Musgrave, Anthony (1895 - 1959)

Summary

Anthony Musgrave was an entomologist and arachnologist, noted for his expertise in Australia's flies, ticks and venomous spiders. He joined the Australian Museum in 1910 as a cadet and at the time of his death was Curator of Insects and Arachnids. Fieldwork was integral to his research and he visited all an states (except Western Australia and New Guinea. Musgrave was a prolific writer, publishing nearly 200 publications on all aspects of natural history in both scientific journals and popular magazines. Early papers often illustrated his highly-skilled drawings. He is best known for his Bibliography of Australian entomology, 1775-1930, an encyclopaedic and meticulous work (sometimes describes as "monumental") which included exact dates of publication, biographical notes on authors and collectors, and details of scientific expeditions. Musgrave was an active member and office bearer of local scientific organisations.

Details

Chronology

February 1910 - 1911

Career position - Cadet, Australian Museum

1911 - June 1920

Career position - Entomologist's Assistant, Australian Museum

1920 - 1933

Career position - Member, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales

1920 - 1935

Career position - Member of Council, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales

1920 - 1959

Career position - Member, Linnean Society of New South Wales

June 1920 - 1959

Career position - Entomologist (later styled Curator of Insects and Arachnids), Australian Museum

1929 - 1930

Career position - President, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales

1933 - 1959

Award - Fellow, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales

1934

Career event - Representative of the Trustees of the Australian Museum, Museums Association Conference, Bristol, United Kingdom

1949

Career position - Honorary Abstractor (Zoology), Australian Science Abstracts, Australian National Research Council

1950 - 1959

Career position - Member, Royal Australian Historical Society

1956 - 1957

Career position - Member of Council, Royal Australian Historical Society

Related entries

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

• Microfilm Collection, MS 067; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

Australian Museum

• Anthony Musgrave - Records, 1890 - 1961, Series 131; Australian Museum. Details

Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales

• Anthony Musgrave - Records, 1957, ML MSS 1036; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details

National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection

• Anthony Musgrave - Records, 1910 - 1958; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details

Published resources

Books

• Basedow, Herbert; Rainbow, W.J.; Etheridge, R.; and Musgrave, Anthony, Narrative of an expedition of exploration in north-western Australia (Adelaide: W.K. Thomase & Co., Printers, 1918), 295 pp. Details
• Musgrave, A., Bibliography of Australian entomology, 1775-1930: with biographical notes on authors and collectors (Sydney: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, 1932), 380 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Walsh, G. P., 'Musgrave, Anthony (1895-1959)' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds, vol. 10 (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1986), pp. 651-652. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100634b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• Griffin, F. J., 'Anthony Musgrave (1895 - 1959)', Journal of the Society for the History of Natural History, 3 (7) (1960), 381. Details
• M., A. [ie Musgrave, Anthony], 'Dr Alfred Eland Shaw', Australian Museum magazine, 4 (7) (1931), 232. Details
• Musgrave, A., 'William Joseph Rainbow, entomologist, 1895 to 1919 Records of the Australian Museum', Records of the Australian Museum, 13 (3) (1920), 87-92. Details
• Musgrave, A., 'The History of Australian Entomological Research', The Australian Zoologist, 6 (1930), 189-203. Details
• Musgrave, A., 'Arthur Mills Lea', Australian Museum Magazine, 4 (1932), 342. Details
• Musgrave, A., 'Obituary: Gustavus Athol Waterhouse', Australian Journal of Science, 13 (3) (1950), 75-76. Details
• Musgrave, A., 'Dr. James Stuart, Artist Naturalist', The Australian Zoologist, 13 (1955), 120-126. Details
• Musgrave, Anthony, 'The Dodd collection: a liberal education in entomology', Australian Museum magazine, 2 (3) (1924), 100-1. Details
• Musgrave, Anthony, 'Insects of Captain Cook's Expedition', The Australian Museum Magazine, 11 (1954), 232-237; 265-239; 303-236; 322-234. Details
• W., G. P. [i.e. Whitley, Gilbert Percy], 'Anthony Musgrave, 1895-1959', Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 86 (1961), 122-125. Details
• W., G. P. [ie Whitley, Gilbert Percy], 'Obituary: Anthony Musgrave, F.R.E.S., F.R.Z.S.', Australian Museum magazine, 13 (3) (1959), 101-2. Details
• Whitley, G. P., 'Tribute to Anthony Musgrave. With bibliography compiled by G. P. Whitley and Kathleen Pope', Proceedings of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales (1961), 9-20. Details

Resources

• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/94595426. Details
• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q15999263. Details
• 'Musgrave, Anthony (1895-1959)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-624353. Details

See also

• Prince, J. H., The first one hundred years of the Royal Zoological Society of N.S.W. 1879 - 1979 (Sydney: Royal Zoolgical Society of New South Wales, 1979), 81 pp. Details