ISSN 1329-7759 RSWA Proceedings June 2010 ATTENTION LIBRARIANS: This publication should be catalogued under "Proceedings of the Royal Society of Western Australia" ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dr Steve Blake Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI): The up-and-coming joint RSWA/WAMSI Symposium on

Kimberley Marine and Coastal Science

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Launch of RSWA Special Issue on the Leeuwin Current Symposium

with a presentation by Dr Karen Hillman Australian Marine Science Association (WA Division)

21st June 2010, 7:00 pm

Kings Park Administration Building, off Fraser Avenue, Kings Park

The next ordinary meeting of the Royal Society of Western Australia will be a dual event: 1. Dr Steve Blake, Western Australian Marine Science Institution, will present a short address about marine science in WA and the importance of the up-and-coming joint RSWA/WAMSI Marine and Coastal Symposium on the Kimberley Region. He will also outline his views on the importance of the Special Issue on the Leeuwin Current Symposium.

2. The official launch of the Special Issue on the Leeuwin Current Symposium which was a joint RSWA/WAMSI event, supported by a range of sponsors. Dr Karen Hillman, currently President of the Australian Marine Science Association Western Australia (AMSA), will provide the introduction to the launch representing AMSA, presenting some of her own experiences and perspectives on marine science in Western Australia, and the importance of the JRSWA Special Issue on the Leeuwin Current. There will be light refreshments available at the end of the function. _________________________________________________________________________

Members, guests and visitors welcome http://www.ecu.edu.au/pa/rswa

This issue of the RSWA Proceedings was edited by Margaret Brocx <rswa@iinet.net.au>

1

“Darwin, Australia and Luck” Talk by Dr Patrick Armstrong, 17 May 2010

and Launch of the Special Issue on the Evolutionary Biology Symposium 2009

Some 70 RSWA members, and the general public arrived at the Horizon the Planetarium at 7 pm on 17th May for Dr Patrick Armstrong’s talk on “Darwin, Australia and Luck”, and for the Launch of the Special Issue of the Journal of The Royal Society of Western Australia on Evolutionary Biology. Scitech CEO Alan Brien, opened the event by welcoming the RSWA, and outlining the role of Scitech in promoting science in Western Australia, and the importance partnerships such as the long standing association between Scitech and the Royal Society of WA. Royal Society President. Dr Lynne Milne, thanked Alan Brien for Scitech’s support in sponsoring the venue, provided the audience with a background to the origins of the Royal Society and introduced Patrick Armstrong.

Patrick Armstrong delivering his presentation

Patrick began his talk with the concept of ‘chance’ as a component in modern Theory of Evolution, and went on to talk about the role of chance or ‘luck’ in the life and work of Charles Darwin himself. The great Victorian naturalist had said that the Beagle voyage was the most important event of his life and his going on it resulted from the willingness of his uncle to drive the 30 miles to Shrewsbury, and to the shape of his nose! Both outcomes of luck.

Earlier Darwin had left Edinburgh Medical School unqualified, to the chagrin of his doctor father: but this led to him being sent to Christ’s College in Cambridge with the vague thought that he might become a Church of England parson. It was at Cambridge that he met Adam Sedgwick, who taught him geology, and John Stevens Henslow, Professor of Botany, who enthused him for fieldwork and was instrumental in getting him the invitation to join the Beagle voyage.

The Beagle

Fortune favoured Darwin in his personal life too: he married his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, an attractive, wealthy, heiress, who cared for him in illness, bore him many children, and was the centre of Darwin family life until her death in 1896. He might very well have married someone much less suitable. Good fortune allowed Darwin, during his voyage around the world, to experience a wide variety of environments on two continents (Africa and South America) and to visit about 40 islands. Themes and ideas that Darwin generated in comparing these provided the foundation for much of his later work. But luck played a part during his voyage: he was nearly shipwrecked, he experienced an earthquake, he ate fish that may have been poisonous, he confronted bandits and ferocious wild bulls, and was bitten by a species of insect that often carries a disease that might have killed him.

2

The voyage of the Beagle 1831-1836

Moreover, Charles Darwin was not only fortunate in the number of islands he visited, and their variety, but in the order he visited them. He was able to cut his teeth on the relatively simple geology of the Cape Verde Islands before confronting the geological complexities of the Falklands or the Andes. There are also good grounds for believing that the sequence of islands that he saw as he sailed east to west across the Pacific and Indian Oceans contributed to the generation of his Theory of Formation of Coral Reefs and Atolls, his first flirtation with the notion of gradualism. While the Galapagos Islands are supposed to be of special importance in Darwin’s intellectual development, in fact he did not like the archipelago particularly, and there are grounds for suggesting that the visits to the Falkland Islands and Australia were at least as important. In reality, however, he visited a range of islands, in the three oceans, learning how to compare them that so contributed to his success. Were it not for a particular sequence of events, and combination of circumstances, we might have been, over the last 18 months, commemorating the careers of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck or Alfred Russell Wallace. At the conclusion of Patrick’s talk, Dr Vic Semeniuk, RSWA Vice President, Publicity Officer, and Co-convener of the Evolutionary Biology Symposium, thanked Patrick for his interesting presentation, and commenced to launch the RSWA Special Issue on the Evolutionary Biology Symposium, speaking briefly on the impact of Darwin on science and

Society, and how unique, globally, RSWA’s multidisciplinary Symposium on Evolutionary Biology was in the “Year of Darwin”. Vic provided some background to the Symposium and the Special Issue, the year 2009 being a milestone year of three anniversaries in Evolutionary Biology and Evolutionary Theory: the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck's Philosophie Zoologique, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species. It was celebrated around the world on “Darwin Day” (12th February 2009), and as the “Year of Darwin”, with conferences, publishing of dedicated books, art exhibitions, and dedicated issues of Museum taxonomy. The Royal Society of Western Australia marked this milestone year with its multidisciplinary Symposium held in October 2009, focusing not on Darwin himself but on the many aspects of Evolutionary Biology and the outcome of Theory of Evolution. The Symposium was successful, bringing together within Western Australia palaeontologists, taxonomists, microbiologists, educationalists, and those dealing with the history and philosophy of the times around Darwin and the history and philosophy of the Theory of Evolution. The Symposium culminated in a Special Issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia with the publishing of the presentations and posters of the Symposium, and some invited papers. Many of the contributions were review state-of-the-art papers in the field of Evolutionary Theory. Vic then thanked Keith Oliver for originally approaching the Society in 2008 to organise the Symposium and in helping convene it. As foreshadowed at the Symposium, Vic talked about the RSWA developing a special subgroup for Evolutionary Science within the Society. It would be a galvanising forum for biologists, palaeontologists, geologists, microbiologists, genetics, from Western Australia, Australia, and internationally, and may be the first Special Group to deal with Evolutionary Science in such a multidisciplinary manner – an idea

3

keeping wholly within the spirit of the Royal Society of Western Australia In the launching of the Special Issue, Vic went on to say that while The Royal Society of Western Australia has in the past published special issues such as on granite ecosystems, or on wetlands and fire, and the Leeuwin Current Symposium 2007, or thematic issues, such as on Rottnest Island or Banksia Woodlands, to date, for some of the important publications there has not been a formal book launch. At this meeting, the RSWA was addressing this situation and formally launching its Special Issue on Evolutionary Biology. The Special Issue on Evolutionary Biology Symposium was a particularly special publication in the history of Evolutionary Science and for the Royal Society of Western Australia. Vic then went on to say that while he had already thanked the speakers at the Symposium in October 2009 for their contributions, he thanked them again - on two counts: for the excellent work producing such state-of-the-art contributions to make the Symposium a scientific and technical success, and for the enormous effort all contributors made in actually turning a symposium held in mid October 2009 into manuscripts and then finalised papers that were published within the Journal year of 2009 and thus within the Anniversary Year of Darwin and Lamarck. While earlier Vic had said that the world had celebrated “Darwin Day”, and the “Year of Darwin” in a variety of ways. he focused on the context of the RSWA Special Issue on the Evolutionary Biology Symposium. Kathy Meney as Journal Editor, and Margaret Brocx as Journal Sub-editor, carried out a Herculean task in harvesting the manuscripts, having them peer-reviewed, and published in a turnaround of about three months, in time for the Issue to remain as a December 2009 Issue and still be relevant in the Anniversary Year of Darwin and Lamarck. Vic predicted that the world may look back to 2009 and see the RSWA as having accomplished a milestone event itself in producing such a holistic, multidisciplinary

Special Issue dealing with Evolutionary Biology and Evolutionary Theory within the year 2009. Margaret Brocx, Sub-editor of the Society’s Journal, was the final speaker for the evening. Margaret thanked Vic Semeniuk and Keith Oliver for convening such a unique multidisciplinary Symposium, stating that this Special Issue had taken the Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia out of the local arena and firmly into the global setting. Margaret also thanked Patrick Armstrong for his willingness to write the Preface for the Special Issue at such short notice, and expressed Kathy Meney’s disappointment in having been called away and not being able to attend the launch of the Special Issue that she was part of. Margaret went on to thank both the authors and the anonymous reviewers for working so hard in writing and reviewing the manuscripts in a matter of months, with directed particular thanks to Kevin Thiele and Kate Bryant who submitted and returned their revised manuscripts under difficult circumstances. Margaret went on to say that the outcome was a Special Issue on Evolutionary Biology that the Royal Society of Western Australia can be globally proud of. Margaret thanked Lynne Milne and Jan Dook for preparing supper, and invited everyone to share refreshments, meet the authors, and perhaps purchase the Special Issue and other publications of the Royal Society. _____________________________________

Journal of the Royal Societyof Western Australia

EDITOR’S REPORT May 2010 K Meney Email address: < rswa_ed@iinet.net.au> Manuscripts Accepted:

Invasive potential of a South-American feral fish species, Geophagus brasiliensis, in the Swan River, Western Australia: tolerance to instantaneous and gradual changes in salinity: M de Graaf & T Coutts ________________________________________________________

4

2010 IASP-ASPA Joint Conference: Science and Technology Parks. Burswood Convention Centre, Wed. 24th - Friday 26th Nov. 2010 The theme, highly relevant in today's challenging, ever-changing world, is The Asia-Pacific Region's Innovation Hot Spots - Opportunities for Sustainable Collaboration. The Western Australian Government, as host, is pleased to provide a program of interesting, challenging and informative sessions, which will feature stimulating keynote speakers, presentations and discussions. To register your interest in attending, submitting an abstract or sponsoring. CALL FOR ABSTRACTS DEADLINE APPROACHING ACT NOW, CLOSING DATE: Wednesday, 2 June 2010

https://www2.iceaustralia.com/ei/getdemo.ei?id=150&s=_4QC0Z2LFN> or for more information: www.iceaustralia.com/2010iasp-aspa

Geological Society of Australia (WA Division)

Dr Guillaume Duclaux

A geologic overview of the Mawson Continent

5:30 Wednesday, 2nd June The Irish Club, 61 Townshend Rd, Subiaco

http://www.wa.gsa.org.au/

Electronic delivery of the Proceedings and new website Our current website has served us well for many years, but to broaden the accessibility of the RSWA Journal and increase the external and institution membership base, the Website subcommittee is working towards developing a new interactive website. It will offer a range of services to Members including the ability to access and download articles from recent journal issues and the facility to pay membership fees, register for RSWA events and purchase publications. The website will also contain more accessible information on RSWA events and the monthly talks, as well as science news items and articles on new developments in science. RSWA is also moving towards the electronic delivery of the Proceedings. This will begin in July, 2010. In June, notification of this will be sent to all members with email addresses. Further notification will be provided through the membership invoice that will be posted out to Members in July this year. Members may opt to continue to receive a hard copy of the Proceedings by post, but unless this is specifically requested the Proceedings will be delivered by email. For Members who do not have an email address, we will continue to provide a hard copy of the Proceedings. If a Member has an email address but does not receive a notification email in June, but wishes to have the Proceedings delivered electronically, please email our Membership Secretary Dr Jane Rosser at drjanerosser@gmail.com __________________________________________

The Royal Society of WA Library is held at the WA Museum, 49 Kew St Welshpool

Email: RSWA@museum.wa.gov.au Phone: 9212 3771

5

This space will be updated each month in order to provide RSWA members and guests with a calendar of up-coming events which will include ordinary monthly meeting, and special events such as Public Forums, Symposia, and excursions. Watch this space!

Date Time Venue Event

June 21st 7 pm Kings Park Leeuwin Current Special Issue Book Launch July 19th 7 pm Woolnough Theatre AGM and Medal presentation August 14-22nd TBA Bunbury 16th August

Scitech 18th August Karratha 20th August Pt Hedland 21st August

Science Week Event: Biodiversity of Leschenault Peninsula and Inlet Science Week Event:Biodiversity and climate change Science Week Event: Biodiversity in the Pilbara region Science Week Event: Mangroves of Port Hedland

September TBA Murdoch University Post-graduate Symposium October 18th 7 pm Scitech Alec Coles: new CEO of WAM

A vision for the Western Australian Museum November 15th 7 pm Kings Park Dr Phil Playford: The Devonian Reef Complexes December TBA TBA Herdsman Lake Joint RSWA/ Naturalists Club Xmas function

Royal Society of Western Australia Disclaimer. -The Society works to maintain up-to-date information from reliable sources; however, no liability is accepted for any errors or omissions or the results of any actions based upon this information. Links to other websites - the RSWA does not necessarily endorse the views expressed on these websites, nor does it guarantee the accuracy or of any information presented there. It should also be noted that other sites linked from the Proceedings may use cookies that track visitors. Safety - safety is an important concern in all indoor and outdoor activities. When attending an RSWA function or excursion, the RSWA cannot anticipate the limitations of every participant or alert you to every hazard. As such, you are required to assume responsibility for own safety at all time

RSWA Events Calendar 2010

6

EMINENT SPEAKER SERIES

Road crash death and injury – the preventable disease of the young

Monday 14 June 2010 7.30pm

The Hazel Day Drama CentrePresbyterian Ladies’ College14 McNeil St Peppermint Grove

parking available on school oval (enter from McNeil St)

RSVP not essential but appreciated, to jmccomb@murdoch.edu.au

Followed by supper

This event is open to the public and provided free of charge thanks to the kind support of

You are invited to a free public lecture by Professor Ian Johnston AM, FTSEMonash University Accident Research Centre

PLC Western Australia

Well over one million people die in road crashes around the world each year and some 50 million are injured. The World Health Organisation has forecast that, globally, road crashes will be the third largest cause of death and disability by 2020. Should we accept this level of “collateral damage” from road transport?

Even in Australia, with one of the lowest road crash death rates, road crashes are the single most common cause of death for people aged between 1 and 40 and, tragically, one in three involves someone between 17 and 25 years of age. Yet we don’t seem to care. We seem more worried about HIV-AIDS, swine flu and public violence. Why is this so? I will trace the way science has radically changed our understanding of the myriad problems that underpin “unsafety”, particularly over the last decade or so. The relevant sciences range from medicine and epidemiology through civil, traffic and vehicle engineering to psychology and sociology. I will explain why a multi-disciplinary, systems approach is needed to replace the still widespread belief that crashes are simply the result of poor skills and bad behaviour. I shall explore speed behaviour as a case study to explain the role our cultural mindset still plays in blocking safety advances.

BIOGRAPHY

Ian Johnston has worked in the transport, especially transport safety, field since 1966 and his experience spans all modes. He has been a researcher, policy analyst, program administrator, senior executive and non-executive Board member across a range of transport modes and settings - with the Australian government, with the government of Victoria, with a national R&D company and in academia. He has a special interest in how societies, governments and organizations think about and manage safety and in the translation of research results into policy and practice. He specialises in assisting governments to plan safety strategies and programs.

He retired from the position of Director of the Monash University Accident Research Centre at the end of 2006 but retains an affiliation as an Adjunct Professor. He now runs his own consultancy in transport safety services. Ian is also a non-executive Director (Deputy Chair) on the Board of the National Transport Commission (a federal-state body charged with facilitating the development of land transport in Australia), a member of Australia’s inaugural National Road Safety Council (a new advisory body to the ministerial Australian Transport Council), a non-executive Director on the Board of the Driver Education Centre of Australia Ltd (Australia’s largest professional driver training organisation), and a member of the Core Advisory Group of the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility (a special international fund to support road safety initiatives in developing nations).

Ian has some 185 publications and conference presentations to his credit, over 40 of which are refereed journal articles, refereed conference papers, books or book chapters. He is an Associate Editor of the international scientific journal Accident Analysis and Prevention and a regular reviewer for six other scientific journals in the field. Ian has received several national and international awards for his work in transport safety, including an Order of Australia.

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) was inaugurated in 1976. Fellows are men or women who are “Australian citizens or persons normally resident in Australia who are eminent by reason of their achievements in technological sciences or engineering”.

One of the objectives of the Academy is to provide a forum for the study and discussion of issues relevant to the formulation of public policy for technological sciences and engineering based activities, and the communication of expert advice to Government and the community.

The Western Australian Division of ATSE holds annually an Eminent Speakers Seminar to promote this objective and help advance responsible and sustainable development of Western Australia.

Further information about the Academy: www.atse.org.auATSE INFO

ABSTRACTProfessor Ian Johnston

AM, FTSE

The first Kimberley Coast and offshore regions symposium, The Kimberley Marine and Coastal Science Symposium, will be held in May next year.

The Royal Society of Western Australia (RSWA) and the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) are jointly hosting the event.

The Symposium will be held on Friday 20 May 2011 at the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle.

The aim of the Symposium is to provide a seminal proceedings bringing together all the known marine and coastal scientific information for the Kimberley coast and offshore bioregion.

A Scientific Review Committee has been established to structure the Symposium and session themes based on the papers received.

A volume of peer-reviewed proceedings showcasing those papers will be available at the time of the Symposium. If you are interested in presenting a paper verbally at the Symposium or alternately developing a poster paper, please send a 100-word abstract and your paper’s title to rswa_wamsi@iinet.net.au before 18 June 2010.

Successful authors will be notified by 30 June 2010 and have until 30 November 2010 to submit their manuscripts and papers for review. The peer review period will end on 1 February 2011 with final corrected manuscripts due back to the RSWA editing team by 28 February 2011. The Symposium proceedings will be sent to the publishers on 1 March 2011 and will be available at the Symposium.

Registration will open in mid-November this year and close on 1 May 2011. Registration forms will be able to be downloaded from www.wamsi.org.au or www.rswa.org.au and emailed to rswa_wamsi@iinet.net.au.

Fees are $120 for individuals and $60 for RSWA members, concession holders and students. Individuals and RSWA members will receive a copy of the volume of proceedings. If you are interested in becoming a member of The RSWA, please download a membership form from www.rswa.org.au.

Major sponsors of the event are Woodside Energy, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship.

The Symposium is endorsed by The Royal Society of WA Vice Patron and Chief Scientist Professor Lyn Beazley AO as being “an important symposium for Western Australia and one of great relevance nationally and internationally”.

If your organisation would like to become a supporter of this prestigious and important event, please email linda.mcgowan@wamsi.org.au for more details.

We look forward to hearing from you.

First notice of event and official call for papers

If sending your submission by mail, please address it to:

Margaret Brocx,Sub-editor, Journal of the Royal Society of WA

Co-convenor of the RSWA/WAMSI Kimberley Symposium, C/- WAMSI HQ,

Botany and Biology Building MO95The University of Western Australia

35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009

Royal SocietyWeSteRn auStRalia

The

p r o m o t i n g s c i e n c e

of

KimberleyMarine and Coastal Science

S y m p o S i u m

Name:

Institution:

Email:

Postal address:

Postcode:

20 May 2011Western Australian Maritime Museum, NSW Shipping Theatre, Victoria Quay, Fremantle

Please post registration and payment to:

Margaret Brocx,Sub-editor, Journal of the Royal Society of WA

Co-convenor of the RSWA/WAMSI Kimberley Symposium, C/- WAMSI HQ,

Botany and Biology Building MO95The University of Western Australia

35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009

Royal SocietyWeSteRn auStRalia

The

p r o m o t i n g s c i e n c e

of

Costs (includes copy of Proceedings)

RSWA Members $60Non-RSWA members $120Students $60

Sponsored places may be available on application. Those applying must provide a reason for requesting sponsorship.

If required, RSWA membership forms can be downloaded from The RSWA website www.rswa.org.au, and submitted with your registration.

PaymentsThe complete registration form may be sent by email to rswa_wamsi@iinet.net.au or by post.

1) Make cheques payable to the Western Australian Marine Science Institution

2) Credit card payments

Name on card:

Account Number:

Card type: Expiry date: /

3) Electronic payments

Payments can be made direct to the RSWA account using internet banking

Bank: BankWest: BSB No 306-110; Ac No. 0199535

Please note: When making a direct payment please enter KS2011 for reference.

KimberleyMarine and Coastal Science

S y m p o S i u m

Registration Form

Bo

ok In

form

ation

Darwin’s LuckChance and Fortune in the Life and Work of

Charles DarwinPatrick H. Armstrong is Adjunct Associate Professor, Edith Cowan University,

Western Australia.

It is often asserted that Charles Darwin had a fortunate and indeed privileged life. He came from a wealthy, upper middle class family; he studied at Edinburgh and Cambridge, and then never had to work at anything he did not wish to during his lifetime. He married an attractive and wealthy heiress who was devoted to him.

On the other hand, one might make a case for saying that Darwin’s life was dogged by ill-luck. His mother died when he was seven; he was sent to a school at which he ‘learnt little’; he left Edinburgh Medical School after two years, unqualified. He undertook a five-year voyage although he was prone to sea-sickness; his one-time girlfriend (of whom there is evidence he was very fond) married someone else a few months into this voyage. He was affected by ill-health throughout much of his life. One of his children

appears to have been mentally handicapped, and this child, and also his beloved Annie, died in infancy. His brother seems to have taken to drugs. Like most of us he had a mixture of good luck and ill-luck.

At a number of key points in his life, he made a choice - or others made a choice, or circumstances occurred - which profoundly influenced the path that he took. He made mistakes, but he had the distinct knack of good instinct. Sometimes he displayed the characteristics that enabled him to ‘make his own luck’.

This book reviews the role of chance and luck in the great Victorian naturalist’s life and career.

$49.95 Hb, ISBN 9781847251503216 PagesContinuum

QTY TITLE ISBN PRICE

Darwin's Luck 9781847251503 $49.95

Darwin's Other Islands 9780826475312 $110.00

Order Form

Please supply titles as indicated below.

DELIvERY ADDRESS (Please attach your business card if appropriate)

Name:

Department: Email:

Institute: Campus:

Address: Phone:

Postcode:

(Street address is required for delivery - do not state PO Box number)

BILLINg ADDRESS

Name:

Address:

Postcode:

Please place fIRm ORDERS with your usual bookseller. In case of difficulty contact us directly. Prices referred to herein are recommended only and there is no obligation to comply with the recommendation. A small order surcharge applies. Otherwise freight is free of charge. Prices correct at time of printing and subject to change without notice. Prices include gST.

Victoria/TasmaniaLevel 1, 15-19 Claremont Street, South Yarra 3141Tel (03) 9825 1111 fax (03) 9825 1010

New South Wales/ACTLevel 25, BT Tower1 market Street, Sydney 2000Tel (02) 9285 9111 fax (02) 9285 9290

Queensland2/857 Kingsford Smith DriveEagle farm 4009Tel (07) 3632 2668 fax (07) 3868 4423

Western Australia/South Australia/NT12-14 Oswald Streetvictoria Park 6100Tel (08) 6250 7002 fax (08) 9472 7966

A division of macmillan Publishers Australia Pty LtdABN 96 004 688 519

HOw TO CONTACT uSwww.palgravemacmillan.com.au

fax customer service on: 1300 135 103

email your regional officepalgrave@macmillan.com.au

phone customer service on 1300 135 113

Palgrave macmillan is committed to protecting your privacy. By supplying your details you give Palgrave macmillan permission to contact you about Palgrave macmillan products and services. Palgrave macmillan will only use the information provided by you for the intended purpose. Should you not wish to be thus contacted, please contact us on (03) 9825 1111 or at palgrave@macmillan.com.au

mETHOD Of PAYmENT

• Please invoice us - Order No.

(Attach your official order with this order number)

• we enclose a cheque or charge our credit card for $

payable to macmillan Publishers Australia Pty Ltd

Card No.

masterCard visa

Cardholders Name

Signature Expiry Date / /

Please ask a representative to contact me ASAP

Please send me catalogues in this subject area

How did you receive this information?

mailing

Conference

Representative

Other

Darwin’s Other IslandsPatrick H. Armstrong is Adjunct Associate Professor, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia.Charles Darwin’s visit to the Galapagos Islands has been the subject of many studies but the significance of his experiences on the other islands visited during his Beagle voyage has not been documented. This study examines the visits Darwin made to the “other islands”—The Falklands, Azores, Pacific Islands, Australia (including Tasmania), New Zealand, Mauritius, the Cocos Group, Chiloe, and other islands off South America—redressing the balance of published material focusing on the Galapagos Islands. Using archival sources, such as Darwin’s original field notes and the log of the HMS Beagle, as well as recent fieldwork in the islands, this book provides the first complete evaluation of the whole of Darwin’s island experience. It documents his visits to the various islands and island groups, describes how the islands look today, and evaluates these visits in relation to the entire corpus of Darwin’s work. This comparative treatment provides fresh insights into the role played by these islands in the development of his “Theory of Coral Reefs”, his book on “Volcanic Islands” and the research into barnacles, which established his scientific reputation, as well as the material they provided for his later ideas on evolution.

$210 Hb, ISBN 9780826475312(Event price $110.00)256 pagesContinuum