1. Man of great zeal and assiduity : the pioneering naturalist John Gilbert in Australia, 1838-1845 / Clemency Fisher -- 2. Ornithology at the Auckland Museum, New Zealand / B. J. Gill -- 3. History of ornithology at the Western Australian Museum / R.E. Johnstone -- 4. Role of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation (CSIRO) in Australian ornithology / -- 5. Changing faces of systematics and biogeography in Australian ornithology: a young turk's view / Leo Joseph-- 6. Establishing a national reference collection of birds: the first forty years of the birds of the Australian National Wildlife Collection / Richard Schodde -- 7. History of threatened birds in Australia and its offshore islands / Stephen T. Garnett and Gabriel M. Crowley -- Index