Alfred J North - papers, 1891-1916

MLMSS 227

fonds

1891-1916

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Photographs

403227

1 box - 0.1 Meters
Textual Records - (manuscript)
Photographs

Alfred John North (1855-1917), ornithologist, was born in Melbourne in 1855. He worked in the jewellery trade while pursuing his long term interest in collecting birds' eggs. In 1886 North went to Sydney to arrange the Dobroyde Collection of eggs for E P Ramsay. He was then appointed to the staff of the Australian Museum on a temporary basis to prepare a catalogue of eggs held in the Museum which was published in 1889. In 1891 North was appointed to a permanent position as Assistant in Ornithology, a position he held until his death in 1917. He wrote many scientific papers. His best known work is 'Nests and eggs of birds found breeding in Australia and Tasmania' which was published in parts between 1901 and 1914. This publication drew on information sent to North from correspondents around Australia. North was a member of ornithological societies in Australia and overseas, and had several species of birds named after him. He died in Sydney in 1917.
A biography of North, by Justin Cahill, was published in Australian Birds, vol 31, no 3, August 1998.
A significant number of the letters in this collection were written by Sidney William Jackson (1873-1946), an egg and nest collector who lived in Grafton, then Sydney. In 1907 Jackson published 'Egg collecting and bird life of Australia: catalogue and data of the Jacksonian zoological collection'. This work described his extensive collection which he sold to H L White in 1907. The H L White egg collection is now in the National Museum of Victoria. Jackson collected eggs and nests and reported observations which assisted ornithologist Archibald James Campbell with his book 'Nests and eggs of Australian birds', but Alfred North had serious reservations about Jackson's collecting work.

1891-1908; Letters received from Sidney William Jackson, 1891-1902, together with letters received from ornithologists and egg collectors concerning Jackson, 1894-1908. Some letters are annotated by North. Correspondents writing to North about Jackson include A P Kemp, George Savidge and Hedley V Foster.
1894-1916; Letters received from ornithologists and egg collectors. Correspondents include Thomas P Austin, P Bonames (in French), C C Brittlebank, A J Campbell, Thomas Carter, C P Conigrave, C Ernest Cowle, Arthur Chenery, W S Day, Charles De Vis, Charles Gibson, G A Keartland, E H Lane, D Le Souef, William Macgillivray, A M Morgan, A W Mullen, Harry A Payten, Septimus Robinson, Count Tommaso Salvadori, George Savidge, W Whiting and A Zietz.
1904-1907; Notes on observations of nests at Manly and Freshwater (1 sheet)
1912-1913; 2 issues of NSW Government Gazette containing lists of protected birds
1916; 'List of duplicates at present in the Australian bird-skin collection in the Australian Museum Sydney 26th April 1916'
undated; 'Reprints of scientific works by A J North presented to the Mitchell Library'
undated, 1895; 'Labels off Spathopterus skins'. 2 small labels from specimens of Polytelis alexandrae (princess parrot). One labelled by North in 1895 'N. of New Castle Waters Coll. Dr. E. C. Stirling 1891, male'. The other probably written by Edwin Prince, John Gould's secretary, 'Polytelis Alexandrae No.3a Howell's Ponds S. Lat 16 degrees 54 minutes 7 seconds Stuarts Expedition'; inscribed on the reverse side by E P Ramsay 'one of the type spms'.
1913-1916; Photographs: 21 photographs of birds and vegetation at Lord Howe Island taken by Roy Bell in 1913; 2 photographs of Lord Howe Island birds received from W Whiting in 1916; 2 photographs taken by Thomas P Austin near Cobbora, NSW, in 1913; 1 photograph of corellas, photographer and date unknown

A J North's private notebook, 1887-1902, is held in the Mitchell Library manuscripts collection at B 1123; North's ornithological notebook, 1900-1909 is held at ML MSS 1173.