xviii 



post. Gould's artistic talent in bird-stuffing, which he had studiously 

 cultivated for some years, rendered him facile jprinceps among the 

 competitors, and obtained him the appointment. While occupant of 

 this post in 1830, Gould received a collection of bird skins from the 

 Himalayas — a district at that time almost unexplored. This oppor- 

 tunity Gould embraced with characteristic energy, and thus laid the 

 foundation of his fame and fortune. Mr. Vigors was naturally 

 anxious to describe the novelties, and Gould employed his lately 

 married wife, who had been educated as a governess, and had great 

 artistic talent, to figure them. Thus was produced Gould's first illus- 

 trated bird book — the so-called " Century of Birds from the Himalaya 

 Mountains," by far the most accurately illustrated work on foreign 

 ornithology that had been issued up to that period. In size the 

 " Century " rivalled the folios of Le Vaillant, but far surpassed them 

 in the excellence of the plates. 



The success of the " Century " was so great that in 1832 the " Birds 

 of Europe " was commenced on a similar scale, and completed in due 

 course in five volumes, while during the progress of this work the 

 first editions of the well-known "Monographs" of the Toucans and 

 Trogons were also issued, and frequent contributions made to the 

 Zoological Society's " Proceedings " arid " Transactions." 



We now come to the most important and striking episode of Gould's 

 career. The birds of the great continent of Australia were at that 

 time almost unknown, except from the scattered notices of older 

 authors, and from an essay by Vigors and Horsfield on the specimens 

 from that country contained in the Linnean Society's collection. 

 Gould determined to make a special expedition to Australia for the 

 purpose of investigating its ornithology. In 1838 he left England for 

 this purpose, accompanied by his wife, and devoted two years to the 

 exploration of Tasmania, South Australia, and New South Wales. A 

 large series of birds' skins as well as of their nests and eggs were 

 collected, besides specimens of the mammals, while a mass of valuable 

 and original observations were made upon their habits and distribu- 

 tion. On Gould's return to this country, the great folio work on the 

 " Birds of Australia " was at once commenced, and completed in 1848, 

 after seven years' unremitting labour. The companion work on the 

 " Mammals of Australia," forming three volumes, with 182 plates, was 

 completed in 1860. 



After the " Birds of Australia," the most important work accom- 

 plished by Gould was certainly his " Monograph of the Trochi- 

 lidee," or " Humming Birds," commenced in 1850, and finished in 

 1861. For many years Gould had been an assiduous collector of 

 specimens of this lovely group, and in 1851 exhibited his collection 

 in the gardens of the Zoological Society. Very large additions, how- 

 ever, were made to it after that period, and in fact, continued to be 



