Henry Burrell
Encyclopedia
Henry James Burrell was an Australia
n naturalist
who specialised in the study of monotreme
s. He was the first person to successfully keep the Platypus
in captivity and was a lifelong collector of specimens and contributor of journal articles on monotremes.
, Sydney
, the fourth son of Douglass and Sarah Rose Burrell (née Stacey). He had some schooling but had an itinerant lifestyle during which he spent some years as a vaudeville
comedian. In 1901 he married Susan Emily Naegueli, a 42-year-old divorcee, and settled at Caermarthen station, Manilla
, New South Wales
, which was home to Susan's parents.
He set up a small native zoo and became interested in the Platypus
, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, which he had been told could not be kept in captivity. He spent much of his time studying the Platypus on the rivers surrounding the station: the Namoi
, Manilla
and Macdonald
. He captured some specimens and managed to keep them alive in a portable artificial habitat of his own devising, which he christened a 'platypusary'. He made the first exhibition of the Platypus at the Moore Park Zoological Gardens
(moved and renamed Taronga Zoological Gardens
in 1917) in 1910, and with Ellis Stanley Joseph he took the first live Platypuses to be seen outside Australia to the United States
in 1922. He was also the first person to successfully keep a baby Platypus in captivity.
His interest extended to the other monotremes, the echidna
s, and he made a film showing the habits of both monotremes. He made recordings of their vocalizations and contributed articles on the monotremes to the Australian Encyclopedia.
In 1926 he published The Wild Animals of Australasia (with A. S. Le Souef
) and in the next year, The Platypus, its Discovery, Zoological Position Form and Characteristics, Habits, Life History, etc. It was regarded as the authoritative work on the species despite Burrell being denied official sanction and hence being restricted in his area of study. In 1927 Burrell was stricken with paralysis; he recovered, but moved to Sydney to continue working.
Burrell was a regular contributor to scientific journals. He was a corresponding member of the Zoological Society of London
and of the Australian Museum
, and a fellow of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
amongst other memberships of learned societies; he collected specimens for the University of Sydney and the Commonwealth government.
In 1937 he received an OBE
. His wife died in 1941, and in 1942 Burrell married Daisy Ellen Brown. Burrell died suddenly of heart disease on 29 July 1945 at his home at Randwick, New South Wales
. His collection of photographic negatives was donated to the Australian Museum, and his unique complete sequence of monotreme exhibits to the Australian Institute of Anatomy
, Canberra
.
(or Tasmanian Tiger), showing it standing in the bush with a chicken in its mouth. Robert Paddle, author of The Last Tasmanian Tiger: The History and Extinction of the Thylacine, credits this picture with adding much to the reputation of the Thylacine as a poultry killer. The image was published in the Australian Museum Magazine and The Wild Animals of Australasia.
Burrell's original photo clearly shows that the animal was captive, but the version that appeared in the newspaper was cropped to remove these details. Researcher Carol Freeman analysed the photo and concluded that the Thylacine shown was a mounted specimen, posed for the camera with the bird in its mouth.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
who specialised in the study of monotreme
Monotreme
Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young like marsupials and placental mammals...
s. He was the first person to successfully keep the Platypus
Platypus
The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young...
in captivity and was a lifelong collector of specimens and contributor of journal articles on monotremes.
Biography
Henry James Burrell was born at Rushcutters BayRushcutters Bay, New South Wales
Rushcutters Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rushcutters Bay is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney....
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, the fourth son of Douglass and Sarah Rose Burrell (née Stacey). He had some schooling but had an itinerant lifestyle during which he spent some years as a vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
comedian. In 1901 he married Susan Emily Naegueli, a 42-year-old divorcee, and settled at Caermarthen station, Manilla
Manilla, New South Wales
Manilla is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, located on Fossickers Way 45 kilometres northwest of the regional city of Tamworth. At the 2006 census, Manilla had a population of 2,081 people. Manilla is famous for its setting as a fishing and paragliding area...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, which was home to Susan's parents.
He set up a small native zoo and became interested in the Platypus
Platypus
The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young...
, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, which he had been told could not be kept in captivity. He spent much of his time studying the Platypus on the rivers surrounding the station: the Namoi
Namoi River
The Namoi River is a major tributary of the Darling River in inland New South Wales, Australia.- Course :The headwaters of the Namoi, including the Macdonald River, the Peel River, the Cockburn River and the Manilla River, rise on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range on the Northern...
, Manilla
Manilla River
The Manilla River is a tributary of the Namoi River in northern New South Wales, Australia. Despite the name, it is officially classified as a stream by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales....
and Macdonald
Macdonald River (Bendemeer)
There are two rivers named Macdonald River in New South Wales, Australia. See Macdonald RiverThe Macdonald River in northern New South Wales is the headwater of the Namoi River. It rises east of Niangala on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales...
. He captured some specimens and managed to keep them alive in a portable artificial habitat of his own devising, which he christened a 'platypusary'. He made the first exhibition of the Platypus at the Moore Park Zoological Gardens
Moore Park, New South Wales
Moore Park is a large area of parkland in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of Centennial Parklands, a collective of three parks being Moore Park, Centennial Park and Queens Park. Centennial Parklands is administered by the Centennial Park &...
(moved and renamed Taronga Zoological Gardens
Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo is the city zoo of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Officially opened on 7 October 1916, it is located on the shores of Sydney Harbour in the suburb of Mosman...
in 1917) in 1910, and with Ellis Stanley Joseph he took the first live Platypuses to be seen outside Australia to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1922. He was also the first person to successfully keep a baby Platypus in captivity.
His interest extended to the other monotremes, the echidna
Echidna
Echidnas , also known as spiny anteaters, belong to the family Tachyglossidae in the monotreme order of egg-laying mammals. There are four extant species, which, together with the platypus, are the only surviving members of that order and are the only extant mammals that lay eggs...
s, and he made a film showing the habits of both monotremes. He made recordings of their vocalizations and contributed articles on the monotremes to the Australian Encyclopedia.
In 1926 he published The Wild Animals of Australasia (with A. S. Le Souef
Albert Sherbourne Le Souef
Albert Sherbourne Le Souef was an Australian zoologist.Le Souef was the son of Albert Alexander Cochrane Le Souef and brother of Ernest Albert Le Souef and Dudley Le Souef. He was the first director of the Taronga Zoo from 1916 to 1939...
) and in the next year, The Platypus, its Discovery, Zoological Position Form and Characteristics, Habits, Life History, etc. It was regarded as the authoritative work on the species despite Burrell being denied official sanction and hence being restricted in his area of study. In 1927 Burrell was stricken with paralysis; he recovered, but moved to Sydney to continue working.
Burrell was a regular contributor to scientific journals. He was a corresponding member of the Zoological Society of London
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
and of the Australian Museum
Australian Museum
The Australian Museum is the oldest museum in Australia, with an international reputation in the fields of natural history and anthropology. It features collections of vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, as well as mineralogy, palaeontology, and anthropology...
, and a fellow of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
The Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales was formed in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 1879 as the New South Wales Zoological Society. A Royal Charter was granted in September, 1908, leading to a change to the current name on 10 February 1909...
amongst other memberships of learned societies; he collected specimens for the University of Sydney and the Commonwealth government.
In 1937 he received an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. His wife died in 1941, and in 1942 Burrell married Daisy Ellen Brown. Burrell died suddenly of heart disease on 29 July 1945 at his home at Randwick, New South Wales
Randwick, New South Wales
Randwick is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Randwick...
. His collection of photographic negatives was donated to the Australian Museum, and his unique complete sequence of monotreme exhibits to the Australian Institute of Anatomy
Federal Capital Commission
The Federal Capital Commission was an agency of the Australian government formed to construct and administer Canberra from 1 January 1925. The Chief Commissioner of the body was Sir John Butters....
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
.
Thylacine
Burrell is credited with a notorious 1921 photo of a ThylacineThylacine
The thylacine or ,also ;binomial name: Thylacinus cynocephalus, Greek for "dog-headed pouched one") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian wolf...
(or Tasmanian Tiger), showing it standing in the bush with a chicken in its mouth. Robert Paddle, author of The Last Tasmanian Tiger: The History and Extinction of the Thylacine, credits this picture with adding much to the reputation of the Thylacine as a poultry killer. The image was published in the Australian Museum Magazine and The Wild Animals of Australasia.
Burrell's original photo clearly shows that the animal was captive, but the version that appeared in the newspaper was cropped to remove these details. Researcher Carol Freeman analysed the photo and concluded that the Thylacine shown was a mounted specimen, posed for the camera with the bird in its mouth.