BY K. M. JOHNSTON, F.L.S. 



59 



local mollusca ; and such was his enthusiasm and industry m 

 the investigation of the Conchology of Australia generally, 

 that Mr. Woods regarded his collection in the year 1875 to 

 be the " finest in the southern hemisphere ;" and writing in 

 acknowledgment of the great services which he rendered to 

 himself in the preparation for his census of Tasmanian shells, 

 published in 1877, by generously placing at bis disposal the 

 whole of his fine collection, and by affording him the greater 

 benefit of his vast store of local information, be refers to 

 Mr. Legrand's monograph in the following terms :— " Within 

 the last few years Mr. W. Legrand has published a mono- 

 graph of all the (then) known land shells, accompanied with 

 extensive notes on the habits, and very excellent figures of 

 the newer species. What gave the work a greater value, was 

 that it was for the most part privately printed by the author. 

 The whole of the work being done by his own hand." 



Next in order of time to Mr. Legrand comes Mr. Petterd. 

 Mr.W. F. Petterd, C.M.Z.S., is a native of Hobart, Tasmania, 

 whose name will ever stand a credit to the land of his birth. 

 Almost self-taught in natural history, he has by natural talent 

 accomplished more and better work than many of the 

 -European Naturalists, who have had the advantages of 

 immediate reference to the stored and classified collections of 

 the world's great observers. Mr. Petterd is undoubtedly the 

 " Tarn Edwards " of Tasmania. His love for natural history 

 as a youth fortunately attracted the notice of our veteran 

 Conchologist, Mr. Legrand, to whom Mr. Petterd, with many 

 others — myself among the number — owe a lasting debt of 

 gratitude for the kindly help and encouragement always 

 readily bestowed. 



Mr. Petterd's keen perception, bright intelligence, and 

 taxidermical skill, combined with a rare facility for depicting 

 the objects which interested his attention bv artistic drawings, 

 soon gave him a wide and thorough command of the principal 

 forms of local natural history in Tasmania. Nor were his 

 observations and collections of natural objects confined to his 

 native country. He travelled as an observer widely over 

 Australia, from Cape Howe to the Gulf of Carpentaria, and 

 Was one of the early pioneer explorers of New Guinea and the 

 Islands of the Pacific. His splendid collections made in all 

 these regions have largely increased our store of knowledge 

 a ad have enriched the principal Museums of Europe, 

 Australia and America. As a Conchologist he is best known 

 % his fine "Monograph of the Land Shells of Tasmania," read 

 before this societv and published in the year 1879. This 

 Work has deservedly obtained for him the widest reputation. 

 His contributions on Conchology to the Royal Society of 

 ■Tasmania since that time have greatly extended our knowledge, 



