Australian birds from the Leichhardt Expedition

Dr Clemency Fisher, Senior Curator of Vertebrate Zoology at National Museums Liverpool, visited RAMM’s stored collections in 2016. A small collections of 20 Australian birds were of particular interest to her. In January 1944 Miss E.M. Fox of Beckenham, Kent donated these birds to RAMM. We don’t know why she had these specimens. They were collected on the first expedition ever to cross Australia – the First Leichhardt Expedition. In this blog, Clemency reveals the birds’ fascinating history.

The Leichhardt Expedition of 1844-1845

The expedition party travelled across unexplored country between the Moreton Bay area (Brisbane) and the far north coast of Australia. They named many geographical features on the way, such as the Peak Range, Valley of Lagoons, Dawson Valley, and the Burdekin and Gilbert Rivers.

The birds are from the collection of the youngest member of the expedition, John Murphy, who was only 16. He was a good shot, and the expedition’s ornithologist, John Gilbert taught him how to preserve the birds he collected. Some of the birds are well prepared (Gilbert) and others a bit rough (Murphy). Three are potentially type specimens (the standards on which a species is based; specimens used for scientific descriptions published later on by Gilbert’s employer, John Gould). Several, such as the Plains Wanderer and the Star Finch, are rare species no longer found in the areas Murphy and Gilbert collected them in. All 20 birds are of very high scientific and historical importance.

John Gilbert’s collection is worldwide

John Gilbert’s rather larger collection of birds from the expedition also found its way back to England. However, it has since been split up. Specimens are in museum collections in Philadelphia, New York, Camarillo (California), Liverpool, London and Leiden (The Netherlands). At least two specimens returned to Australia and are now in the Museum Victoria, Melbourne.