Hedley Herbert Finlayson

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Hedley Herbert Finlayson (born March 19, 1895 in Adelaide ; † August 29, 1991 ibid) was an Australian mammal loge and chemist .

Life

Finlayson was the sixth of seven children born to Ebenezer and Finette (Nettie) Finlayson, born Champion. Two older sisters had died before he was born. His father was an influential financier, political activist and journalist for The Register newspaper . Finlayson spent his school days at Kyre College (now Scotch College) in Mitcham . In 1910 he enrolled in the University of Adelaide in order chemistry to study. In May 1913, a catastrophic explosion occurred during a chemical experiment in which he lost his left hand and went blind in the left eye. From 1914 to 1918 he was a junior demonstrator at the University of Adelaide. In 1918 he received a John L. Young Scholarship from the University of Adelaide. Although he never graduated, he was named a demonstrator that same year. From 1921 to 1932 he was assistant lecturer . This post was not renewed in 1932, but he remained a demonstrator and worked repeatedly for the chemistry department until 1958.

In the early 1920s he began studying mammals extensively and collecting samples. In 1927 he was appointed Honorary Assistant by the South Australian Museum and in 1930 Honorary Curator of the Mammals Department, a post he held until 1965.

Between 1920 and 1963, published Finlayson 63 articles, among which are the scientific first descriptions of desert brush kangaroo rats ( Bettongia anhydra ), the Central Australian kangaroo rabbits ( Lagorchestes asomatus ) and silk mouse ( Pseudomys apodemoides ). Five of his articles appeared in the journal Nature . He undertook extensive journeys for his research on mammals and financed his expeditions mostly out of his own pocket. These expeditions usually took place in the summer months, during the break before the start of the new academic year.

In 1931 Finlayson succeeded in rediscovering the naked breasted kangaroo ( Caloprymnus campestris ), a species that has not been sighted since the beginning of the 20th century. He first received a skull and a skin from this animal from the Diamantina region in northeastern South Australia. He then traveled to Clifton Hill Station in the Diamantina area, where he took the only known photo of a living specimen. No new specimens have been sighted since 1935 and the species is considered extinct.

In the first half of the 1930s he traveled extensively in Central Australia , the Basedow Range in the Northern Territory , the Rawlinson Mountains in Western Australia, and the Everard Range, Mann Range, Musgrave Range and Tomkinson Range in northwestern South Australia . These excursions formed the basis for his book The Red Center , published in 1935. Finlayson often relied on Aboriginal knowledge to find and catch specimens. He showed them museum samples to get information about way of life, distribution and habitat. In 40 years of traveling, he collected 4,000 samples and took 5,000 photos. His collection is in the Strehlow Research Center in Alice Springs .

Awards and dedication names

In 1960 Finlayson received the Joseph Verco Medal of the Royal Society of South Australia and in 1962 the John Lewis Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia . In 1937 Herbert Womersley named the mite species Laelaps finlaysoni after Finlayson. In 1987 Darrell John Kitchener , Nick Caputi and Brian Jones described the Finlayson cave bat ( Vespadelus finlaysoni ).

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Finlayson, Hedley Herbert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian mammal chemist and chemist
DATE OF BIRTH March 19, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH Adelaide
DATE OF DEATH August 29, 1991
Place of death Adelaide