last-named work lie published the ‘Mammals of Australia,’ which
lasted from 1845 to 1860. This was one of th e most important
works ever attempted by Gould, and he has often told me th a t he
considered th a t he deserved more praise for bringing out this work
th an for any other which he attempted, because he did it for th e love
of science only, knowing well th a t it could never be remunerative.
After the j Birds of Australia ’ were completed, Gould made an offer
of the whole of his collection of birds and eggs to the Trustees of the
British M useum; the account of th e offer is given in th e ‘ Portraits of Men
of Eminence,’ and is no doubt a u th e n tic :—“ H e was naturally anxious
th a t th e specimens figured in th e | Birds of Australia, most of which
were new and of th e utmost ra rity and value, especially as being the
original types of the species, should be preserved in th e British Museum.
They comprised examples of both sexes of nearly every known
species of Australian bird, 1800 specimens in all, in various stages
of plumage, each carefully labelled with th e scientific name and the
name of the place where k ille d ; and they were, of course, mostly new to
our National Museum. A sum of two thousand pounds having been
spent in the expedition by which they were acquired, it was no t to be
expected th a t Mr. Gould could present them as a donation. He offered
them to th e Trustees for the moderate sum of £1000 in money, or as a
gift if they would purchase twenty-five copies of his work. The offer
was declined, and Mr. Gould was induced, under his disappointment, to
accept £1000, immediately tendered for the collection by an American,
for the Academy of Na tura l Sciences of Philadelphia.
I t is not for th e present writer, who of all men has felt most keenly
th e absence of the Gould collection, with its hundreds of types, from the
series of bird-skins in the British Museum, to criticise the action of the
officers of th e British Museum a t this distant date, bu t there can be no
doubt th a t scientifically the loss of this historical series was nothing
less th a n a national disaster and one which unfortunately was irre parable.
The fortunate purchaser was Dr. John Wilson, of Philadelphia,
in which city th e collection is still to be found. There was not, of
course, the same keen interest in Ornithology in those days which marks
the present e r a ; b u t Gould told me in la te r years th a t he had never
intended th a t the collection should leave th e country, and he regretted
ever afterwards th a t, in a moment of chagrin at the unexpected refusal
of his offer to the nation, he accepted Dr. Wilson’s offer and allowed
his treasures to go to America. I t is pleasing to remember how, after
Gould’s death, th e Trustees of th e British Museum promptly secured
his remaining collections of birds and eggs on th e recommendation of
Dr. Gunther.
I n 1840 Gould was elected a Eellow of th e Royal Society, and
many other honours were bestowed upon him by learned bodies in nearly
every country in the world. A slight lull in the issue of his publications
appears to have taken place during th e year 1849, while Gould was preparing
for still greater enterprises, and he was doubtless occupied during
1849 and 1850 in preparing for exhibition th a t wonderful collection of
mounted Humming-Birds which was to be one of th e sights of London m
th e year 1851. His love for Humming-Birds had always been manifested,
b u t tbe study of this particular group had been held in abeyance during
tb e life of his friend Mr. Loddiges, who was a well-known collector
of these birds. I n 1842 this gentleman possessed 196 species; b u t
on th e death of Mr. Loddiges, Gould turned his attention to th e family
and speedily made a collection which far surpassed anything th a t
had existed before in a public or private museum. Having obtained
th e permission of th e Council of th e Zoological Society, he erected
a building for th e exhibition of his mounted Humming-Birds in th e
Zoological Gardens, and here they were shown during th e great
exhibition year of 1851. The birds were exhibited in twenty-four
cases, which were the handiwork of Gould himself, and every case
c 2