Summary

One of thirty-two black and white photographs in an album taken by A J Campbell during a Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria expedition to King Island. The album also includes maps of King Island in the inside front cover and back page and numerous newspaper clippings relating to the expedition. The report by the members of the party, documents the mission of the expedition thus: 'It is our intention, before the introduction of numerous foreign plants and animals rendered it impossible to do so, to ascertain as precisely as we could in the short time at our disposal the fauna and flora indigenous to the island.' The party included 26 members of the Field Naturalists including sportsmen, oologists, botanists, conchologists and taxidermists but as they noted in their report "all were transformed into collectors of anything which might throw light upon the living inhabitants, both animal and plant, of the island." The main camp consisted of 10 tents nestled into a sheltered spot beside Yellow River Creek. The party had little more than two weeks for their survey and they used the base to venture out and collected specimens.

Description of Content

Members of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria on a scientific expedition to King Island, November 1887. The seven men are standing in front of a hut near the Sea Elephant River on the east coast. The hut, which is set in thick fern bush, was possibly a wallaby hunter's campsite [a dead wallaby is hanging from a rail in front of the hut]. Several of the men are holding rifles.To the left of the hut are two horses. Photograph taken by Archibald J. Campbell, ornithologist and photographer.

Physical Description

Black and white photograph mounted on off-white card in bound album.

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