a patent for 337 genes sent shock waves through the internation­ takes out a patent on the discovery. The that had been isolated by the new com­ al genome research community. There gene might one day prove to have some plementary (or cDNA) technique. This have been protests from the European commercial use, perhaps leading to the approach makes it possible to locate vir­ Community, Japan, China, the Royal Soci­ development of a new diagnostic test or tually all the genes in the human genome ety in Britain, the American Society of drug. This is scientific capitalism in ac­ but without being able to define their Human Genetics, and even the other US tion. specific function. It has been estimated by agency promoting and funding genome It's a bit like what happened when the some geneticists that as little as ten per research, the US Department of Energy. late Lang Hancock flew over the Pilbara. cent of our genes are significant in effect­ One consequence of this patenting fra­ He noticed a reddish rust colour in the ing our physiological functioning; the cas would be a restriction on the interna­ rock below, concluding that there was iron other 90 per cent may well be important, tional flow of scientific information. in "them thar hills". Further inspection but the simple truth is that we just don't Professor Grant Sutherland from the Adelaide Children's Hospital, and one of the few Australian researchers working One consequence of the patenting fracas under contract to the US Department of Energy as part of the Human Genome would be a restriction on the international flow Project, believes that many scientists are now not releasing data until the issue is resolved. of scientific information. The unseemly haste with which the NIH, and other institutions, have staked proved his assumption to be correct and know. One of the goals of the Human Ge­ out their claim to the potentially lucrative he proceeded to take out a mining lease nome Project was to resolve this point. genome territory is reminiscent of the on the whole area. From this, the Perth What the filing of a patent claim for 337 carving up of Africa and China by the im­ butcher's phenomenal fortune and trou­ unspecified genes does is to suddenly perialist powers during the 19th century. bled dynasty was built. shift the Human Genome Project from There are important issues of public in­ It might seem like stretching the analo­ being a cooperative enterprise concerned terest and equity at large, and it is not un­ gy, but Jim Watson's resignation from the with advancing scientific understandingof reasonable for the NIH to want to protect leadership of the $US3 billion Human Ge­ the human genome to an unholy scramble its massive investment of public funds. nome Project is directly connected with for proprietary rights among the interna­ But to blur the distinction between the this issue. His departure has many tional teams that had all agreed to partici­ process of generating knowledge and the researchers in the US and other countries pate. Dr Venter and his colleagues now creation of commercial products, by tak­ convinced that something like a genome estimate that, by simply concentrating on ing out patents on unknown genes, is very gold rush may well follow. The US Human identifying genes using the cDNA tech­ short-sighted indeed. It may well mean Genome Project was formally launched nique, it might be possible to sequence that, in the heat of commercial wrangling, with great idealism in January 1990. It was the commercially usefulend of the human the scientific goose gets cooked long be­ to be biology's first shot at big science. genome in four to five years at a cost of fore it has had time to lay its golden The task was daunting to map and se­ as little as $US10 million. Hence the rush egg.• quence the three billion nucleotide bases, of research organisations to stake out a which form the strings of DNA in the bit of the genome turf and patent it. John Merson is a Senior Lecturer in the 100,000 genes of the human genome. Jim Watson was fundamentally opposed School of Science and Technology Studies at Over a 15-year period, teams of scientists to patenting, arguing that it would inhibit the University of New South Wales and a from around the world were to be coordi- cooperative scientificresearch. It was the member of the ABC Science Unit.

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