Die grosse mit Blech ausgefütterte Kiste mit den 3 Känguruh Bälgen u. 2 Emu-Bälgen u. 108 Vögeln von N.Guinea Bälgen war äusserlich unverletzt, aber der Inhalt in einem trostlosen Zustand, indem Seewasser in dieselbe gelangt seyn muss, das die Bälge derart durchnässte, dass sie hier noch ganz feucht u. mit Schimmel überzogen waren. Das beigepackte Kistchen mit den Guineabälgen war nicht fest gepackt und lag daher in Stücken auseinander, die Vögel lagen mit häufig vermodertem Papier umwickelt dadurch wurden die Vögel in der ganzen Kiste herumgeworfen, u. es wurden was das Schlimmste war von den meisten die durch das meisten vermoderte Seewasser erweichten Spitzen der Schnäbel u. […]2 abgestossen. Durch die Feuchtigkeit in dem eingeschlossenen Raum wurden sie alle schimmelig, insbesondere waren d. Tauben, Papageien die Schimmelflecken3 so überzogen, wie wenn sie weissgefleckt wären, was umso bedauerlicher ist, als sie an den bunten Farben Ex. nie mehr ganz verwischt werden können. Die beiden Emus haben leider ebenfalls stark gelitten, an manchen Stellen der Körper bricht die Haut zus. oder sind Epidermus u. Federn von Kopf u [Hals] los u. die Schilder an den Beinen bröckeln ganz zus., weil der Präparator die Beine nicht ganz der Länge nach aufgeschnitten hat, nur die Zehen sind gut, weil sie aufgeschnitten sind.
An den Känguruh-Bälgen brach an einer Seite, die wahrscheinlich im Wasser lag, die Haut zusammen u. giengen Epidermis u. Haarn los. Als vollends der Inhalt (Stroh u. Zostera marina) aus den Bälgen v. diesen u. Dromaius herausgenommen wurde, erwies sich, dass das Stroh &c. feucht u. vermodert war u. einen sehr stark schimmeligen Geruch verbreitete. Das Stroh &c. sollte vor dem Versenden stets entfernt werden u. nie sollte die mit Seewasser getränkte Zostera zum Ausfüllen der Bälge verwendet werden. Der grosse ♂ Macrop. laniger scheint die schlechteste Stelle eingenommen zu haben denn sogar der Schädel wie der Schädel von Halmaturus nemoralis war z. T. ganz vermodert.
Bei der Visitation der Blechkiste ergab sich, dass einzelne oft 2" lange Stellen nicht zugelöthet u. mehrere [grossere] Löcher im Blech vorhanden waren u. der Verschluss nicht sorgfältig ausgeführt war. Dies ist ein Fehler, aber kann dessen ungeachtet nicht ein Ersatz von dem Capit. des Schiffes "Kent" Schäffer verlangt werden, weil er die Kisten nicht vor Einmischung des Seewassers geschützt hat, oder ein Ersatz von der Versich. Gesellsch. verlangt werden.
Die zweite (kleine) Kiste, ebenfalls aber genau mit Zinkblech ausgefüttert, war ganz trocken,deshalb kamen die 11 Neuseeländer Vögel, die 2 ausgestopfte Gänse (beiläufig kein Kunststück eines Meister von Ausstopfen) der Pflanzenpack f. Mayer in Carlsruhe u. die Schriften für Dr. Behm in Gotha, ein Packet für Nördlinger die ich sofort an Ihre Adressen beförderte, ferner die Schriften f. d. Verein u. die Schwämme ganz unversehrt an.
Die 3. kleinste Blechkiste mit den Fischen, Rept. u. Spinnen muss ebenfalls ein Loch erhalten haben, denn es befand sich nur ganz wenig Weingeist darin, doch haben sie keinen Schaden gelitten.
The large box lined with tin with the three kangaroo skins and two emu skins and 108 skins of birds from New Guinea was undamaged externally, but the contents were in a hopeless state, in that sea water must have got in that soaked the skins, so that they came here quite moist and covered with mould. The small box packed inside with the Guinea skins was not packed tight and therefore broke up in pieces, the birds lay wrapped with often mouldy paper, because of that the birds were thrown around the whole box and the worst was of the majority the ends of the beaks softened by mouldy sea water and thrown away. Through the moisture in the enclosed space they all became mouldy, in particular the doves and parrots were so covered with mould spots that they appeared as if white-spotted, which is all the more regrettable as these could no longer be completely wiped away on the brightly coloured specimens. Both the emus have unfortunately also suffered greatly, on many spots on the bodies the skin broke or the epidermis broke away and feathers of the head and [neck] and the scales on the legs completely crumbled to pieces because the preparator had not completely cut open the legs longitudinally; only the toes are good, because they are cut open.
The skin broke on one side on the kangaroo skins, which probably lay in water, and epidermis and hair broke away. When the contents (straw and Zostera marina) were completely taken out of the skin from the former and Dromius, it turned out that the straw &c was moist and mouldy and spread a very strong mouldy smell. The straw &c should always be removed before sending and Zostera soaked with sea water should never be used to stuff the skins. The large male Macropus laniger seems to have taken the worst position, as even the skull, like the skull of Halmaturus nemoralis, was in part completely mouldy.
On examination of the tin box it turned out that separate, often 2-inch -ong places were not soldered and there were several [large] holes in the tin, and the seal was not carefully carried out. This is a mistake, but a reimbursement can nevertheless not be required of the captain of the ship Kent, Schäffer, because he had not protected the boxes from mixing in of sea water, or a reimbursement can be asked from the insurance company.
The second (small) box, also but correctly lined with sheet zinc, was quite dry, therefore the 11 New Zealand birds, the two stuffed geese (incidentally no feat of a master example of taxidermy), the plant pack for Mayer in Carlsruhe and the papers for Dr Behm in Gotha and a parcel for Nördlinger, which I immediately forwarded to their addresses, arrived completely undamaged by rot as did the papers for the Verein.
The third, smallest tin box with the fish, reptiles and spiders must also have had a hole because there was very little alcohol in it, but they have suffered no damage.4
Zostera marina
MS is accompanied by a newspaper cutting annotated by Krauss: 'erhalt. 26. Nov. 79' [received 26 November 1879]. The item, signed 'Botanist', is from The Queenslander, 5 July 1879, p. 10, col. d, and is a response to a letter by 'T.B.M.' in the same paper, 21 June 1879, p. 781 col. a.
"Alligators, not Crocodiles" "T.B.M." quotes an article in the "Encyclopaedia Britannica" on the above subject, which he challenges as being more likely to mislead than to instruct the people. Now "T.B.M." may have seen a few alligators on the Lower Herbert River — in fact I remember the boat in which he and his family were crossing being attacked by a saurian, and I myself saw the imprint of its powerful teeth on the paddle — but I doubt whether he can claim any scientific or classificatory knowledge of the genera. Mr. Waite's article has passed unchallenged amongst zoologists in the Old and New World, and it therefore seems little short of presumption to question the accuracy of the statements therein contained. Herbert Vale is not situated on the Upper Herbert, nor do the crocodiles occur there or in any other waters infested by alligators, who would soon exterminate them. Some forty miles above Herbert Vale station the Upper Herbert river launches its waters in a headlong leap over a precipice 850ft. above its continuation as the Lower Herbert. This spot — one of the natural curiosities of Queensland — must be seen to be realised; no imagination could do justice to the awful spectacle it presents when, swollen by floods, its waters come surging, leaping and foaming in a succession of cataracts two miles in length, bearing on its turbulent surface masses of drift, with now and then a huge forest gum, until, taking its last great leap in one vast sheet of foam, it disappears into an abyss of the most indescribable uproar. No noise which I have ever heard — and I have served in H.M. turretships and suffered the report of heavy ordnance — can compete, for magnitude, with the awful volume of sound that fills the air at this spot, and which can be distinctly heard twenty-five miles off. But I am digressing.
The most interesting feature in our present argument is that, whereas alligators abound below these falls, the gavial or rather the Philas Johnstonii (Ramsay), is only found above them. The immense amount of time that must have elapsed since the river first commenced to cut its way through the ranges which now form the sides of its valley for a distance of thirty miles below the falls accounts for this strange fact. For ages the gavial has been unable to leave the upper part of the river; the alligator, on the other hand, being as effectually restricted in its range to the lower half of its course. We have thus a system of constant inter-breeding established, which I believe is sufficient to account for the generic differences at present existing between these two animals. At one time in distant ages, when the Herbert river meandered along gently towards the sea without any such obstacles as the falls and many cataracts at present barring its course to hinder the ascent of fish and saurian, it may reasonably be conjectured that the alligator proper inhabited the whole course of its river, and that it is only through the erosion which has been going on during all those years that a distinct genus is now found inhabiting its head waters.
That these creatures are perfectly harmless I can personally vouch, having constantly bathed amongst them. The blacks spear and eat them, jumping in fearlessly to secure a wounded crocodile, which, however, sometimes causes ugly wounds with its claws when endeavoring to escape, but is otherwise quite harmless.
The philas now in the Australian museum was shot by sub-inspector Johnstone at Cashmere, which is situated some eight miles in a straight line from the falls. The same species inhabits the waters of the Einasleigh, Gilbert, Etheridge, Norman, Lynd, and Mitchell rivers; also the waters of the Leichhardt. Thus we see that they occupy the whole of the western watershed; and this introduces another puzzling question to our subject — i. e., how came they there? for the alligator occurs in the tidal waters of the Mitchell, Gilbert, Norman, and Albert rivers, and it is only in the large lagoons above the salt water that the gavial occurs. I am inclined to the opinion that the genus was scattered over the whole watershed, when perhaps the Upper Herbert was part of the Lynd or Einasleigh basin, and that subsequently it became restricted to its present habitat by the inroad of the alligator from the sea. In no other way can I account for this peculiarity in their distribution; and, knowing the country mentioned above as intimately as I do, I see nothing improbable in the theory advanced. I trust others, who have devoted their attention to this knotty question will favour us with their deductions.
Please cite as “FVM-79-12-13,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on 4 May 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/79-12-13