John MacGillivray

author

John MacGillivray

1822–1867

Best known for exploring the natural history of Australia and the Pacific, this Scottish collector and writer turned years of fieldwork at sea into vivid travel and scientific books. His work preserves a firsthand record of species, islands, and encounters from mid-19th-century voyages.

2 Audiobooks

Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By the Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During the Years 1846-1850. — Volume 2 Including Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea, the Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. to Which Is Added the Account of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition for the Exploration of the Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist to the Expedition.

Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By the Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During the Years 1846-1850. — Volume 2 Including Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea, the Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. to Which Is Added the Account of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition for the Exploration of the Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist to the Expedition.

by John MacGillivray

Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By the Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During the Years 1846-1850. — Volume 1 Including Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea, the Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. to Which Is Added the Account of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition for the Exploration of the Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist to the Expedition.

Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By the Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During the Years 1846-1850. — Volume 1 Including Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea, the Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. to Which Is Added the Account of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition for the Exploration of the Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist to the Expedition.

by John MacGillivray

About the author

Born in Aberdeen in December 1821, John MacGillivray was a Scottish naturalist, botanical collector, and author who worked extensively in Australian and Pacific waters. He was the son of the well-known naturalist William MacGillivray, and he joined a series of Royal Navy surveying voyages that shaped his career.

MacGillivray is especially associated with voyages on HMS Fly and HMS Rattlesnake, where he collected plants and animals and recorded detailed observations of the regions he visited. His best-known book, Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, drew on those experiences and helped bring the natural history of northern Australia and the Pacific to a wider readership.

Sources consulted during this search agree that he died in Sydney on June 6, 1867. Some references list his birth year as 1821, while others give 1822, so it is safest to say he was born in Aberdeen in December in the early 1820s.