TO WILD AUSTRALIA

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 89, 14 April 1923, Page 7

TO WILD AUSTRALIA

SCIENTISTS' QUEST

SPECIMENS OF' ANIMALS AND BIRDS.

/ (MIOK OUR OWN CORRJIPOHDINT.)

SYDNEY, 4th April. The British. Museum authorities being anxious to procure as complete a collection of the unique fauna of Australia, of which they have singularly poor specimens, have arranged for a. highly-quali-fied expedition of scientists to penetrate wild parts of the Continent. Ordinarily, the export of Australian animals and birds is severely restricted, although it •would appear that laxity edsts somewhere considering .that in 1920-21 the skins of nearly five million ■ opossums of, the ordinary variety, apart from nqarly a million and a half ring-tailed opossums, and a similar number of wallabies left these shores. However, for some species the restrictions are much more rigorously applied, but in view of the important scientific character of the expedition special sanction has been given for it by the Federal authorities. It will bo in charge of Mr. O. H. Wilkins, a distinguished young South Australian, who has taken part in Antarctic and African explorations, served as official photographer at the front during the war, and subsequently attempted to fly from England to Australia, being deterred only by his machine crashing on one of the Mediterranean islands. Before his arrival in.Australia, from London during the past week, Mr. Wilkins caused advertisements to be inserted calling for applications for scientific posts in the expedition, the museum authorities having decided that it would be wise to have an entirely Australian staff, and he was gratified to find awaiting him a batch of over 130 applications from which, he says, he will be able'to make a selection of highly-qualified men. "- It curiously happens that Australia herself is almost as badly off for a collection of her fauna as is the British Museum, and with some species of her wonderful mammals in danger of extinction in the next few years, it is clearly necessary in the interests of science that a complete collection should be made as soon as possible/ This present, expedition, affords a unique opportunity, for Mr. Wilkins has offered, in return for the.facilities for the expedition given by the Australian 'Government, to make a duplicate collection and hand it over to the Government. He suggests that it might form tho nucleus of a central museum for all Australia at Canberra.

•The area to be explored by Mr. Wilkins's party lies principally to the north-sast of Australia. He points out that the country ' .between the main mountain ranges and the coast, from north to south, has already been combed for fauna specimens, and his party will explore the country on- the inland side of the range, from- Seymour in Victoria to . Cape Grenville at Torres Strait. Collecting will begin' in the Roma district, in Queensland. Thence a move by steamer will be made to the Gulf of Carpentaria., in the neighbourhood of Groote Island, and then back by boat to Brisbane. After that a survey of the country will follow, work being done at a series of stations 300 miles apart. From time, to time specimens would be sent by mail to the Brisbane headquarters. Mr. Wilkins expects to start from Brisbane about 20th April. As the stop at each of the exploring stations in the series planned out will last from six to eight weeks; he do.es not expect to complete his work for more than a yeajr.