Charles Algernon Wilson's journal of a trip to South Australia [transcript]

Charles Algernon Wilson is considered South Australia's first entomologist. He emigrated from England in 1839 as a 20 year old and filled his time on board sketching and observing wild life. For example, he is able to identify some flying fish off the coast of Cape Verde by their lengthened fins and to correct the notion on board that these fish possessed wings. He reflects happily in his journal '... now as in fact always I found my advantages in the study of natural history and shall do so more and more when we arrive in Australia where every living thing almost is unknown and therefore curious at least in the infant colony to which we are going'.

In Adelaide, Charles wrote a series of articles, mainly on insects, for the Register under the pen name 'Naturae Amator'. His informed and stimulating articles show that even in the early years of the colony there was an interest in 'pure' and 'applied' science. The Register can be read online on the National Library of Australia's Trove website.

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