Description
The best c.19th image of the Australian Sea-lion Fox from John Gould’s famous series, The Mammals of Australia. John Gould was provided a sketch of a Sea Lion by George French Angas at Rivoli Bay SA while Angas was on Governor Sir George Grey’s expedition to the south east of the state.
Gould was the first to systematically describe and order the animals of the Australian continent. He not only described many newly discovered species but recorded others that are now extinct. The Mammals of Australia is Gould’s rarest work with only 175 sets issued, many of which are in institutional collections. Gould started the series in 1845 and it wasn’t until 1863 that subscribers received all of the lithographs.
Modern binomial name: Neophoca cinerea
First described: Peron, 1816
Distribution WA, SA, & VIC.
References:
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976 10032.
Sauer, G. C. John Gould The Bird Man: A Chronology and Bibliography London 1982 14.
Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 760101
Royal Collection Trust UK: RCIN 1122360
State Library New South Wales: RB/LF0008/G SET
State Library Victoria: RARELTEF 599.0994 G73M
State Library South Australia: 599.0994 G697 d
