Nov., 1924 
The Queensland Naturalist. 
10/ 
THE EARLIEST DESCRIPTIONS OF AUSTRALIAN 
ANIMALS. 
Resume of Lecturette by Mr. W. B. Alexander, M.A. 
The speaker gave an interesting account of the early 
history of our knowledge of the Australian fauna from 
the time of the first Australian discovery of Australia in 
]606 to Governor Phillip's administration (1791), The first 
authentic account of the occurrence of any form of life 
on the Australian continent was by the commander of 
the Dutch vessel, the Duyfken, who in 1606 sailed down 
the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula, which 
he described as barren country inhabited by wild blacks, 
a party of whom killed several of his crew. 
In 1626 an expedition was equipped in Holland for 
the East Indies, under the command of Commodore 
Francis Pelsart. Pelsart ’s boat, the “Batavia,” was 
driven out of her course, and on the night of the 4th 
June. 1629, was wrecked on tlie islands of IToutman 
Abrolhos. Pelsart with eight men succeeded in reaching 
Batavia in one of the ship’s boats and returned to rescue 
Ihe remainder of the castaways. Pelsart ’s journal is of 
interest to students of Australian zoology as it eontaijis 
the first detailed descrintioii of an Australian marsupial, 
a very complete description of a species of wallaby being 
given. 
The first Englishman to set foot on Australian soil 
Avas William Dampier in 1688. After the ])iih]ication of 
the account of his voyage he was sent in 1699 by William 
III. in the “Roebuck,” under an admiralty commission 
to make further explorations on the north-west coast. 
Dampier took back to Euro]>e a more eompltde account 
of the birds, animals, lisiu's, and plants of ilie country 
Ihan any of his contemporaries. It is worthy of note 
that some of Dam})ier’s specimens are still preserved at 
Oxford T Diversity. His aecount of his voyage was 
illustrated by figures of si'vera! birds, fish, and plants 
found on the coast of New Hollaud. 
In 1696, between Dam])ier’s two voyages, Ooimnander 
Willem de Vlaming was ordered by the Dutch East India 
Company to carefully explore the western coast of Aus- 
tralia. De Vlaming discovered the Swan River, and took- 
baek to Batavia two live sj)ecimei]s of the then fabulous 
Black Swan, 
Following the Dutch navigators the French showed 
some activity, and Sonnerat’s journal of his voyage to 
