SMUTTY PARROT. 
With this species must always be associated the name of Robert Brown, 
though, unfortunately, the species cannot bear the scientific name P. brownii, 
by which it was long known. 
Robert Brown is famed as the pioneer Australian botanist, but through 
the carelessness of British contemporary zoologists, he is comparatively 
unknown in connection with the latter science. Thus Hedley, when addressing 
the Biology Section of the Australasian Association for the Advancement 
of Science in 1909, gave an Historical Sketch of the Investigation of Queensland 
and therein noted : “ After Cook, Queensland lay long un visited by men of 
science. The famous Brown accompanied Flinders in his exploration of the 
coast, but his record belongs to the botanical side of our science.” 
However, when Vigors andHorsfield wrote up their historic communication 
to the Linnean Society upon the Australian birds in the Collection, they 
expressed their indebtedness to Mr. Caley and continued : “We have also to 
express a similar acknowledgment to Mr. Brown, who, in his general zeal for 
science, did not neglect the interests of zoology while devoting himself to the 
advancement of his favourite study. To his liberality the Society is indebted 
for many of its choicest treasures ; and the kindness with which he has com- 
municated his information respecting them enhances their value.” 
When Kuhl named the Tasmanian Psittacus brownii he wrote : “ Ab 
autoribus varietas Ps. elegantis habetur, sed distincta est species auctore 
illustrissimo Brown, inter rei herbariae studiosos longe celeberrimo, qui hunc 
et Ps. elegantem ssepenumero vivos ipse observavit.” In the same place he 
named the present species “ Psittacus venustus Brown ” and another bird, 
“ Psittacus multicolor Brown.,” thus indicating that Brown had given these 
Parrots scientific names in manuscript. 
In the British Museum (Natural History) there are preserved some small 
books of manuscript which prove to be the original descriptions made by 
Robert Brown from the animals he procured. At the time the animal was 
killed it was generally painted by Frederick Bauer and then a description 
written out and a name given. These descriptions are full and accurate and 
so particular were they that the date of description is even added when that 
differs by a day or so from the date of capture. These valuable details were 
presented with the series of animals so described to the British Museum, and 
apparently considered of no value and so neglected. The specimens ,seem 
to have been just as carelessly dealt with, as Kuhl and Temminck described 
the specimens in the Linnean Collection, though I conclude these were a 
secondary series. How carefully Brown examined the birds can be estimated 
since I find he recognised that the Kangaroo Island Platycercus was varietally 
different from the New South Wales form, a fact independently recorded by 
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