Frederick George Waterhouse (25 August 1815 – 7 September 1898) was an English naturalist, zoologist and

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

who made significant contributions to the study of the natural history of Australia. Waterhouse was born near London, a son of solicitor J. W. Waterhouse. He was a keen naturalist and worked with his elder brother George Robert Waterhouse at the

British Museum (Natural History) The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...

. On 7 July 1852 he married Fanny Shepherd Abbott (c. 1831 – 7 August 1875), and soon after they sailed for South Australia in the ''Sydney'', the first steamer to make the voyage. Together they had five sons and one daughter. His original intention was to prospect for gold at the Victorian diggings, but he was unsuccessful and found employment with C. T. Hargrave, surveying in the Mount Lofty Ranges and Kangaroo Island. In 1860 he became curator of the South Australian Institute Museum, which opened in 1862, and which he had helped to found in 1856 with the donation of his own valuable entomological and ornithological collection. He was a corresponding member of the Zoological Society of London. He joined the John McDouall

Stuart Expedition 1861–1862 John McDouall Stuart (7 September 18155 June 1866), often referred to as simply "McDouall Stuart", was a Scottish explorer and one of the most accomplished of all Australia's inland explorers. Stuart led the first successful expedition to tra ...

, returning to Adelaide in 1863 with bird and mammal skins, insects and plants, including specimens of the Princess Alexandra parrot, ''Polytelis alexandrae''. In 1872, trawling in the Gulf St Vincent with

Albert Molineux Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert C ...

, secretary of the Agricultural Bureau, he caught forty species of fish which had not been found there previously, some of which were new to science, and were described by François Louis de la Porte, comte de Castelnau then in Melbourne. In 1882 he took eight months' leave of absence on account of ill-health, travelled to England, and on his return retired to his home "Wandeen" in Burnside. His replacement at the Museum, William Haacke, made his name there by proving that echidnas were

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

, but resigned after a series of disputes with the Board and Director. In 1897 he moved to Jamestown to live with his son, Edward George Waterhouse (c. 1860 – 25 January 1947). He died on 7 September 1898, aged 83 years, at Mannahill (between Peterborough and

Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

), where Edward, a mounted constable, had been transferred. Another son lived at Mannahill and his fourth son, Stuart Abbott Waterhouse (died 24 July 1907), at the nearby Wadnaminga goldfields, where he was a prospector. He is buried at St Georges Cemetery, Magill, South Australia, as are several other members of his family. The

Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize The Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, formerly the Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize, is a biennial competition for artists, with a science theme, organised by the South Australian Museum in Adelaide, South Australia. History The prize w ...

is named after him. In 1862,

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

name '' Spyridium waterhousei'' in his honour. Waterhouse collected the

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specimens on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Dr Andrew Thomas, Australia's only Astronaut and Cosmonaut, is a great, great grandson.About Frederick George Waterhouse
, www.thewaterhouse.com.au

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waterhouse, Frederick George English entomologists English ornithologists 1815 births 1898 deaths Stuart expedition (1861–1862) People from Adelaide 19th-century Australian public servants