To Ferdinand von Krauss1    16 February 1880

16/2/80

 

Mit dem Schiffe Shannon habe ich an Sie, edler Freund, wieder 3 Kisten expedirt, deren Inhalt Ihnen hoffentlich Freude machen, u. bei Ihnen sicher anlangen wird. Mess. Watson & Scull, Thames Street, (die Firma Blackith & Co ist caput) und Hr. Dr. Sonder werden die Sendung zu Ihnen von London u. Hamburg vermitteln.

Unter den Reptilien von Nickol-Bay sollte sich doch Neues finden. Je mehr Sie die Untersuchung derselben beeilen, um so besser wird es sein, denn die Concurrenz in der Zoologie wird selbst hier täglich grösser.

Stets der Ihre

Ferd. von Mueller

 

Ich habe Anstalt getroffen, den Osteoglossum für Sie zu erlangen.

 
 
 

16/2/80

 

With the ship Shannon I have sent you, noble Friend, 3 cases again, of which the contents it is to be hoped will give you pleasure and arrive safely at your place.2 Messrs Watson & Scull, Thames Street, (the firm Blackith & Co. is bust) and Dr Sonder will arrange the consignment to you from London and Hamburg.

Among the reptiles from Nickol Bay3 some new things should be found. The more you hasten the research on them the better it will be, because the competition in zoology is becoming greater here day by day.

Always your

Ferd. von Mueller

 

I have contacted institutions to get the Osteoglossum for you. 4

 

Melbourne 12 February 1880

 

Pr "Shannon”

for Stuttgard5

3 cases 1/3

D. K. 1

Stuttgard

One case containing

 

One large pair of grey Kangooroh6

}

One blue Wallaby7

from Victoria

One large black Eagle8
 

One pair of Nestors. New Zealand9

 

One parcel of [bool].10

 

No 2

one case containing

Collection of Native weapons from Albany West Australia list attached11

Birds nests from Victoria could not get the names yet.

 

No 3

one box containing

About 60 reptiles etc from Nicoll Bay West Australia 12

 
1
MS annotation by Krauss: 'Bitte um Pettard, W. F. a monograph of the Landshells of Tasmania Launceston (Tasmania) 1879 8° (61 s u table) […] gebeten d. 27. Juni 80. Empf. d. 2. April Rep. 27. Juni' [Asked for Pettard, W. F. a monograph of the Landshells of Tasmania Launceston (Tasmania) 1879 8° (61 pages and table) 27 June 1880. Received 2 April. Replied 27 June]. Letter not found.
2
See M to F. von Krauss, 12 February 1880 (in this edition as 80-02-12a).
3
WA.
4
What follows is on a separate sheet prepared by Carl Groener on M's behalf that probably accompanied M's letter (though it may have travelled with the boxes of specimens). It has annotations: ' Angekommen den 2. Juli 80' [Arrived 2 July 1880] and 'Berichtet hierüber d. 7. Juli 80' [Reported on it 7 July 1880].
5
Stuttgart.
6
MS annotation by Krauss 'M giganteus Schw. ♂ ♀'.
7
MS annotation by Kraus: 'Wa[…] frenatus Gld'.
8
MS annotation by Krauss: 'Aquila audax Lath. Schwanzfedern abgespalten' [Tail feathers split].
9
MS annotations by Krauss: 'meridionalis od. nicht mehr schicken, dagegen Nestor notabilis u. productus Gld.' [send no more meridionalis or, on the other hand Nestor notabilis and productusGould]; and '2 Rhipidura albiscapa Gld.'.
10
books? MS annotated by Krauss: '(Bücher)’ [(books)] and ‘unbedeutend' [insignificant].
11
List not found.
12

MS annotation underneath Nicoll Bay by Krauss: 'Nickol Bay unter 20o S. Br.' [Nickol Bay below 20° south latitude].

There is a further annotation, as follows:

der Balg v. ♂ Macrop. giganteus Schw. wurde leider durch den Verpacker am Fersen Haut u. Knochen abgebrochen, wiel er für die Kiste zu lang war, auch sind die Vorderfüsse durch Fäulnis stark schadhaft.

nicht mehr schicken

Solche grosse Bälge sollten nicht an die Stelle, wo sie aufgeschnitten sind, wieder zugenäht u. der Körper u an die Beine mit Material ganz ausgefuttert werden.

Es ist viel besser, nachdem die Haut abgezogen ist, sie ausgespannt vom Maul bis zur Schwanzspitze u. […] überall zu conserviren u. dann im […] trocknen zu lassen. Hierauf legt man sie einfach zusammen, die Haarseite nach innen [gefalzt]. Dadurch nimmt sie sehr wenig Platz weg u. man hat keine so grossen Kisten nöthig, was viel wohlfeiler im Transport ist.

nach Rostock gegeben:

1 Nestor meridionalis

1 Rhipidura albiscapa Gld


[The skin of the ♂ Macropus giganteusSchw. was unfortunately broken by the packer at the heel skin and bones, because it was too long for the box, also the front feet are severely damaged by putrefaction.

Don't send more

Such large skins should not be sown up again where they are cut open and the body to the legs be completely lined with material

It is much better after the skin is removed to have it spread out from jaw to end of tail and to preserve it […] everywhere and then dry in the […]. Hereupon it is simply laid together the hair side [folded] to the inside. Thereby it takes up little space and such large boxes are not necessary, which is much less expensive in transport.

Given to Rostock:

1 Nestor meridionalis

1 Rhipidura albiscapa Gld]]

Please cite as “FVM-80-02-16,” 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 19 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/80-02-16