THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
It may be noted that it was the commonest edition in use in the beginning of the 
nineteenth century and will be commonly quoted as “ Linn.,” without any intimation 
that it is Gmelin’s edition. 
This work as regards birds is very important, as Gmelin collated all the works, 
latinising and ascribing new Latin names to all the species published, and in birds he 
found Latham’s General Synopsis of Birds ready at his hands. He latinised the whole 
of Latham’s work, and a very large number of bird names are credited to Gmelin, 
though, as a matter of fact, they are novelties described in English only by Latham. 
Thus all the “ Captain Cook ” discoveries come into Gmelin’s work, which was published 
in parts, and the correct dates have been ascertained and published by Hopkinson, 
Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1907, p. 1,037. Pt. i., pp. 1-500 are July 25th, H88; pt. n.| 
pp. 501-1,032, April 20tli, 1789 ; these cover all the bird part. 
The names I include are Proodlaria pacifica , P. grisea , P. cinerea , P. gelida , P. mdono- 
pus , P. gigantea , P. ccerulea, P. vittata , P. desolata , P. urinatrix , Diomedea chlororhynchos , 
D. fuliginosa, Sterna nilotica , S. striata, Scolopax luzoniensis , S. incana , S. mnescens, 
Ardea caledonica, Anas coromandeliana , A. superciliosa, Pdecanus varius , P. minor , 
Falco pennatus, F. leucogaster, Falco novcehollandice , Strix novcesednndice , Charadrius 
fulvus, Psittacus moluccanus, P. novcehollandia, P. multicolor , P. aterrimus, P. 
novcehollandice, P. erylhropterus, P. elegans , P. caledonicus , Alcedo fusca, Hirwidofrancica , 
H. panayana , Guculus lucidus, Oolumba pacifica, Muscicapa multicolor, M . flabellifera , 
Turdus novcehollandice , Motacilla cyanea , Pipra striata . 
Gmelin, Samuel Gottlieb. —A German traveller in the employment of the Russian 
Government who made travels in Russian Asia, etc. Born 1743, died in Persia, 1774. 
Reise durcli Russland, 4 vols., 4to, St. Petersburg. Vol. I., 1770; Vols.II. and III., 
1774; Vol. IV., 1784. 
[Is not this the only ornithologist who ever died “ in captivity ” ?] 
Godman, Frederic Du Cane. —Famous English Ornithologist who has only recently died. 
Born Jan. 15th, 1834, died Feb. 19th, 1919. Memoir, Ibis, 1919, p. 326 et seq. 
A specialist on neotropical birds who worked in conjunction with Osbert Salvin. 
The latter was interested in Petrels and wrote up an account in Rowley’s Miscellany, 
and then was given the group to monograph for the Catalogue of Birds of the British 
Museum. Prepared a monograph with coloured plates but did not live to finish it. 
Some years after, Godman undertook the publication of these plates and was assisted 
as to the text by Sharpe at the British Museum. 
The Monograph of the Petrels was issued in parts between Dec. 1907 and May 1910 
under Godman’s name, and recently Loomis has quoted Godman as an authority on 
Petrels, which Godman denied, stating he only saw the publication through for his 
old friend Salvin’s sake. 
Gould, John. —The Bird Man.—An ornithological genius who was born 1804 and died in 
1880, who made a fortune by publishing illustrated folio works on birds, treating the 
Old World in a series, Birds of Great Britain, Europe, Asia and Australia. His first 
venture, the Birds of Europe, proving successful he turned his attention to Australia, 
and finding in the Museums innumerable new species, concluded many more should 
exist in nature. He therefore had the brilliant inspiration of going out and collecting 
the novelties, a hazardous and difficult task, but one which made Irina for ever famous. 
He was only in Australia a comparatively short time, but his enthusiasm gained him 
assistance from everyone, and he found a most capable assistant in Gilbert. These 
two collected, and received from others interested, so many new species that since 
their time practically very few additions have been made. There has been no such 
collecting in any other country and there can be nothing but wholehearted admiration 
for the genius who initiated and carried out the wonderful project. Gould himself was 
interested in depicting these new birds, being assisted by his wife w r ho was a wonderful 
artist; but apparently Gould himself could sketch a bird, probably due to Mrs. Gould’s 
46 
