C:&E AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

C:&E AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE J<' li;BRUARY 16. 1945. c:&e AU STRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE \ol. VIII, No. 10. DECEMBER, 1944- FEBRUARY, 1945. Price- ONE SHILLI NG. Retister~d at the General Post Office, Sydney, for tr·ansmission by post. as a periodical. THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM HYDE PARK , SYDNEY BOARD OF TRUSTEES. PRESIDENT: Ji'. S. ~I..A:\CF., A.l.C.A. CROWN TRUSTEE: F. S . .:\lA~ C.Ll, A.l.C.A. OFFI CI A L TRUSTEES : lliS HOXOUlt THE CElEF JUS'l'lCK Tlll•l HO~. THB PI1EKLDENT OF THE LEG lSJ,.ATIVl-1 COllt;ClL. TJIE HO~. THE COLONIAL SECRETARY. THE HON. TILE ATTORNEY-GENEltAL. THE 110-:\. THE COLO~IAL TREASURJ.:LL THE llOX. THE SECRETARY FOR PUBLLC WOltKS. TilE 11 0~ . TH E MINISTElt OF PUBLIC I N 'L'JlUC'J'lON. THE AUDITOR-GENERAL. 'l'llE PltES!Dl!:NT OF THE K"E\V SOUTH WAT... ES MEDICAL llOAltD. THE SURVEYOR-GENERAL AND CHIEF SUltVEYOlC THE CROWN SOL!Cl 'l'Olt. ELECTI VE TRUSTEES: 1 ~ . C. ANDREWS, B.A. FRANK H. SPENCEH. e. GORDON 1\lACJ.lWl>, 1Lr\ ., :.\LD., Cu.:.\L PROF. Elt!t: A llBY. D.Sc. (Loudou), A.lt.C.S., D.J.C. G. A. WA'I'E!UIO USE, D.So., B.E., F.ILE.S. JOHN SPENCE, C.M.G. PlW~, . A. N. S•r. G. BUltKl'.I.'T, l\t..B., B.Sc. SIR SAi\lUEL WALDElt , Kt. I'ROF. W. J. DA !UN, D.Sc., I!'.L.S., l?.Z.S., E'.H..Z.S. C. A. SUSSMILCH , F .G.S. tl. B. 1\L\TllEWSJ 1:3.A. 0. G. VICKEltY, B.E·, A.M.I.E. DIRECTOR : A. il. WALKO.M, D.So. Assistant to !.he Director : .J. 11. KINGHOltN, C.M.;t,.S. SCI ENTIF IC STAFF : V ertcbmte Zoology : ln,·e•'tehmLe Zoology: Birds, Reptiles ancl Amphibians. l n1>ecls ancl A mchn-ids. J. H. KIXGHOH.N, C.)I.Z.S. A. MUSGlt.AVE, l!'.lt.Z.S., lt'.lt.E.l:$. illammals arul SkeletOilS. K. c. Mcrmovv~, F.R.z.s. E . LE G. TltOUGHTOX, F.lt.Z.. S., O.. U.Z .S. ~-~~CY il. ADAMS. Fishes. Jlolluscs. G. P. WlllTJ,EY, F.R.Z.S. .J 0 YCE ALL A!\. Geology: 1\llinemls a11d Hocks. Urustacea and other yroups. 'l'. J:lODGE-S,\U'l'l:l. !r'. A. l.lc:O\EIJ... L . It. 0. CJ:lALI.lEH.S, A . .'.T.C. BLIZABRT!l C. POP~, i\l.Se. l•'ossils. A uth ropology : J:l. 0. FLETC.B.E lt. b'. J) . )lOCA!t'l'll Y, Dip.Anthr. LlBRAlUAN.: W. A. RAINBOW. DEPARTMENT OF PRE PARATI O N : T. llODGE · S~fiTB. G. C. CLUT'J'ON, Preparcuor. J . KIYGS!,EY Preparator. HONORARY SCI ENTI FI C STAFF : Z ooloo i&ts. Entomoloyists. P.R.OJ!'. 'l'. l!AltVEY .IOH~STO:.\', 2\I.A.., D.Sc. G. A. WATEltHOUSE, D.Sc., B.E., F.R.Z.S. ASST. PRQI.'. E. A. UUIGGS. D.Sc. T. H. GUTRRIR. H. LEIGRTON K.ESTEVEX. D.SC' .. )[D. MELBOURl\TE W AUD, F.R.Z.S.. F.Z.S. .{rchaeolouists. Ornithologi6ti. PROF. J. L . SHEI"LSHEAR, M.l3., Ch.M. A. F . BASSJ.C'L' HULL, l\I..B.E .• lo'.lt.Z.S. GEOHGl~ A . THO::\IAS. K. A. HJNDWOOD, C.F.A.O.U., F.R.Z.~. Philatelist. A. J. ~IARSHALI,. FRANK W. lULL. XowmJmN Olt SA~DY NAIL-TAIL \VALLABY Frontis1Jicce ,\('S'I'I<ALIAX P O I SO~OUS SNAKES--f. R. K inghoru) c.lli.Z.S. 325 1'm; Woou CARVEHS OF THE ADMIRALTY lsLA~w s-ll . D . .tlJ cOa,rth y ~31 . \ t ' S 'fi(ALIA~ I NSECTS. XXIII: lloMOPTERA 4-SNO\Y·FLIES A.:-;-u Sc·ALE I ~SE C 'l'S- 1\ eith C. JJ cK eou; n) F.R.Z.S . 8~6 LWII'J'S lTXIIEit TIIJ<.: ·SEA: .Ji.: WELL!';J) RQL"IOS- ./U.IJC"(J A [/(fJI R-!1 Jh;r nnr 345 'I'm: KA~GAIWO FAMILY: 'rHE :\.AIL-TAIL \V.\LLAHn.:: ~-1~ /lis 'J'ruughtou) F.R.Z.S.) (' ..1/.Z. S. 346 ( ' o~S~:H\'A ' l' IO~ OF \ VJLD LH'J<J . 'fOTAL J'HO'J"l'X''J'JOS FOit ALL "rALLA HmH 1 :'\ YI("PORI A :149 1'uoPH' I RLAXD JlE?.lORJ Es-Fra 11 k A . .I/ eX e ill . 3;)0 No)!}'; Bt"'l"l'M B.FLJES OF AT..l STHALIA .~xn TIJJ<; P.M' IFH' : T1n: Bnw\nx<: Bt "TTEHFLIES. I- .1. Jl usgra G(' :~54 (Photograplly, unless other wise stated, is by G. C. Glutton.) t OUR FRONT COVER. This little-known Comb-Jelly, Nei s cordigera, visits our harbour waters in Port Jackson between the months of March and June, when it is seen in quiet backwaters s;vimming and drifting with the currents. While not a true jellyfish, the body is transparent hke that of conventional bell-shaped types and is somewhat flattened. There is a large wide opening at one end. Eight prominent paddle-ribs run along the body, each consisting of a succession of tiny plates, shaped like combs. They are the means of locomotion and give this group of animals its name. Each comb is raised quickly and then lowered, so that it beats the water, fluttering like a miniature eyelid. Those in each row beat one after another and the combs in all eight paddle-ribs beat in unison so that their owner is propelled slowly forwards. The rapid movements of the combs refract light and produce a k aleidoscopic play of colours. Beautiful as is the sight of the swimming creature by day, it is far surpassed by the flashin g, Phosphorescent displays produced at night when the animal is disturbed. When swimming, the animal has two distinct forwardly direc_ted lobes which, unfortunately, are only faintly indicated in this photograph of a preserved specimen. Natural size. E.C.P. VOLUME VIII, NUMBER 10. DECE:NIBER, 1944- FEBRUARY. 1945. \\ ,,, _: No..-th t-TII or SuncJy Nnil- tuil 'Vnll nb~·. Of "tlu~ thn~e nnil-htil wallabies th is is t la t• largest. Not striking·l y msn·ked, its colour rest•nthh·~ Hutt <l l' its s urrclu ndin ~s . Jts l e n g th. O''e rnll, i s about :four nnc1 :l h n l f feet. h:tlf nt' whidt is the l e n g th nJ the t:• i 1. See t•nge 348. A fte r Gould. Pu.blished by the Australiam. .Museum - - College Street, Sydney Editor: A. B. W aLK0:\1, D.Sc. Annual Subsrription, Post Free, 4/4 Yor .. VIII, No. 10. D ECE MRER, 1944- FERHUARY, 1945. Australian Poisonous Sn akes* By J . R. K INGH ORN , C.M .Z .S. llERE are mo1·e than one hundred and in such cases should be handled with Australian venomous snakes, but g-reat care. I f seen basking on the surface T the great majority of these are small or washed 11p on a beach, they must be species which never exceed twenty inches treated with circumRpection. Nearly all in length, and cannot be regarded as of them are exti-emely awkwa.rd on land dangerous. Amongst these are sucl1 well­ and the:r are generally loath to bite unless known forms as the Bandy Bandy, the handled roughly oJ· otherwise annoyed. Salt-bush snake, the Wbite-lipped snake, The ,~ enom of ~ome species is extremely and the Red-naped snal,e. potent, ha'\'ing a powerful poisoning or the larger kinds there are abon t act ion ou the nervous system, bu t their fout ~pecies of Demansia, three P.seu­ biting appara1us is poor. and it is doubt­ d!'chis, and two N otechti.s, all of which may ful if they cou ld infbrt a fatal bite except he r()garded as extremely dangerouR. on an unclothed Ol' thinly clothed part. Detailed notes on the frequency and treat­ ~n('nt of snake-bite appea1·ed in the last ~'AJPAN OR GIAN'£ BROWN SNAKE. I~Sll(' of thiS ) l AGAZI XE. ( Oxym·a11l!US scutelkbtus) SEA SX.AKES. The taipan has been recorded from t he Fly Rh-er district, New Guniea, and 1'here are a large numbe1· of sea snakes, possibly may be found along the coastal all of which are poisonous, and some extremely so. They are not included in belt east and west from that point, thou gh the dangerouR kinds descl'ibed here it should be regarded more strictly as a because thev are unlikely to cause Korth Australian species, bein g well casualties. ~\.lmo8t all- the sea snakes live known from the Cape Yo1·k Peninsula en"?rely iu the water, and are specially westwards to Arnhem Land and perhaps hu1lt for this life. The body is somewhat the '\'i<:inity of Darwin. flattened '\'erticallr and keel-like below­ It 1s often difficult to distinguish the the taU being sha'ped like the blade of a taipan from a large brown snake, as both Paddle. They li "e on fish and mostlY ha \e the caudal scales in two rows. The freqf. uen t shallow sheltered waters not far· taipan has from 21 to 23 rows of scales ~ 0 ~ the coast and ri'\'er mouths in round the body and these are keeled (t he 0 Plcal regions. They mav be caught on brown snake may have as many as 19 ~sherman's line or be entangled in nets. or even 21 rows of scales, but these are •w· smooth).
Recommended publications
  • Creative Foundations. the Royal Society of New South Wales: 1867 and 2017
    Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 150, part 2, 2017, pp. 232–245. ISSN 0035-9173/17/020232-14 Creative foundations. The Royal Society of New South Wales: 1867 and 2017 Ann Moyal Emeritus Fellowship, ANU, Canberra, Australia Email: [email protected] Abstract There have been two key foundations in the history of the Royal Society of New South Wales. The first at its creation as a Royal Society in 1867, shaped significantly by the Colonial savant, geologist the Rev. W. B. Clarke, assisted by a corps of pioneering scientists concerned to develop practical sci- entific knowledge in the colony of N.S.W. And the second, under the guidance of President Donald Hector 2012–2016 and his counsellors, fostering a vital “renaissance” in the Society’s affairs to bring the high expertise of contemporary scientific and transdisciplinary members to confront the complex socio-techno-economic problems of a challenging twenty-first century. his country is so dead to all that natures) on a span of topics that embraced “Tconcerns the life of the mind”, the geology, meteorology, climate, mineralogy, scholarly newcomer the Rev. W. B. Clarke the natural sciences, earthquakes, volcanoes, wrote to his mother in England in Septem- comets, storms, inland and maritime explo- ber 1839 shortly after his arrival in New ration and its discoveries which gave singular South Wales (Moyal, 2003, p. 10). But a impetus to the newspaper’s role as a media man with a future, he quickly took up the pioneer in the communication of science offer of the editor ofThe Sydney Herald, John (Organ, 1992).
    [Show full text]
  • 2016. a Cultural Cacophony: Museum Perspectives and Projects
    A CulturalCacophony Museum Perspectives&Projects Identity Communication Culture Crisis Andrew Simpson Gina Hammond Editors: We ask that you please consider the environment before printing any part of this publication. Thank you TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. A professional cacophony ................................................................................................................... 3 Andrew Simpson and Gina Hammond ........................................................................................ 3 PERSPECTIVES ....................................................................................................................................... 14 Sowing the seeds of wisdom and cultivating thinking in museums ................................................. 15 Janelle Hatherly ......................................................................................................................... 15 The challenge of contemporary relevance in a digital era ................................................................ 28 Kim Williams ............................................................................................................................. 28 Museums and freedom of speech ...................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Neotype Designation for the Australian Pig-Footed Bandicoot Chaeropus Ecaudatus Ogilby, 1838
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343292739 Neotype designation for the Australian Pig-footed Bandicoot Chaeropus ecaudatus Ogilby, 1838 Article · July 2020 DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.72.2020.1761 CITATIONS READS 0 8 3 authors, including: Kenny Travouillon Harry Parnaby Western Australian Museum Australian Museum 58 PUBLICATIONS 726 CITATIONS 35 PUBLICATIONS 414 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Fossil peramelemorphians View project Revising the Perameles bougainville complex and Chaeropus ecaudatus View project All content following this page was uploaded by Harry Parnaby on 30 July 2020. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Records of the Australian Museum (2020) Records of the Australian Museum vol. 72, issue no. 3, pp. 77–80 a peer-reviewed open-access journal https://doi.org/10.3853/j.2201-4349.72.2020.1761 published by the Australian Museum, Sydney communicating knowledge derived from our collections ISSN 0067-1975 (print), 2201-4349 (online) Neotype Designation for the Australian Pig-footed Bandicoot Chaeropus ecaudatus Ogilby, 1838 Kenny J. Travouillon1 , Harry Parnaby2 and Sandy Ingleby2 1 Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC WA 6986, Australia 2 Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney NSW 2010, Australia Abstract. The original description of the now extinct Australian Pig-footed Bandicoot Chaeropus ecaudatus Ogilby, 1838 was based on one specimen from which the tail was missing. Re-examination of the skull thought to be the holotype of C. ecaudatus, revealed that it was associated with a skeleton with caudal vertebrae, thereby negating its type status.
    [Show full text]
  • VI Chapter 1
    & VI Chapter 1. The Preparatory Years (1827-1864). James Barnet was a professional architect who became a long serving member of the New South Wales civil service and for that reason a study of his official career should begin with an examination of his professional training. His career from his arrival in New South Wales in 1854 until 1860 and his work as Acting Colonial Architect from 31 October 1862 until 31 December 1864 is also reviewed in this chapter. On 21 August 1860 a notice appeared in the New South Wales Government Gazette which announced the appointment of James Barnet to a position of clerk of works in the Office of the Colonial Architect. Who was this young man who had arrived in Sydney in December 1854 and who, since that date, seemed to have experienced some difficulty in settling into regular employment? The position of clerk of works carried an annual salary of MOO and offered security and prospects for advancement. A curious person might 1. Throughout this study the name James Barnet will be used. The entry in ADB 3 records his name as Barnet, James Johnstone, the name shown on both his and his wifes death certificates. In the numerous files examined Barnet almost invariably signed his name as James Barnet. There were many occasions when his name was incorrectly spelled as Barnett in official papers as well as the press. 2 wonder whether Barnet was qualified to fill such a position or whether he had been appointed solely as the result of the patronage 2 of influential friends.
    [Show full text]
  • Blandowski, Krefft and the Aborigines on the Murray River Expedition
    NATIVE COMPANIONS: BLANDOWSKI, KREFFT AND THE ABORIGINES ON THE MURRAY RIVER EXPEDITION HARRY ALLEN Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland, New Zealand. Honorary Associate in Archaeology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia. ALLEN, H., 2009. Native companions: Blandowski, Krefft and the Aborigines on the Murray River expedi- tion. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 121(1): 129–145. ISSN 0035-9211. This paper explores relations between Blandowski, Krefft and the Aborigines during the 1856-57 Murray River expedition. As with many scientific enterprises in Australia, Aboriginal knowledge made a substantial contribution to the success of the expedition. While Blandowski generously acknowledged this, Krefft, who was responsible for the day to day running of the camp, maintained his distance from the Aborigines. The expedition context provides an insight into tensions between Blandowski and Krefft, and also into the complexities of the colonial project on the Murray River, which involved Aborigines, pasto- ralists, missionaries and scientists. Key words: scientific expedition, colonial attitudes, missionaries, contact history. WILLIAM BLANDOWSKI described the ‘Supersti- at an early stage of development. It remained a world tions, Customs and Burials of the Aborigines’ in an where Aboriginal communities continued to exist address to the Melbourne Mechanics’ Institute in and, to a limited extent, could live according to their October 1856. In that lecture, Blandowski warned own standards (Littleton et al. 2003). that ‘…the world was still without any distinct infor- Using the records of the expedition and contem- mation as to the habits and manners of the inhabit- porary accounts, this study will focus on Bland- ants of a country equal in size nearly to the whole of owski’s and Krefft’s actions and attitudes towards the Europe’ (The Argus, 25 October 1856).
    [Show full text]
  • WILLIAM BLANDOWSKI Photographs of Australian Aborigines, 1862 Reel
    AUSTRALIAN JOINT COPYING PROJECT WILLIAM BLANDOWSKI Photographs of Australian Aborigines, 1862 Reel M853 Haddon Library Department of Archaeology and Anthropology University of Cambridge Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DZ National Library of Australia State Library of New South Wales Filmed: 1979 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE William Blandowski (1822-1878), the son of a Prussian military officer, was born in Gliwice, Upper Silesia. He served briefly in the Royal Prussian Cadets. He arrived in Australia in 1849 and travelled widely in New South Wales and South Australia. He took part in the early gold rushes and made a small fortune at the goldfields near Castlemaine. He was one of the founders of the Geological Society of Victoria in 1852 and in the following year he was attached to the field party of the government geologist. In 1854 he was the first officer appointed to the Museum of Natural History in Melbourne. As government zoologist, he made several excursions into rural areas and began compiling a checklist of the animals and birds of Victoria. In 1856-57 he led an expedition to investigate the natural history of the region at the junction of the Darling and Murray Rivers. Following his return to Melbourne, he submitted a report to the Philosophical Society of Victoria but never reported back for duty at the Museum. Accused of retaining specimens, drawings and journals for his own use, he left Australia in 1859 and sailed to Hamburg. He returned to Silesia and published some scientific papers on Australia. The authorship of Australien in 142 Photographischen Abbildungen, published in 1862, is discussed by Harry Allen in an article in Australasian Historical Archaeology, vol.
    [Show full text]
  • (FORMER SHIRE of WALPEUP) HERITAGE STUDY STAGE 2 Vol 1 Mildura Rural City Thematic Environmental History 1 August 2012
    MILDURA (FORMER SHIRE OF WALPEUP) HERITAGE STUDY STAGE 2 Vol 1 Mildura Rural City Thematic Environmental History 1 August 2012 Prepared for Mildura Rural City Council MILDURA (FORMER SHIRE OF WALPEUP) HERITAGE STUDY STAGE 2 Context Pty Ltd 2012 Project Team: Dr Robyn Ballinger, History in the Making- author Louise Honman, project manager Louise Holt Report Register This report register documents the development and issue of the report entitled Rural City of Mildura Thematic Environmental History undertaken by Context Pty Ltd in accordance with our internal quality management system. Project Issue Notes/description Issue Issued to No. No. date 1435 1 Draft report 4/5/2012 Peter Douglas 1435 2 Final report 1/8/2012 Peter Douglas Context Pty Ltd 22 Merri Street, Brunswick 3056 Phone 03 9380 6933 Facsimile 03 9380 4066 Email [email protected] Web www.contextpl.com.au ii VOL 1: THEMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS V CONVERSIONS VI STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE VII 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 THE COUNTRY AND ITS FIRST PEOPLES 2 3 EXPLORATORY, OVERLANDING AND SURVEY EXPEDITIONS 4 4 PASTORAL OCCUPATION 7 5 AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT 15 5.1 Agricultural settlement of the Mallee 15 5.2 Closer settlement 23 5.3 Rural reconstruction 27 6 WATER SUPPLY 30 6.1 Domestic and stock supply 30 6.2 Irrigation 38 7 TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS 43 7.1 Tracks, roads and bridges 43 7.2 River trade 44 7.3 Railways 44 7.4 Postal and telecommunications 48 8 GOVERNING 50 8.1 Roads Boards 50 8.2 Municipalities 50 8.3 Law and order 51 9 BUILDING TOWNS
    [Show full text]
  • Fauna of Australia 2A
    FAUNA of AUSTRALIA 13. HISTORY OF DISCOVERY OF THE REPTILIA Harold G. Cogger 13. HISTORY OF DISCOVERY OF THE REPTILIA FIRST ENCOUNTERS When Australia was first encountered by Asian and European seafarers, the entire continent, together with Tasmania, was occupied by indigenous peoples who had an intimate knowledge of the country’s reptiles and their habits. Reptiles then and now figure large in Aboriginal culture, including art and religion. It is ironic that herpetologists (Cogger 1970) first formally recorded the pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta) from Australia in 1970, only to find later that this species had long ago been recorded for posterity by Aboriginal artists in the caves of western Arnhem Land (Fig. 13.1). The large Oenpelli python, Morelia oenpelliensis, was not known to science until 1975 (Gow 1977), but is also recorded in the early rock art of Arnhem Land. Before the discovery of the eastern coast of Australia by Captain James Cook in 1770, and the subsequent establishment of the first European settlement in Australia—the British penal settlement at Sydney (Port Jackson) in 1788— Australia had been visited, though not always intentionally, by a number of European seafarers and explorers (Whitley 1970). Few records (and apparently no specimens) derived from these early encounters with the Australian fauna exist. Whitley (1970) recorded that no reptiles were among the few Australian animals recorded, apart from crocodiles and marine turtles noted from the southern coastal waters of New Guinea by the Spaniard Luis Vaez de Torres, who in 1606 passed through the Strait subsequently named in his honour.
    [Show full text]
  • Curator of Australian Museum. (Correspondence Respecting Appoi Ntment Of.)
    1862. NEW SOUTH WALES. CURATOR OF AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. (CORRESPONDENCE RESPECTING APPOI NTMENT OF.) l!)rtllmteb to fJotb ;L?otts£15 of ~atliame nt, fll! QtommanlJ. SCHEDULE. KO. "PJ.G8 , 1. The Under Secretary to the Trustees of the Australian Museum, respecting the neaney in the Office of Curator. 31 October, 1861 . 2 2. Acting Curator to the Colonial Secretary, in reply. 8 November, 1861.. Z 3. Under Secretary to the Trustees, requesting them to etate their viowe in respect to the vacancy, but observing that any arrangcm~nt proposed 'rill be subject to tho approval of tho Government. 19 November, 1861 2 ~. Acting Curator to Colonial Secretary, in reply, nod intimating tbnt under the 7th clause of tho 17th Victoria. No. 2, the entirll respon11ibility of tbe appointment of these officers rests with the Trustees. G December, 1861 2 5. Under Secretary to the T rustees on the subject of the appointment of n Curator, which it is considered comes under the 37th clause of the Constitution Act, vesting all appointments in the Governol' and Executive Council. 11 December, 1861.. S G. Acting Curator to the Colonial Secretary, in r<'ply, and 11tating that the Trustees adhere to the opinion expressed in their letter of 5th December (No. 4) 3 January, 1862 . 3 7. Under Secretary to Trustees, io reply. 27 llarch, 1862 . • 4: 8. Acting Curator to the Colonial Secretary, forwarding copy of Resolutions passed at a special Meeting of the Trlll!tees, on the subject. 8 May, 18GZ • • 6 9. Dcsp~teh from ths ~ecret..,ry of State to Sir W.
    [Show full text]
  • Natsca News Issue 7-6.Pdf
    http://www.natsca.org NatSCA News Title: Is there a Zanzibar Leopard in Your Collection? Author(s): Goldman, H. V. Source: Goldman, H. V. (2005). Is there a Zanzibar Leopard in Your Collection?. NatSCA News, Issue 7, 22. URL: http://www.natsca.org/article/270 NatSCA supports open access publication as part of its mission is to promote and support natural science collections. NatSCA uses the Creative Commons Attribution License (CCAL) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ for all works we publish. Under CCAL authors retain ownership of the copyright for their article, but authors allow anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, and/or copy articles in NatSCA publications, so long as the original authors and source are cited. NatSCA News Issue 7 Calls For Information Is there a Zanzibar leopard in your collection? For about ten years Dr Martin Walsh and I have been investigating the Zanzibar leopard (Panthera pardus adersi), an endemic subspecies found on the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago, off the coast of Tanza- nia (East Africa). In international scientific circles, the Zanzibar leopard is generally assumed to have been extirpated during recent decades, though Zanzibaris (who associate the leopard with witchcraft) continue to report leopard sightings and attacks on livestock. We've presented our findings in several peer-reviewed and popular publications, which we are happy to send electronically to anyone interested. To our knowledge, leopards’ skins (sometimes accompanied by skulls) documented to have originated in Zanzibar (all collected pre-WWII) are located in just three museums: Zanzibar's Museum of Natural His- tory; the Natural History Museum in London; and the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology in Cam- bridge, Massachusetts.
    [Show full text]
  • Rare and Curious Specimens, an Illustrated History of the Australian Museum 1827
    • The first European settlers at Portjackson were confronted by animals and plants that were, with few exceptions, different from anything they had known before. The names they gave to the strange flora and fauna were generally based on apparent • similarities between these new forms and those with which they were acquainted in Europe, just as many of their place names reflected vague or fanciful si milarities be­ tween their new homes and their old. The Australian Aborigines presented a culture so alien to the simple folk who made up the bulk of the first settlers (who in any case were preoccupied with survival) that few believed it worthy of either curiosity or record. Yet from the very beginning of the settlement, 'natural objects' were despatched to England in every returning ship; only the great naturalists of Europe • possessed the literature or comparative collections needed to make sense of this strange new fauna and flora. The field studies in natural history commenced by Sir Joseph Banks in 1770 were continued by such early explorer-naturalists as Robert Brown, Allan Cun­ ningham, George Caley,John Lewin and the Macleay family. Their efforts were aimed largely at building up existing European collections, and were complemented by the French expeditions of d'Entrecasteaux and Baudin and later expeditions from Austria and Germany. Lodged principally in the collections of the British Museum in London and in the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, the animals of Australia began to be formally described in the scientific journals of Europe and slowly became more widely known to European science.
    [Show full text]
  • Fauna of Australia 2A
    FAUNA of AUSTRALIA 35. FAMILY ELAPIDAE Glenn Shea, Richard Shine & Jeanette C. Covacevich 35. FAMILY ELAPIDAE Pl. 8.4. Vermicella annulata (Elapidae): a burrower, feeds on blind snakes (Typhlopidae) in diverse habitats, from wet coastal forests to spinifex deserts; central and eastern Australia to central west coast. [J. Wombey] Pl. 8.5. Simoselaps warro (Elapidae): a nocturnal burrower, inhabiting forests and woodland along the north-eastern coast and ranges of Queensland. [G. Shea] 2 35. FAMILY ELAPIDAE Pl. 8.6. Demansia psammophis (Elapidae): found from coastal habitats to the arid interior, this species is widespread in mainland Australia except in the central north. [J. Wombey] Pl. 8.7. Notechis scutatus (Elapidae): occupies a wide range of habitats from rainforests to open woodlands and floodplains; its main food is frogs; found in south-eastern mainland Australia. [J. Wombey] 3 35. FAMILY ELAPIDAE Pl. 8.8. Pseudonaja guttata in aggressive posture; inhabits tussock grassland of interior north-eastern Australia. [H. Cogger] Pl. 8.9. Acanthophis pyrrhus (Elapidae): occurs in desert regions and adjacent arid lands in central and western Australia. [H. Cogger] 4 35. FAMILY ELAPIDAE Pl. 8.10. Oxyuranus microlepidotus (Elapidae): Australia’s most venomous snake; it feeds mainly on rats and occurs on floodplains in the central east of the continent. [J. Wombey] Pl. 8.11. Furina diadema (Elapidae): raises its characteristically coloured head high when alarmed; often associated with ants and termites in eastern Australia. [H. Cogger] 5 35. FAMILY ELAPIDAE Pl. 8.12. Suta suta (Elapidae): in coil-spring offensive posture; found in sandy- stony deserts to savannah woodlands in central and eastern Australia.
    [Show full text]