The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 14/7/91. ¶ ¶ You will see, dear Dr Ramsay, that Mess. ¶ ¶ Luehmann ¶ ¶ and French regard the Dendrolagus from N. Queensland, obtained by them, as new, and submitted notes on this specimen to the Fi...

Document information

Physical location:

ML MSS.562, Letters to E. P. Ramsay 1862-91, Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney. 91.07.14

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Edward Ramsay, 1891-07-14. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id//letters/1890-6/1891/91-07-14-final.odt>, accessed June 13, 2026

14/7/91.

You will see, dear Dr Ramsay, that Mess. Luehmann and French regard the Dendrolagus from N. Queensland, obtained by them, as new, and submitted notes on this specimen to the Field Naturalists Club, before the specimen is deposited in the University-Museum.

M evidently sent a cutting from the Argus, 14 July 1891, about the meeting of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria on 13 July 1891, now filed with the MS: 'Messrs. Luehmann and French [Charles French Snr] read a note and exhibited the skin of a tree-climbing kangaroo from Northern Queensland, new to science, to which they gave the name Dendrolagus Muelleri. This remarkable marsupial has a body about 2ft. in length, with a tail somewhat exceeding 2ft. The disproportion between the fore legs and the hind legs is not nearly so great as that of the ordinary kangaroo and wallaby; the toes are strong and curved, to enable it to climb tall and straight trees, on the leaves of which it exists. The species is more nearly allied to the one which was discovered a few years ago in Queensland than to the two species from new Guinea. The specimen shown was got from a straight tree, about 90ft. above the ground.'

A more detailed description is given in a letter to the editor, 'Lumholtz's tree kangaroo', Argus, 30 June 1891, p. 10, from the taxidemist Alfred Coles, to whom M sent the specimen (M to A. Coles, June 189 ( in this edItion as 91-06-00d)).

They generously named the animal after me; it was sent to Mr Luehmann by a former mate of his at the diggings.

Luehmann worked on the Victorian goldfields when he first arrived in Australia, before seeking a job at the Melbourne botanic garden ; see G. Luehmann to his father, 30 January 1869 (in this edition as M69-01-30) .

The color of this Dendrolagus is not whitish underneath; it is brush-tailed . Nevertheless it may only be a variety of D. Lumholtzii. It is a male ⅔ grown. You will see the full notes in the next issue of the Victorian Naturalist.

See Victorian naturalist, vol. 8 (1891), p. 66, where, in the report of the meeting of the Field Naturalists' Club, 13 July 1891, it is noted that 'T. G. Luehmann [i.e. J. G.] and C. French F.L.S., read a note on, and exhibited the skin of, a tree-climbing kangaroo from Northern Queensland'. This note is the only mention in the Victorian naturalist of the skin. M to E. Ramsay, 16 August 1891, implies that Ramsay had reported that the specimen did not represent a new species, which may explain the omission of a species name and descriptive details in the Victorian naturalist meeting report, published in the number issued on 7 September 1891.

As 2 spec. of this genus occur in New Guinea, two really distinct kinds may also inhabit N.E. Australia. We have no Dendrolagus in the Museum here for comparison. Have any of yours an approach to a brush-tail?

Regardfully always

your

Ferd. von Mueller