|
|
Post by albugcatcher on Sept 3, 2016 11:23:39 GMT
I have just finished reading A Naturalist in Cannibal land by A.S Meek and i wondered if he did a follow up to that book. He said in the book that he had another ten years at least of collecting the South Seas. |
|
|
|
Post by nomad on Sept 17, 2016 8:34:21 GMT
I hope you enjoyed Meek's book. No follow up and a great shame, so many wonderful adventures tales lost. Meek mounted a two year Expedition between 1913-1915. It was his last great Expedition but his brother in laws the Eichhorn brothers, continued to collect for him in New Guinea and Bismarck. Years of malarial and Jungle life took its toll on Meek. After he sold his farm in Queensland he retired to a nice villa overlooking Bondi Beach in Sydney and one came imagine him there sitting in his garden, perhaps yearning for those wild lands where he had so many adventures and discovered so many birds and butterflies.  |
|
|
|
Post by albugcatcher on Sept 24, 2016 7:21:43 GMT
Thanks nomad and yes i really enjoyed reading of Meeks adventures. He must have kept a few of those rareties for himself in that Bondi beach villa. What a collection he could have had. I managed to buy the original first edition of the book in great condition. Very happy with that.
|
|
|
|
Post by nomad on Sept 24, 2016 15:29:39 GMT
Meek was a successful professional collector and farmer that is why he could retire to a villa on Bondi Beach. He did not have a collection but he has all those butterflies and birds named after him. He could have earned much more money by cattle farming than by butterfly collecting but the love of the Wild unexplored places was in his blood. There was certainly a need for Adventure within him, rather than just a love of money.
|
|
|
|
Post by Paul K on Sept 24, 2016 16:19:20 GMT
I agree, the money we spend to travel remote places are far greater then we would spend ordering bugs off internet.
The adventure, expiriance and excitement is beyond that.
It can never be replaced .
Paul
PS.
If one never did it before than should.
The story of catching a butterfly is endless and never forgotten.
|
|
|
|
Post by wollastoni on Sept 26, 2016 13:31:49 GMT
One of the few books I have read twice in my life ! |
|
|
|
Post by exoticimports on Sept 26, 2016 20:06:05 GMT
he retired to a nice villa overlooking Bondi Beach in Sydney and one came imagine him there sitting ...yearning for those wild ...many adventures .
If he could see Bondi today he'd not been so interested in butterflies!
What struck me most about the book is that he seemed more interested in birds and junk than butterflies!
I believe that John Tennent might some day publish something on Meek based on notes and memoires.
For those who haven't found it, here's a thread on Meek insectnet.proboards.com/thread/3602/albert-stewart-meek?page=2
Chuck
|
|
|
|
Post by nomad on Sept 27, 2016 6:55:29 GMT
Considering the amount of new Lepidoptera species Meek bought in, I think those got a fair share of his attention. He discovered and collected many bird species for the Tring Museum, I am sure Ernst Hartert was very pleased with his collections. As for junk not sure what you mean by that? Thanks for the link to my early queries and articles regarding Meek. It is amazing that when I first made inquiries about him hardly any collectors knew anything about him or had even heard of him! Here's hoping that one day John Tennent will finish his book on Meek, I hope it is slowly advancing to the top of the pile. Regarding birds here is a very interesting article by Tennent " Cat among the Pigeons". Yet another extinction. boc-online.org/bulletins/downloads/Solomons%20Crested%20Pigeon%20Tennent.pdf |
|
|
|
Post by exoticimports on Sept 27, 2016 12:54:17 GMT
Considering the amount of new Lepidoptera species Meek bought in, I think those got a fair share of his attention. He discovered and collected many bird species for the Tring Museum, I am sure Ernst Hartert was very pleased with his collections. As for junk not sure what you mean by that? Thanks for the link to my early queries and articles regarding Meek. It is amazing that when I first made inquiries about him hardly any collectors knew anything about him or had even heard of him! Here's hoping that one day John Tennent will finish his book on Meek, I hope it is slowly advancing to the top of the pile. Regarding birds here is a very interesting article by Tennent " Cat among the Pigeons". Yet another extinction. boc-online.org/bulletins/downloads/Solomons%20Crested%20Pigeon%20Tennent.pdfI love the note "completely collected island" on the map.
Of the type specimens I've caught, and UFOs I've seen in Solomon Islands, but one was more than 10km from a major urban area. The fact that researchers haven't found a pigeon- or anything for that matter- in Solomon islands doesn't mean much. The inference that "cat got 'em" has more scientific strength than "we looked and didn't see 'em."
|
|
