A Fishy Meal
Was fish ever on the Australian Museum Curator's breakfast menu?
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1881 accession letter Chelidonichthys kumu
© Australian Museum
The Australian Museum archive holds the documents that record the accessioning details of new specimens. Buried amongst these schedules, one of our industrious volunteers came across a letter with a delightful post script.
This letter referred to a “curious” fish caught by W P McLean at 1pm on May 23rd 1881. The fish was described in the letter : “the wings were extended and shone through the water with great brilliancy and beauty” and was sent to the Australian Museum for identification. W P McLean, who had fished in the waters around La Perouse for many years, had never seen such a fish before.
As the accompanying extract shows, the fish, if not worth preserving, was offered for the Curator’s breakfast. Being 19 ½ inches in length it would have been a substantial meal. Was the Curator tempted? Of course, we do not know as being a “very fine specimen”of a Chelidonichthys kumu it was duly registered in the Australian Museum’s fish collection.
A recent enquiry of our current Collection Manager said he had never received a similar offer – offers of this type were of their time.
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Chelidonichthys kumu, Red Gurnard.
Image: Steve Wozniak© Steve Wozniak