author
Walter W. (Walter Wilson) Froggatt
1858–1937
A pioneering Australian entomologist, he helped turn the study of insects into practical science for farmers and foresters. He is also remembered for warning against the introduction of cane toads to control sugar-cane pests, a caution that later looked remarkably prescient.
1 Audiobook
Australian insects
by Walter W. (Walter Wilson) Froggatt
About the author
Born in Melbourne in 1858, Walter Wilson Froggatt grew into one of Australia’s leading economic entomologists. Early encouragement from bush naturalist Richard H. Nancarrow helped shape his interest in the natural world, and his career eventually carried him from field collecting into major museum and government work.
In 1889 he joined the Sydney Technological Museum, and from 1890 onward he published prolifically, producing more than 300 papers. He was appointed entomologist to the New South Wales Department of Agriculture in 1896, and his 1907 book Australian Insects is described as the first comprehensive textbook on Australian entomology. Other notable books followed, including Forest Insects of Australia and Forest Insects and Timber Borers.
Froggatt died in 1937, but his reputation endures not only because of his scientific writing and public service, but also because he spoke out against introducing cane toads into Queensland to fight beetle pests. That warning, largely ignored at the time, has become one of the most striking parts of his legacy.