74 
The Queensland Naturalist, 
April, 1922 
as 1846). Strange was a man of broad interests, and lie is 
tributed by Diggles as “a zealous and efficient collector, 
and one who did much to render Australian natural his- 
tory known to the world.” 
The late thirties and early forties constituted a very 
distinctive period in exploratory work inland and survey 
work along the northern coasts, and with some of those 
expeditions were bird-seekers of marked ability. In this 
respect I think chiefly of the voyage of the Beagle, the 
voyage of the Fly, and the voyage of the Rattlesnake. 
All three were survey ships of Her Majesty’s Government, 
and were engaged on various parts of the northern and 
eastern coasts at the period mentioned; and all three, 
fortunately for Gould in particular, carried men to whom 
the study and advancement of natural history appealed as 
both a fascinating hobby and a patriotic duty. 
II.M.S. Beagle was the pioneer of the trio. This illus- 
trious vessel worked the north-west coast of the continent 
in 1888 (Captain Wickham) and in 1840-41 (Captain 
Stokes) she did survey duty along the Barrier Reef and 
round through Torres Strait to Port Essington. Apart 
from their marine work, the men of the Beagle 
discovered many rivers and did generally useful explora- 
tory work ; and* in addition to all this they advanced very 
materially the natural history of the country. Benjamin 
Bynoe, surgeon of the Beagle, is many times mentioned 
with appreciation by Gould, who pays tribute also to “the 
perseverance and assiduity of Mr. Charles Darwin, Captain 
Wickham, Captain Stokes, Lieutenant Emery, and Mr. 
Dring.” 
II.M.S. Fly (Captain F. P. Blackwood) sailed from 
England on 11th April, 1842, and was engaged in the 
survey of Rockingham Bay in May of the following year. 
Later, it worked further north, notably in the vicinity of 
Cape York. The narrative of this expedition, written by 
J. B. Jukes, M.A.. F.G.S., makes fascinating reading still, 
leavened as it is with many pleasant bird-notes, including 
references to migration of Australian birds at Cape York. 
Jukes wondered, as many of us have wondered since, at 
the reason for birds migrating from North Queensland to 
New Guinea. “In these latitudes,” he says, “mere 
temperature cannot be the cause of it, although the varia- 
tions of the seasons for different fruits or insects may. 
Officers of the Fly were also in communication with Gould ; 
it was Commander J. M. R. Ince who sent the great 
ornithologist his first Sun -bird. 
