Reports on the Collections made by the British Ornithologists' Union Expedition and the Wollaston Expedition in Dutch New Guinea 1910-1913. 2 vols.

This is a rare or used book from the Berkelouw Rare Books Department.

London: Francis Edwards 1916. Large quarto bound in original printed wrappers. With 13 beautiful full-page coloured plates 28 black and white plates 2 folding maps and numerous in-text illustrations. Large paper copy limited to 150 numbered copies only of which this is no. 149. Uncut. Fine. Preserved in two uniform specially made solander folding cases of fleece-lined quarter oasis with gilt spines and raised bands. A most handsome presentation. Members of the B. O. U. established in 1858 were keen to mark the Silver Jubilee of their Union by "some great zoological exploration" (p. i). The interior of Dutch New Guinea remained unexplored by Europeans and unlike any other place on Earth at that time "promised to yield such an abundance of zoological treasures to those prepared to face the difficulties of penetrating to the great ranges of the interior." (p.i) With the support of His Majesty's Government and the Royal Geographical Society plus generous private subscriptions an expedition was duly organised under the leadership of Walter Goodfellow. The Snow Mountains were the objective and more particularly the higher Nassau Range with the Mimika River selected as the best means of approach. As Wollaston notes in the Preface the B. O. U. expedition "did much valuable work - geographical zoological and ethnological - notably the discovery of the Tapiro Pygmies" (pp. 2-3) in the fifteen months spent in the Mimika region though it did not fulfil its objective of reaching the Snow Mountains which proved "as unattainable as the mountains of the moon." (p. 3) The second expedition led by A. F. R. Wollaston in 1912-13 and with the alternate entry point of the Utakwa River was born from Wollaston's still remaining desire "to look over on the other side" (p. 3). He ultimately ascended Mount Carstensz to a height of 14866 feet just short of the summit. Here collected and described are the bounteous (as promised) zoological and ethnological treasures from these two expeditions.