40 
The Kmu. 
southern parts of Australia, including Tasmania and its islands, 
for two years. The outcome of his labour of love, in which he 
was so ably assisted by the intrepid and unfortunate Gilbert, 
has long since been known to the world and to you all in the 
shape of the aforementioned great work, " The Birds of Aus- 
tralia." The amount of work done by himself and his assistant 
Gilbert during the three years and more which compassed their 
combined labours was extraordinary when we consider the 
difficulties which beset travellers in the interior at that period. 
The material assistance, however, which he received from the 
Governors of the various Australian provinces furthered his 
efforts very much, and enabled him to accomplish all that he 
did in the short space of his two years' personal collecting. 
As before said, his work was mainly confined to the south, 
although he penetrated a long distance into the interior of Xew^ 
South Wales. The exploration of the west, north-west, and 
north of the continent he deputed to his able assistant, Gilbert, 
which occupied him a similar time — two years After rejoining 
Gould in 1841 he was again sent out by his employer, and 
started work in Western Australia. He then made his way to 
Sydney, where he joined Leichhardt in his ill-fated journey to 
Port Essington, and doubtless had he been permitted to 
accomplish this, the ultimate results of his journey across that 
inhospitable region would have been very valuable. 
Among those travellers and collectors who assisted Gould by 
notes and information concerning species, chiefly in the far north 
and west, must be mentioned Captain Sturt and Messrs. Elsey, 
Drummond, Gregory, Bynoe, and Strange, the latter meeting 
with a similar fate to Gilbert during the Leichhardt expedition. 
The amount of work done by Gould can best be judged by 
the fact that at the time of the publication of his book he 
increased the number of Australian species from 300 to 600, 
which was further augmented to 672 at the date of the issue of 
his " Handbook." The characteristic energy and perseverance 
which enabled Gould to complete his imimense work fired him 
throughout life, and resulted in the publication of his subsequent 
splendid books — "The Humming Birds" and other monographs, 
Birds of Asia," and " Birds of New Guinea." Up to the very 
last, though a confirmed invalid, he continued to work, for I 
remember seeing him, shortly before his death, lying on his sofa 
executing rough drawings in crayon for his artist, engaged on 
The Birds of New Guinea." 
Prior to the publication of Gould's " Handbook," in 1865, 
Dr. Ramsay, the Curator of the Sydney ]\Iuseum (which institu- 
tion has been for many years the focus of Australian ornith- 
ological research), commenced work in the north-east of Australia, 
and extended his explorations, as years went on, to the north 
and north-west. With the assistance of ^Ir. Masters, of the 
Sydney Museum, he largely increased the collections in that 
