22 THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD [W.l. V. 



THOMAS WATLING, ARTIST. 



By Gregory M. Mathews and Tom Iredale. 



Some years ago the name of T. Watling came into prominence 

 in connection with Australian birds. Pre\'ious to the publica- 

 tion of the History of the Collections contained in the Natural 

 History Departments of the British Museum, Vol. II., there 

 does not seem to have been any mention of this artist. That 

 volume appeared in 1906, and tlierein Bowdler Sharpe gave 

 a full account of a long series of paintings just previously 

 acquired by that Institution. The account there given was 

 fully relied upon until a couple of years ago, when an 

 independent investigation imdertaken in connection with the 

 liistories of Australian artists proved its inaccuracy. 



This later account appeared in the Journal and Proceedings 

 of the Royal Austrahan Historical Society, Vol. V., part v., 

 when Wilham Dixson {errore Dixon), only interested in the 

 facts concerning the early artists, pubhshed (p. 227) : " Thomas 

 WatMng, according to his own story, was convicted by a 

 Scotch jury, and sentenced to transportation." ... " My 



employment is painting for J. W Esq., the non-descript 



productions of the country." Dixson correctly adds: "This 

 is evidently John White, Surgeon- General to the Settlement," 



The present account is based on the suggestions provided 

 by Mr. Dixson, who wrote to the British Museum, making 

 inquiries regarding the W^athng drawings. Mr. England, 

 who is in charge of these paintings, at once drew our attention 

 to this inquiry, as he had continuallj^ assisted us in our 

 investigation of the paintings in connection with Australian 

 birds, and together we searched for confirmation of Dixson's 

 results. These were found and will probably also be published 

 by Mr. Dixson, but as his accounts faU outside the scope of 

 the genera] ornithologist we also make use of some of tlie items. 



There can be no hesitation now in accepting the fac;t that 

 Thomas Watling was a convict who made numerous paintings 

 of scenery and especial objects of Natural History for John 

 Wliite, and that moreover more tlian one of each object was 

 made. The distribution of these paintings when they arrived 



