Specimen 6358 Taxidermy Mount - Grey Falcon, Falco hypoleucos, Merri Creek 1869, Falco hypoleucos

Summary

This specimen came to the Museum from Captain Clark, the Victorian Surveyor General (1824-1902). Clark had always been a great supporter of the Museum and had infact been instrumental in its foundation and precurement of its first home, the Assay Office in La Trobe Street (1854-1857).

The nature of this specimens acquistion remains the only occurance of this bird of prey so close to Melbourne. According to The Australasian newspaper, "A specimen of this excessively rare species flew into Captain Clarke's kitchen, at Merri Creek, after a chicken, which it carried off. It was shot, and is now in the National Museum (Microzoon, 25 Sep 1869). The writer of this article used the pseudonym "Microzoon" and it has been suggested that this anonymous writer was Sir Frederick McCoy, then Director of the National Museum of Victoria. (McCann, D. 2001. Frederick McCoy and the Naturalist Tradition. Vic. Nat. 118:309-313).