DOCSLIB.ORG

Lyrebird Tales

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Lyrebird Tales Lyrebird Tales Volume 29 Number 4 December 2020 BirdLife Yarra Valley Newsletter Lyrebird Painting Mystery by Valerie Fowler He painted portraits by commission before returning to Europe to study painting formally. In time Vlaho Bukovac became known as an excellent portraitist exhibiting paintings, particularly nudes. Bukovac is renowned for his Symbolist painting, “Une Fleur” (A Flower), painted in 1887, which sold at Bonham’s in London in 2006 for £100,800.00. He died in Prague in 1922. It is thought that Bukovac decorated the walls of the east wing of his childhood home at age 16 (around 1871-72) most likely after his return from America and before leaving to study art in Paris. The wall paintings in the rooms, corridors and stairwells are schematic: the lower portions are decorative friezes. Of interest, the friezes were of framed decorative pictures of various flower motifs, landscapes, animals and birds. Some paintings depicted animals that were considered exotic for that time and place such as rhinoceros, crocodiles, anteater and the Superb Lyrebird. The Lyrebird painting in Croatia photo © Graeme Hosken upper portions of the walls were predominantly monochromatic. In his autobiography, Bukovac himself In October 2015 at a Birdlife Melbourne meeting, Graeme states, “I told my father that I would decorate the house with Hosken showed me a photograph of a wall mural featuring a paintings and decorations like I had seen at the house of the Superb Lyrebird. painter Zabedeo in Dubrovnik, and I did. Those were my first I was very surprised to learn that the image was one of a works of painting.” Continued on page 2 series of paintings on a wall inside The Bukovac House in the village of Cavtat, 16km south of Dubrovnik in Croatia. The Contents Bukovac House is the birthplace and museum of the Croatian 1-4. Lyrebird Painting Mystery by Valerie Fowler painter, Vlaho Bukovac. He was one of the most prominent Croatian artists and a founder of modern Croatian painting. 5. Small Excursions in a Pandemic Lockdown, Doug & Jan. Yellow-faced Honeyeater in St Andrews by Dace Fitton The wall paintings at Bukovac House, which included the Superb Lyrebird image, were discovered during initial 6. Not Again by Dick Wellington. Poor Old Laughing Kookaburras by Warren Cousins restoration works on the house. In 1998 exploratory tests confirmed the existence of tempera paintings (a method of 7-8. A Visit to Wedderburn by Doug Pocock and Jan painting using emulsion) on the walls of the east wing of the Llewelyn house. In 2003 work started to take place cleaning the 8. Tawny Frogmouths in Nunawading photo, Lyn Mckelvie. simply painted walls and original paintings were restored. BirdLife Yarra Valley Committee. Superb Lyrebirds in the Blue Mountains, an update by Victoria Austin. Vlaho Bukovac was born in Cavtat in 1855 as Biagio Faggioni; (he changed his name to Bukovac in 1877). At age 9. Yarra Valley Trail, Lilydale to Yarra Glen. 11 Bukovac left for America with his uncle who unfortunately 10. Lillydale Lake Wetlands upgrade. What Bird is that? soon died. He returned to Cavtat 4 years later from New York. He then became a sailor on a boat travelling to 11. Interesting Sightings Istanbul-Liverpool-Odessa. Unfortunately, Bukovac suffered a 12. Spadoni’s Nature Reserve revisited by Valerie Fowler dangerous fall into the ship’s hold and this career became 13. Outing to Yea Wetlands followed by visit to Gobur short lived. He returned to Cavtat to convalesce and when he Nature Reserve by Warren Cousins had recovered, he left for Peru in 1873. One year later he went to San Francisco where he began his career as an 14. Calendar of Events amateur painter and took lessons in art. Lyrebird Tales So where did Bukovac become inspired to paint the Superb The time when Australia was starting to be colonised Lyrebird and exotic animals? Perhaps he saw them on his coincided with the blossoming of the print culture, colour journeys in North America or in the Mediterranean. What print technologies, lithographic and illustrative engraving. It appears to be a fence in the background behind the Lyrebird also occurred at a time when European ornithology and bird suggests it was in captivity. It has also been suggested that science were developing. In the beginning bird images were he may have found motifs for his paintings in some books. often stylised, but in time became more scientifically Therefore, below is some information I researched that may recorded. have inspired or influenced the style of his Superb Lyrebird John Latham’s Superb Menura Lyrebird engraving was painting. illustrated for the first time in 1800. John Latham became the leading English ornithologist, often known as the The first sighting of a Superb Lyrebird was in 1797 by an ex- “Grandfather of Australia”. Latham provided the first convict who lived with Aboriginals after his term expired in publicised description and scientific names of many 1792. He said a bird of the pheasant species was in the bush Australian birds including the ‘Lyre-bird’. Latham did not near Sydney but this information was treated with travel much himself but the period of his ornithological work scepticism. The first recorded sighting was in 1798 by John coincided with the voyages of James Cook and the early Price who in the same year shot two birds. He described colonisation of Australia. He was a correspondent and friend them as pheasants, but with tails which resembled a peacock and of all the important English naturalists and bird with long feathers which are white, orange and lead colour collectors, so was able to examine specimens of birds that and black at the ends. (Historical Records NSW, 3 Appendix reached England and drawings made by the artists on board C.) all of Cook’s voyages. John Latham’s 1802 picture depicts a 1797 – 1798. The first Superb Lyrebird skins collected from Lyrebird standing with its tail stretched out horizontally in an the region around Sydney were sent to England. The Superb erect position comprising a thick mass of feathers that were Lyrebird at that time was known a ‘Mountain Pheasant’ or of an even length. The Lyrate feathers form the outside of sometimes a ‘Lyretail’. the tail with the club ends curling outwards; they encompass the two central thin ribbon feathers amongst an almost solid A Lyrebird specimen was shipped to England in the early 19th mass of other tail feathers that do not represent Lyrebird’s Century and was prepared for display for the British Museum lacy filament feathers. by a taxidermist who had never seen a live Lyrebird. The taxidermist mistakenly thought that the tail would resemble a Superb Menura Lyrebird lyre. He presumed that the tail would be held upright in a engraving by John Latham 1801. Source: National similar way to that of a Peacock during courtship display and Library of Australia so he arranged the feathers in this way. John Latham’s engraving has On the 4th November 1800 Thomas Davies gave a scientific similarities to the painting by description of “Menura superba a bird of New South Wales” to Bukovac, such as the position the Linnean Society. Major General Thomas Davies was a of the bird standing on a British Army officer and naturalist. He was an elected fellow green flat surface, but the colouring, length of legs and tail of the Royal Society and Linnean are different. In the engraving the Lyrebird’s body shape, is Society; he contributed articles on similar to the Bukovac’s Lyrebird painting, but has a longer ornithology in Australia. He studied a neck and less solid body. Bukovac’s Lyrebird tail is slightly specimen of a male Lyrebird for his raised and more realistic. illustration dated 1799 and published in 1802. The style of this painting is A Lyrebird picture featured in Latham’s ‘General synopsis of not at all similar to Bukovac’s. birds’; the earliest major investigation of Australian birds (1781 – 1785). Pictures I have seen attributed to this “Menura Superba” Artist Thomas Davies 1802. publication show a very stylish Lyrebird with solid lyrate feathers that cross midway before curving inwards to form a Source: Wikipedia heart shape at the tip. The ribbon feathers follow a similar In the late 18th and 19th centuries in the age of stylised pattern curving outwards past the filamentary enlightenment, Europeans were studying and trying to feathers that show they are branched or bracketed. The bird understand the world through scientific analysis and is looking back over to its vertical tail. The body colour of this investigational observation on a scale never seen before. This Lyrebird picture including the contrasting wing shade are included trying to comprehend the new and exciting both features of Bukovac’s Lyrebird but the stance is discoveries from the new world. People were astounded by different. Also attributed to John Latham is ‘Index what they saw shipped home as specimens of science from Ornithologicus, Sive Systema Ornithologiae’ (1790) and ‘A the Australian colonies since the first landing. Visual imagery General History of Birds’ (1821-1824) consisting of 10 became increasingly more important rather than the previous volumes, including 193 hand-coloured plates by Latham. He use of written descriptions of fauna and stuffed dead also contributed descriptions of birds for ‘The Voyage of specimens. Images were favoured due to their ability to Governor Phillip to Botany Bay’. depict their oddity, colour and beauty. 2 Lyrebird Tales Lyrebird Tales 1804 Superb Lyrebird, Menura branch. The Lyrebird has its wings extended, an extra long novaehollandiae from 'An account of neck (more like a Peacock) and a long upright tail.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Little Flute Music: Mimicry, Memory, and Narrativity
    Environmental Humanities, vol. 3, 2013, pp. 43-70 www.environmentalhumanities.org ISSN: 2201-1919 A Little Flute Music: Mimicry, Memory, and Narrativity Vicki Powys, Hollis Taylor and Carol Probets Powys: Independent scholar, Capertee Valley, New South Wales, Australia Taylor: Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia. Probets: Independent scholar, Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia. ABSTRACT A lyrebird chick was raised in captivity in the 1920s in Australia’s New England Tablelands, or so the story goes. The bird mimicked the sounds of the household’s flute player, learning two tunes and an ascending scale. When released back into the wild, his flute-like songs and timbre spread throughout the local lyrebird population. We count ourselves among those who admire the sonic achievements of this bioregion’s “flute lyrebirds.” These Superb Lyrebirds (Menura novaehollandiae) do indeed deliver an unusual and extraordinarily complex, flute-like territorial song, although often with a musical competence exceeding what a human flutist could achieve. In this paper, we engage with both the living and the dead across a wide-ranging cast of characters, linking up in the here and now and grasping a hand across the span of many years. Memory and narrativity are pertinent to the at times conflicting stories and reminiscences from archival and contemporary sources. Ultimately, accounts of “flute lyrebirds” speak to how meaning evolves in the tensions, boundaries, and interplay between knowledge and imagination. We conclude that this story exceeds containment, dispersed as it is across several fields of inquiry and a number of individual memories that go in and out of sync.
    [Show full text]
  • JOURNAL and PROCEEDINGS
    JOURNAL and PROCEEDINGS of The Royal Society of New South Wales Volume 143 Parts 1 and 2 Numbers 435–436 2010 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF NEW SOUTH WALES OFFICE BEARERS FOR 2009-2010 Patrons Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO Governor of New South Wales. President Mr J.R. Hardie, BSc Syd, FGS, MACE Vice Presidents Em. Prof. H. Hora Mr C.M. Wilmot Hon. Secretary (Ed.) Dr D. Hector Hon. Secretary (Gen.) Mr B.R. Welch Hon. Treasurer Ms M. Haire BSc, Dip Ed. Hon. Librarian vacant Councillors Mr A.J. Buttenshaw Mr J. Franklin BSc ANU Ms Julie Haeusler Dr Don Hector Dr Fred Osman A/Prof. W.A. Sewell, MB, BS, BSc Syd, PhD Melb FRCPA Prof. Bruce A. Warren Southern Highlands Rep. Mr C.M. Wilmot EDITORIAL BOARD Dr D. Hector Prof. D. Brynn Hibbert Prof. J. Kelly, BSc Syd, PhD Reading, DSc NSW, FAIP, FInstP Prof. Bruce A. Warren Dr M. Lake, PhD Syd Mr J. Franklin BSc ANU Mr B. Welch The Society originated in the year 1821 as the Philosophical Society of Australasia. Its main function is the promotion of Science by: publishing results of scientific investigations in its Journal and Proceedings; conducting monthly meetings; awarding prizes and medals; and by liason with other scientific societies. Membership is open to any person whose application is acceptable to the Society. Subscriptions for the Journal are also accepted. The Society welcomes, from members and non-members, manuscripts of research and review articles in all branches of science, art, literature and philosophy for publication in the Journal and Proceedings.
    [Show full text]
  • LAYING CLIO's GHOSTS on the SHORES of NEW HOLLAND* the Title Does Not Foreshadow an Ex
    EMPTY HISTORICAL BOXES OF THE EARLY DAYS: LAYING CLIO'S GHOSTS ON THE SHORES OF NEW HOLLAND* By DUNCAN ~T ACC.ALU'M HE title does not foreshadow an exhumation of the village Hampdens, as Webb T called them,! buried on the shores of Botany Bay. In fact, they were probably thieves, but let their ;-emains rest in peace. No, the metaphor in the title is from an analogy from a memorable controversy in value theory in Economics. 2 The title was meant to suggest the need for giving some historical content to the emotions that have accompanied discussions of the early period. Some of the figures which seem to have been conjured up by historical writers have been given malignancy but 110t identity. Yet these faceless men of the past, and the roles for which they have been cast, seem to distort the play of life. And indeed, it is perhaps because the historical boxes have remained unfilled, and because the background-the rest of the play and action-has not been fully explored, that some people of the early period, well known to us by name, have been interpreted in the light of twentieth-century prejudice and political controversy. We know all too little about the quality of day-to-day life in early Australia, the spiritual and material existence of the early Europeans, their energies, their activities and outlook. In the first stage of an inquiry I have been pursuing into our early social history, I am concerned not with these more elusive yet in a way more interesting questions, but in what sort of colony it was with the officers, the gaol and the port.
    [Show full text]
  • Recommended Band Size List Page 1
    Jun 00 Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme - Recommended Band Size List Page 1 Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme Recommended Band Size List - Birds of Australia and its Territories Number 24 - May 2000 This list contains all extant bird species which have been recorded for Australia and its Territories, including Antarctica, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and Cocos and Keeling Islands, with their respective RAOU numbers and band sizes as recommended by the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme. The list is in two parts: Part 1 is in taxonomic order, based on information in "The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories" (1994) by Leslie Christidis and Walter E. Boles, RAOU Monograph 2, RAOU, Melbourne, for non-passerines; and “The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines” (1999) by R. Schodde and I.J. Mason, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, for passerines. Part 2 is in alphabetic order of common names. The lists include sub-species where these are listed on the Census of Australian Vertebrate Species (CAVS version 8.1, 1994). CHOOSING THE CORRECT BAND Selecting the appropriate band to use combines several factors, including the species to be banded, variability within the species, growth characteristics of the species, and band design. The following list recommends band sizes and metals based on reports from banders, compiled over the life of the ABBBS. For most species, the recommended sizes have been used on substantial numbers of birds. For some species, relatively few individuals have been banded and the size is listed with a question mark. In still other species, too few birds have been banded to justify a size recommendation and none is made.
    [Show full text]
  • Budbri Learns to Dance DREAMING STORIES
    D’harawal DREAMING STORIES Frances Bodkin Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews illustrated by Lorraine Robertson Budbri learns to Dance www.dharawalstories.com Budbri Learns to Dance Frances Bodkin Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews illustrated by Lorraine Robertson www.dharawalstories.com Foreword Throughout the past two hundred years, society has come to regard the Koori Dreaming stories as something akin to the fairy stories they were told as children. However, for thousands upon thousands of years, the stories in this book were used as a teaching tool to impart to the youngest members of the clans the laws which governed the cultural behaviour of clan members. The successive attempts to destroy the Koori culture and assimilate The People into the Euro-centric population were unsuccessful, and the Dreaming Stories were able to continue in their dis- guise as charming legends where animals became the heroes and the heroines. Historians and anthropologists have studied the Koori culture since they first arrived on this continent, and have come to the conclusion that the D’harawal culture is dead. Of, course, this has been done without reference to the descendants of that culture, and without even asking the proper questions. The D’harawal culture is not dead, it is a strong, living, vital culture of the Sydney and South Coast re- gions that just had to go underground for a while to be able to survive. Now that the right questions have been asked, we have the key to unlock a vast wealth of knowledge of this part of the country in which we live. It is difficult to explain to a society based on commerce fuelled by the profit motive, that D’harawal cul- ture is not based on the ownership of tangible things like land and dwellings and possessions, but it does have a very strong sense of ownership of information.
    [Show full text]
  • Lyrebird Tales
    Lyrebird Tales Volume 28 Number 3 September 2019 A TRIP TO THE U.K. 2019 (OR; THOUGHTS TO MULL OVER ) By Doug Pocock Nuthatch photo © Alan Spellman Our bird list started with a Great Heron on the river and then Blue, Long-tailed and Great Tits, Nuthatch, Chaffinch and Rock Wren. We knew we were back in the UK! At the head of the gorge was a small weir and many Sand Martins were feeding on the insects. We were impressed by the local authorities who had installed a large wooden board against a bank of earth and had drilled Martin size holes to enable the birds to breed. Continued on page 2 Contents 1-3. Trip to the UK by Doug Pocock 4. Toora, Gippsland by Warren Cousins 5-6. Challenge for high-rise real estate by Valerie Fowler 6. Interesting sightings. Whose feathers? Committee Looking over Loch na Keal, Mull photo © Alan Spellman 7. Proposed outing to Mud Islands notice. We left home on May 27th and flew one stop to Edinburgh. Lillydale Lake update. Birdlife Yarra Valley camp notice. Here we picked up our hire car and were off. In the past we The one that nearly got away. found it best to pre-book accommodation so we headed for 8-9. Reports of Meetings and Outings New Lanark mill town. This was a fascinating place to stay, built by Richard Owen, an early reformer, as an enlightened 10. Calendar of Events place of employment. For instance he did not employ children under the age of ten instead he provided schooling for them.
    [Show full text]
  • Hybridization & Zoogeographic Patterns in Pheasants
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Paul Johnsgard Collection Papers in the Biological Sciences 1983 Hybridization & Zoogeographic Patterns in Pheasants Paul A. Johnsgard University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/johnsgard Part of the Ornithology Commons Johnsgard, Paul A., "Hybridization & Zoogeographic Patterns in Pheasants" (1983). Paul Johnsgard Collection. 17. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/johnsgard/17 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Papers in the Biological Sciences at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Paul Johnsgard Collection by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. HYBRIDIZATION & ZOOGEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS IN PHEASANTS PAUL A. JOHNSGARD The purpose of this paper is to infonn members of the W.P.A. of an unusual scientific use of the extent and significance of hybridization among pheasants (tribe Phasianini in the proposed classification of Johnsgard~ 1973). This has occasionally occurred naturally, as for example between such locally sympatric species pairs as the kalij (Lophura leucol11elana) and the silver pheasant (L. nycthelnera), but usually occurs "'accidentally" in captive birds, especially in the absence of conspecific mates. Rarely has it been specifically planned for scientific purposes, such as for obtaining genetic, morphological, or biochemical information on hybrid haemoglobins (Brush. 1967), trans­ ferins (Crozier, 1967), or immunoelectrophoretic comparisons of blood sera (Sato, Ishi and HiraI, 1967). The literature has been summarized by Gray (1958), Delacour (1977), and Rutgers and Norris (1970). Some of these alleged hybrids, especially those not involving other Galliformes, were inadequately doculnented, and in a few cases such as a supposed hybrid between domestic fowl (Gallus gal/us) and the lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) can be discounted.
    [Show full text]
  • Gum Trees Talk Notes
    Australian Plants Society NORTH SHORE GROUP Eucalyptus, Angophora, Corymbia FAMILY MYRTACEAE GUM TREES OF THE KU-RING-GAI WILDFLOWER GARDEN Did you know that: • The fossil evidence for the first known Gum Tree was from the Tertiary 35-40 million years ago. • Myrtaceae is a very large family of over 140 genera and 3000 species of evergreen trees and shrubs. • There are over 900 species of Gum Trees in the Family Myrtaceae in Australia. • In the KWG, the Gum Trees are represented in the 3 genera: Eucalyptus, Angophora & Corymbia. • The name Eucalyptus is derived from the Greek eu = well and kalyptos = covered. BRIEF HISTORY E. obliqua The 18th &19th centuries were periods of extensive land exploration in Australia. Enormous numbers of specimens of native flora were collected and ended up in England. The first recorded scientific collection of Australian flora was made by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, during Sir James Cook’s 1st voyage to Botany Bay in April 1770. From 1800-1810, George Caley collected widely in N.S.W with exceptional skill and knowledge in his observations, superb preservation of plant specimens, extensive records and fluent expression in written records. It is a great pity that his findings were not published and he didn’t receive the recognition he deserved. The identification and classification of the Australian genus Eucalyptus began in 1788 when the French botanist Charles L’Heritier de Brutelle named a specimen in the British Museum London, Eucalyptus obliqua. This specimen was collected by botanist David Nelson on Captain Cook’s ill- fated third expedition in 1777 to Adventure Bay on Tasmania’s Bruny Is.
    [Show full text]
  • Two Centuries of Botanical Exploration Along the Botanists Way, Northern Blue Mountains, N.S.W: a Regional Botanical History That Refl Ects National Trends
    Two Centuries of Botanical Exploration along the Botanists Way, Northern Blue Mountains, N.S.W: a Regional Botanical History that Refl ects National Trends DOUG BENSON Honorary Research Associate, National Herbarium of New South Wales, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney NSW 2000, AUSTRALIA. [email protected] Published on 10 April 2019 at https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/LIN/index Benson, D. (2019). Two centuries of botanical exploration along the Botanists Way, northern Blue Mountains,N.S.W: a regional botanical history that refl ects national trends. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 141, 1-24. The Botanists Way is a promotional concept developed by the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden at Mt Tomah for interpretation displays associated with the adjacent Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (GBMWHA). It is based on 19th century botanical exploration of areas between Kurrajong and Bell, northwest of Sydney, generally associated with Bells Line of Road, and focussed particularly on the botanists George Caley and Allan Cunningham and their connections with Mt Tomah. Based on a broader assessment of the area’s botanical history, the concept is here expanded to cover the route from Richmond to Lithgow (about 80 km) including both Bells Line of Road and Chifl ey Road, and extending north to the Newnes Plateau. The historical attraction of botanists and collectors to the area is explored chronologically from 1804 up to the present, and themes suitable for visitor education are recognised. Though the Botanists Way is focused on a relatively limited geographic area, the general sequence of scientifi c activities described - initial exploratory collecting; 19th century Gentlemen Naturalists (and lady illustrators); learned societies and publications; 20th century publicly-supported research institutions and the beginnings of ecology, and since the 1960s, professional conservation research and management - were also happening nationally elsewhere.
    [Show full text]
  • Dusky Woodswallows: Feeding of Juvenile with Bill Malformation by Another Juvenile
    Dusky Woodswallows: Feeding of Juvenile with Bill Malformation by Another Juvenile On the morning of 2 February 1997, I was watching feeding behaviour of a loose flock of about 20 Dusky Woodswallows Anamus cyanopterus in an area of open woodland on 'Callum Brae' sheep-grazing property, just south of the inner southern suburbs of Canberra, A.C. T. About a dozen adult birds were feeding several obvious juveniles 2-5 months old. Independently, two or three foraging juveniles were engaging in active hang-gleaning in the outer foliage of nearby mature eucalypts, mainly Red Box Eucalyptus polyanthemos. AUSTRALIAN 350 DABB BIRD WATCHER The 'long-billed' juvenile Dusky Woodswallow in begging posture Plate 54 Photo: Geoffrey Dabb Hunched 'long-bill' faces expected feeder Plate 55 Photo: Geoffrey Dabb VOL. 17 (7) SEPTEMBER 1998 Juvenile Dusky Woodswallow Feeding Another Juvenile 351 'Long-bill' fed by second juvenile Woodswallow Plate 56 Photo: Geoffrey Dabb A moment later, both juveniles side by side. Note similar plumage. Plate 57 Photo: Geoffrey Dabb AUSTRALIAN 352 DABB BIRD WATCHER The young birds could be distinguished and roughly aged by their mottled underparts, buff spotting and some mottling on head and back, and bill colour of mauve or pinkish hom in place of the distinctive adult blue-grey. By contrast with newly fledged birds seen in spring and early summer, these February juveniles were of adult proportions or nearly so, showing the usual progression from fledgling to sub-adult. Dusky Woodswallows are migratory in the Canberra region, with most adults returning in September and the first young being seen no earlier than October (Taylor & COG 1992) aild, accordingly, juveniles seen in late summer can be assumed to be the result of breeding activity in the previous spring in the Canberra region or farther south.
    [Show full text]
  • Changing Coastlines Putting Australia on the World Map 1943-1993
    CHANGING COASTLINES PUTTING AUSTRALIA ON THE WORLD MAP 1943-1993 Edited by Michael Richards & Maura O'Connor A NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA TRAVELLING EXHIBITON CHANGING COASTLINES PUTTING AUSTRALIA ON THE WORLD MAP 1493-1993 Edited by Michael Richards & Maura O'Connor National Library of Australia Canberra 1993 Front cover: This intriguing world map comes from Christopher Plantin's Polyglot Bible of 1569-72. The map speculates about the location of the scattered tribes of the Jewish diaspora, and finds Solomon's fabled Ophir in north America. A mysterious southern landmass rises out of the sea to the south of the Spice Islands. Its source is not known. Benedictus Arias Montanus Sacrae Geographiae tabulam ex antiquissimorum cultop Familiis a Mose pecensitis (1572) Back cover: Bugis Sea Chart of the Indonesian Archipelago (1828) Reproduced from Tijdshcrift van het Koninklijk Nederlands Aardrijkskundig Genootschap 52 (1935), courtesy of the Australian National University Library © National Library of Australia 1993 Itinerary: National Library of Australia, Canberra November 1993 - February 1994 Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney March-May 1994 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Western Australian Museum, Perth June - August 1994 National Library of Australia. Changing coastlines: putting Australia on the world map, 1493-1993. Bibliography. ISBN 0 642 10610 X. 1. National Library of Australia—Exhibitions. 2. Cartography—Australia—History—Exhibitions. 3. Australia—Historical geography—Maps—Exhibitions.
    [Show full text]
  • Philip A. Clarke. Aboriginal Plant Collectors. Botanists and Australian Aboriginal People in the Nineteenth Century
    102 | Seite Rosemarie Gläser Philip A. Clarke. Aboriginal Plant Collectors. Botanists and Australian Aboriginal People in the Nineteenth Century. Kenthurst, NSW: Rosenberg Publishing, 2008, 191 pp., ISBN: 978 18 77 05 8684. Reviewed by Rosemarie Gläser, Dresden. he community pattern of Aboriginal tribes on the continent of TAustralia in pre-colonial days is commonly associated with the nomadic lifestyle of hunters and gatherers, their spiritual heritage of the creation ancestors of dreamtime and the rituals practised, the making of tools and weapons, and specific art forms such as rock drawings, bark paintings and body painting. Comparatively scant information has been provided to date on the botanical knowledge of native people. The author of this illustrated monograph on Aboriginal plant collectors in the 19 th century is a well-known ethnographer and anthropologist as well as the author of several books on aspects of Aboriginal culture. He is based at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide. Clarke sets out to describe the interaction of native people with explorers, run-away convicts, and white plant ‘hunters’ who needed help for survival in the outback. In Chapter 1, “Early Explorers and Aboriginal Guides”, the author reports on the first European navigators who visited Australia and had encounters with Aboriginal people, such as William Dampier, Captain James Cook and Joseph Banks. There are records of native plant collectors such as Boongaree, Nanbaree and Abarro who imparted their botanical knowledge to white newcomers. Chapter 2 discusses “Settlers and Australian Plants”, the use of edible berries, roots, greens and tubers that provided food and of other plants for tea or bush medicine.
    [Show full text]