Gould's documents of extinction

John Gould wrote many warnings about the potential extinction of Australian species. Ironically his collectors were killing thousands of birds and mammals all over the world to send to him for identification and illustration.

'It may be possible - and, indeed it is most likely - that flocks of Parakeets no longer fly over the houses and chase each other in the streets of Hobart Town and Adelaide, that no longer does the noble Bustard stalk over the flats of the Upper Hunter, nor the Emus feed and breed on the Liverpool plains, as they did at that time; and if this be so, surely the Australians should at once bestir themselves to render protection to these and many other native birds: otherwise very many of them, like the fine Parrot (Nestor productus) of Norfolk Island, will soon become extinct.'
Handbook to The Birds of Australia, 1865. Preface, p.xxiv.

Since the European colonisation of Australia, 21 species of mammals and 23 species of birds have become extinct.

Ten Extinct Australian Animals Illustrated By John Gould

Birds

Gould's names: Psephotus pulcherrimus Beautiful Parakeet
Current names: Psephotus pulcherrimus Paradise Parrot

EXTINCT
Last recorded in 1927

'The graceful form of this new Parakeet, combined with the extreme brilliancy of its plumage, render it one of the most lovely of the Psittacidae yet discovered; and in whatever light we regard it, whether as a beautiful ornament to our cabinets, or a desirable addition to our aviaries, it is still an object of no ordinary interest.'
John Gould, The Birds of Australia, 1840-48

Gould's names: Nestor productus Philip Island Parrot
Current names: Nestor productus Norfolk Island Kaka

EXTINCT
Last known living bird died in 1851

'I regret to state, that, in consequence of the settlement of Norfolk Island, the native haunts of this fine bird have been so intruded upon, and such a war of extermination been carried on against it, that if such be not the case already, the time is not far distant when the species will be completely extirpated, and, like the Dodo, it skin and bones become the only mementos of its existence.'
John Gould, The Birds of Australia, 1840-48

Gould's names: Merula vinitincta Vinous-tinted Blackbird
Current names: Turdus poliocephalus vinitinctus Lord Howe Island [Vinous-tinted] Thrush

EXTINCT
Extinct by 1928

'The genus Merula, of which the bird now under consideration is a typical example, is a familiar form in Europe, India, Africa and South America; but in the great country of Australia and in New Zealand no species has yet been discovered, yet, strange to say, the form does exist, and two very distinct species have been discovered in Lord Howe's and Norfolk Island - two small spots lying nearly midway between these two countries.'
John Gould, The Birds of Australia Supplement, 1851-1865

Gould's names: Merula poliocephala Grey-headed Blackbird
Current names: Turdus poliocephalus poliocephalus Island [Grey-headed] Thrush

EXTINCT
Last seen in 1978

'When Norfolk Island was first made a penal settlement, this bird was doubtless very common there; but I have reason to believe it has now become scarce, having been partially extirpated by the Government officers and convicts who tenanted this beautiful island for so many years.'
John Gould, The Birds of Australia Supplement, 1851-1865

Gould's names: Zosterops strenuus Robust Zosterops
Current names: Zosterops strenuus Robust White-eye

EXTINCT
Extinct by 1928

'The present new species is the largest member yet discovered of a group of birds comprising numerous species'
John Gould, The Birds of Australia Supplement, 1851-1865

Mammals

Gould's names: Thylacinus cynocephalus Thylacinus
Current names: Thylacinus cynocephalus Thylacine

EXTINCT
Last known living Thylacine died in captivity 1936

'When the comparatively small island of Tasmania becomes more densely populated, and its primitive forests are intersected with roads from the eastern to the western coast, the numbers of this singular animal will speedily diminish, extermination will have its full sway, and it will then, like the Wolf in England and Scotland, be recorded as an animal of the past'
John Gould, The Mammals of Australia, 1845-1863

Gould's names: Onychogalea lunata Lunated Nail-tailed kangaroo
Current names: Onychogalea lunata Crescent Nailtail wallaby

EXTINCT
Last sighting 1956

'The Crescent Nailtail Wallaby was once quite common in a variety of habitats throughout much of central, southern and south-western Australia, but was unable to withstand the changes wrought by European settlement.'
Ronald Strahan (ed), The Mammals of Australia, 1995

Gould's names: Mus Gouldi White-footed Mouse
Current names: Pseudomys gouldii Gould's Mouse

EXTINCT
Last sighting 1856-57

'Little is known about the biology of this rodent. From owl pellets found in the Flinders Ranges, it appears to have been a relatively common species in that area. Its decline seems to have occurred over the past hundred or so years.'
Joan M Dixon, Facsimile of the Mammals of Australia, 1983

Gould's names: Lagorchestes leporoides Hare Kangaroo
Current names: Lagorchestes asomatus Central Hare-wallaby

EXTINCT
Last sighting 1940s, possible sighting in 1960

'I have but little doubt that this animal enjoys a niche range over the interior of New South Wales; it certainly inhabits the Liverpool Plains as well as those in the neighbourhood of the Namoi and the Gwydyr, from all of which localities I have received numerous examples; it is equally certain that it is found on the grassy plains of South Australia, for I have not only found it there myself, but specimens have since been sent to me from thence by the late Mr Strange. Now as the character of all these districts is very similar, it is probable that the Hare Kangaroo is equally abundant in the intermediate countries as it is in those above mentioned'
John Gould, The Mammals of Australia, 1845-1863

Gould's names: Chaeropus castanctis Chestnut-eared Chaeropus
Current names: Chaeropus ecaudatus Pig-footed Bandicoot

EXTINCT
Last sighting 1907

An early Australian Museum curator who was short on rations while out in the field wrote: 'they are very good eating, and I am sorry to say that my appetite more than once overruled my love for science.'
Gerard Krefft.
Tim Flannery and Peter Schouten, A Gap in Nature, 2001