Natural History

Snakes and Lizards of Australia – Observer Book Series – David McPhee

Published by Methuen, Sydney in 1979, an exceptionally clean copy of this respected book about Australian snakes and lizards.

Pocket sized hardback, every snake and lizard accompanied by a good coloured image clear enough to actually identify the species [this clarity issue is a problem with mots other books on the subject].

The book commences with some general information on snakes and lizards but be warned that the treatment for snake bite is no longer the preferred method – keep up to date with that!

Our not so favourite – the red-bellied black snake that we used to see in our garden in Pullenvale west Brisbane

Snakes and Lizards a perfect combo.

$30.00

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Flinders Chase [Kangaroo Island, South Australia] – Mervinia Masterman.

The first edition and much preferred edition published by Georgian House, Melbourne in 1950.

Written and truly beautifully illustrated by Mervinia Masterman.

Flinders Chase is a protected area of natural beauty on Kangaroo Island.

Octavo, 62 pages, end paper maps, and numerous illustrations of flora and fauna. Dust jacket a bit roughed at its fold – forgive it – overall still and excellent copy.

Kangaroo Island – now a classic reference.

$30.00

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Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania – 1910 [Important papers – the whole of “The Minerals of Tasmania (Updated) W.F. Pettard and various papers by Noetling of Aboriginal interest]

Printed at the “Examiner” Launceston, one of the more substantial volumes.

W.F. Pettard of Launceston had published the “Minerals of Tasmania” in the 1890. Here we have 223 pages devoted to his update published one year before his death. His collection of minerals was handed over to the Society.

Further papers of special interest by Fritz Noetling – The Antiquity of Man in Tasmania – interesting extrapolative maps of Tasmania with the Ocean receded various depths and the resultant connection to the mainland. More on Tronatta by Noetling [see 1909 edition]; the food of the Aborigines and their language of food.

Ritz presenting on the Rev Norman vocabulary studies is another good contribution to the history of Aboriginal language.

Original soft wrappers, 409 pages, well illustrated from scientific sketches, images from photographs, tables, charts etc – some fold out.

Noetling was a German born mining engineer and at this stage was an Officer of the Society. He has previously worked in India and produced a similar body of work there. His large collection of Tasmanian Tronattas is held by the Liepzig museum. Unfortunately, after the outbreak of WWI he was interned and after the war sent back to Germany.

Special papers of Aboriginal interest and the republication of Pettard’s Minerals.

$120.00

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Fossil Fern – Lune River Tasmania – Early Jurassic Forest circa 182 million years old.

A nice slice of petrified tree fern from the Lune River area deep in the southern reached of Tasmania.

The dating of the examples in this location to the middle of the early Jurassic Period (182 Ma) was by isotopic measurements on zircons found in the volcanic sandstone hosting the fossils (Bromfield et al 2007). Also refer the excellent guide by P. Manchester.

Weighing 70gm and 16cm by 5cm.

This region is the area of the world where these plants developed. Twelve tree paratypes (arborescent) ferns and one bracken-like (rhizomatous) fern have been studied in the region. All of the tree ferns belong to the genus Osmundacaulis. This example shows clear and tight trachioles

These plants evolved in this region, the Australian portion of Pangea, all that time ago. Gradually they have spread elsewhere and appear in North-west USA … examples were only discovered in Eurasia in the year 2000.

Nice part section of a fossil tree fern from Jurassic Tasmania .

$60.00

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Environmental Change in the Sub-Antarctic -Proceedings of the Second International Forum on the Sub-Antarctic – Hobart April 2009

Perfect bound, softcover, 118 pages, illustrated throughout, some colour, a very good copy.

Published in the December after the conference this is the Proceeding of the Royal Society of Tasmania, representing Volume 143 Parts I and II.

Part I features … Climate trends at Macquarie Island; Exploitation of the marine ecosystem; Biological systems at Prince Edward Island; Terrestrial vegetation changes at Macquarie and Heard islands; Invasive species etc

Part II features … Orchids of Macquarie island; Freshwater diatoms; Antarctic vignettes Shackleton; Foraminifera ad paleoenvironment of Late Pleistocene sands, White Rock Point, Southeastern Tasmania; HMS Beagle in Tasmanian waters.

We particularly like the foram papers by Quilty et al … the site being round South Arm … and the tracking of the Beagle is up right up our street … or Ocean.

Antarctic forum – wish we had been there.

$35.00

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Rare Microscope Slide by Harry Webb – Transverse Section of Mistletoe – c1860

Harry Webb (1816-1866) was a professional mounter who lived in George Street, Balsall Heath, Birmingham England. His initials are embedded in the custom-made decorative slide papers.

A nice transverse section of the mistletoe stem.

There is a brief reference to Harry Webb in the key work by Brian Bracegirdle – Microscopical Mounts and Mounters (page 100) and an unattributed example (Page 39-P). we have this information from a later reviewer who knows their stuff – but we struggle to agree that the example shown in the book is from HW.

Webb’s work featured in several international shows and he is thought to have been awarded at least one prize. He was recommended by top line microscope makers. Unfortunately, something went very wrong and he took his life drinking phenol – which would not be a nice way to go.

Rare maker with definitive slide papers – 165 years old!

$40.00

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Snakes and Lizards of Australia – Observer Book Series – David McPhee

Flinders Chase [Kangaroo Island, South Australia] – Mervinia Masterman.

Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania – 1910 [Important papers – the whole of “The Minerals of Tasmania (Updated) W.F. Pettard and various papers by Noetling of Aboriginal interest]

Fossil Fern – Lune River Tasmania – Early Jurassic Forest circa 182 million years old.

Environmental Change in the Sub-Antarctic -Proceedings of the Second International Forum on the Sub-Antarctic – Hobart April 2009

Rare Microscope Slide by Harry Webb – Transverse Section of Mistletoe – c1860

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