Career

Collections

Biographical data

 

Wilcox, James Fowler

 

(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 1: Cyclopaedia of collectors)

 

Born: 1823, Somersetshire, England. Died: 1881, South Crafton, Australia.

 

career:

Passed his youth at Sydney. He spent most of his time as a naturalist, giving special attention to botany and taxidermy. He accompanied the voyage of H.M.S. ‘Rattlesnake’ in 1846-50 under Capt. Stanley (liter., itiner., etc., see under J. MacGillavry), as collector in the interests of the Norwich Museum. After this voyage he was engaged in natural history pursuits in New South Wales; later in business at Sydney, going to South Grafton early in 1856, finally settling there in 1857. He made many expeditions on the northern rivers of New South Wales after birds and plants; in 1876 he went to New Guinea with his son James Clarence, with the same purpose. In the latter year a Wilcox accompanied d’Albertis’s (see there) second exploration of the Fly River.

Pleiococca wilcoxiana F.Muell. was named after him.

 

collections:

Up to now it could not be traced whether he actually collected plants in New Guinea.

 

biographical data:

Journ. & Proc. Roy. Soc. N.S.W. 42, 1908, p. 129-130.