Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS annotation: '[three illegible words] 15/10/86'.

Ramahyuck, Aboriginal Mission Station,

Gippsland,

2

Vic.

Oct. 4, 86

Baron F. von Mueller, K.C.M.G F.R.G.S. M.D. PhD.

etc etc. etc.

Melbourne

My Dear Baron,

You will be pleased to learn, that after many years of zealous endeavours, to supply you for the venerable Professor, Sir R. Owen, with a new born little Platypus, which I have been successful at last to find through one of Aboriginals, with the mother Platypus in the nest a few days ago. As I had a long conversation with you on the subject a few days ago, I need not state the matter over again in these lines, but it gives me still greater pleasure to inform you, that this morning I went myself with my black boys to take the nest with a view of sending it to you for further investigation but to our greatest pleasure we have been successful in finding another nest complete, with the mother and two new born Platypi in it. The burrow was on a high bank of the River Avon, the hole from the level of the water narrowed into a passage large enough for one animal and rose gradually to about eight feet from the water at a distance of nine feet, then turning to the right to a distance of 14 feet and to within one foot from the ground surface, so that even the highest flood could not reach it. Here in a really very clean and comfortable, round burrow was the nest and in it the old Platypus with its young ones. The old mother was sitting on them or at least was covering both the little ones with her fur. The nest is constructed of grass and the centre with the leaves of the Eucalyptus. We have taken great care to take nest and young ones with the mother, and in order to put you in full possession of all the important facts, I have packet up the ne[x]t

3

nest?

with the little ones and shall send the whole by the first train tomorrow morning to Melbourne to the Director of the Zoological Gardens with the request to at once communicate with you and give you the nest the mother and one young one for sending it to Professor Owen, to make further investigations on the subject. — As we now have three young ones with two mothers, I hope that the problem in question may be solved through it. You are aware, that ever since that time (I think at least 25 years ago) when Professor Owen through your endeavours, settled the question of the classification of these peculiar creatures as "Vivimammalia" I have taken the deepest interest on the subject and when two years ago Mr. Caldwell made the other discovery that they lay eggs and classified them under Ovifarous

4

Oviparous?

class

5

Caldwell had confirmed in 1884 that Monotremes were egg-laying mammals. His conclusions were announced in a telegram, 'Monotremes oviparous, ovum meroblastic', to Archibald Liversidge in Sydney, who transmitted the news to the British Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Montreal. See Caldwell (1884), Caldwell (1887), p. 464, and also Moyal (2001), pp. 149-57.

I was still more interested, though not at all satisfied. Not being sufficiently at home in Natural Science I felt greatly puzzled and of course, rejoiced when a few days ago we discovered the nest with the mother and her young one. This puzzle, however, has been very much increased today, when we found the nest with the mother and two very young Platypi and not a sign of any egg shell or skin in the nest, neither any indication that the mother suckles her young ones, who evidently cannot live without food being supplied by the mother.

I trust that I have not been tiresome to you for giving you such a long account of my discovery, and as now, you are able to send Mother, Young one and nest to the great Naturalist in England,

6

There is no entry in the Natural History Museum Zoological Accession Register corresponding to these specimens, but Owen (1887) described a young platypus 'received … from the Baron', with details from 'the Rev. Pastor Hagenauer … to whose influence with the natives science is indebted for the acquisition' (p. 391).

and as likewise two specimens can remain in Melbourne either with you, or Professor McCoy and also Mr. Le Souef of the Royal Park,

7

Le Soeuf was Director of the Melbourne Zoological Gardens at Royal Park.

I hope, that all will be made clear that has hitherto been a great problem.

8

See also R. Owen to M, 27 September 1887.