Archives of natural history 37 (1) online

The first part of Archives of natural history 37 is available on-line and has been mailed to members.

Among the papers included is the William T. Stearn 2009 prize-winning essay by Stephanie Pfennigwerth about the extinct King Island emu, Dromaius ater. The featured paper, free to download, is also of Australian interest: Anthony Alder (1838–1915), Queensland taxidermist and bird painter.

The Society has members worldwide, and the diversity of the papers published in the issue reflects this: stone loaches in Swedish ponds; natural history exchanges between New Zealand and Italy; rattlesnake eggs in Minnesota; an egg collected by Charles Darwin "discovered" in Cambridge; a golden monkey from Brazil – Marcgrave’s capuchin – depicted in an Italian fresco not long after European discovery of South America; and, the experiences of a Spanish naturalist in London’s Natural History Museum.

Members who have registered can access the entire contents of the issue – papers, short notes and book reviews – free of charge through the Edinburgh University Press website.

The Society is now calling for entries for the 2010 William T. Stearn Student Essay Prize Competition.

Image: Kookaburras by Anthony Alder  (by courtesy of the Alder family).