TYPE SPECIMENS IN THE MACLEAY MUSEUM, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY I. Fishes P. J. Stanbury The Macleay Museum, School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney (Communicated by Dr. D. T. Anderson) [Read 26th June, 1968] Introduction The Macleay collection was started around 1790 by Alexander Macleay (1767-1848). He collected insects. He caught specimens himself and acquired others by exchange among his friends; but probably the major part of his collection resulted from purchases at auctions of historic collections. In this way Macleay obtained specimens originally collected by Captain Cook's naturalists, Surgeon General White, Charles Sturt and Sir Stamford Raffles as well as many other less well known figures (Fletcher, 1920). Alexander Macleay brought his collection to Australia in 1825-26 when he was appointed the first Colonial Secretary. His son, William Sharp Macleay (1792-1865), helped his father collect and after William Sharp inherited it, he enlarged it considerably. When he died the collection passed to his cousin, Sir William Macleay (1820-1891), the first President of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. Sir William Macleay decided to expand the collection to include all branches of the Animal Kingdom as well as anthropological and geological specimens. He employed collectors all over the world and amassed a huge collection that overflowed from his large house at Elizabeth Bay, Sydney, into a museum-building 115 x 36 feet in the garden. When this became full, and having no heir, he decided to offer the entire collection to the University of Sydney. The Senate accepted Sir William's gift in 1888 and the Govern-ment contributed £16,000 to erect a Museum building in the University grounds. The collection was moved in 1889, and the building was opened to the public in 1890. Sir William Macleay died in 1891. The curator he had appointed, George Masters, died in 1912. In 1917, the University started to use part of the building for other purposes. The collection became neglected and its space was severely curtailed as described by my predecessor (Anderson, 1965). In the last few years, however, some attention has been given to the Museum and the following table gives an idea of what remains. An account of the history of the Macleays was given by J. J. Fletcher in his Presidential Address to the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 14th June, 1920. This account was completed after Fletcher's death from his notes by A. B. Walkom (Fletcher, 1929). The story of Sir William Macleay's collecting trips has been told by D. N. S. MacMillan in his book "A Squatter Went to Sea" (1957). Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. Vol, 93, Part 2
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