Silvester Diggles (24 January 1817 – 21 March 1880) was an Australian artist and musician of British origin, as well as being a noted amateur

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

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 ...

Biography

Diggles was born in Liverpool, Lancashire and married Eliza Bradley in 1839, with whom he had two daughters and a son. In 1853 he migrated with his family to Australia, living for a year in Sydney before settling in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Queensland, where he taught music and drawing as well as tuning and repairing musical instruments. His wife died in August 1857 and he subsequently married Albina Birkett in January 1858, with whom he had two sons.Marks (1972). Diggles was well known in Brisbane; he was a founder of the Brisbane Choral Society in 1859 and the Brisbane Philharmonic Society in 1861, and was a familiar

accompanist Accompaniment is the musical part which provides the rhythmic and/or harmonic support for the melody or main themes of a song or instrumental piece. There are many different styles and types of accompaniment in different genres and styles o ...

at concerts and church services. In 1877 he was given a grand benefit concert by the musicians of the city, and called "the father of music in Brisbane". A religious man, he had joined the

New Jerusalem Church The New Church (or Swedenborgianism) is any of several historically related Christian denominations that developed as a new religious group, influenced by the writings of scientist and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772). Swedenborgian or ...

in 1846 and served as its leader in Brisbane. He was also a Freemason. Diggles was a founder of the

Queensland Philosophical Society The Royal Society of Queensland was formed in Queensland, Australia in 1884 from the Queensland Philosophical Society, Queensland's oldest scientific institution, with royal patronage granted in 1885. The aim of the Society is "Progressing scie ...

, the predecessor of the Royal Society of Queensland, and helped establish the

Queensland Museum The Queensland Museum is the state museum of Queensland, dedicated to natural history, cultural heritage, science and human achievement. The museum currently operates from its headquarters and general museum in South Brisbane with specialist m ...

, which the society instigated in 1862. He served as the Queensland representative on the 1871/72 solar eclipse expedition to Cape Sidmouth,

Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf ...

, and reported on the birds, insects and scenery there to the Philosophical Society. Diggles is best known for his authorship of a major ornithological work which was never completely published because of financial problems. He and his niece Rowena Birkett produced some 325 hand-coloured plates of some 600 Australian birds for a work titled ''

The Ornithology of Australia ''The Ornithology of Australia'' comprises three volumes (of an uncompleted set) of lithographed, hand-coloured, illustrations of Australian birds with accompanying text. It was authored by Silvester Diggles of Brisbane and was originally issued ...

'', of which three volumes were published from 1865 to 1870. The moth genus of '' Digglesia'', the brushed trapdoor spider ''Ozicrypta digglesi'', and the sea snail ''Zafra digglesi'' are named after him. Diggles' health deteriorated from about 1875, a contributing factor being worries about his publishing problems. He died at Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, survived by the two daughters of his first marriage and the two sons of his second and was buried in

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest ceme ...

Publication

A book about Diggles' life, ''The Bird Man of Brisbane'' by Louis J. Pigott, was published in 2010 by

Boolarong Press Boolarong Press is a family-owned book publishing company located in Brisbane. Established in 1976 by Les Padman, the business was purchased in 1995 by Watson Ferguson & Company. Boolarong has published Queensland's historical literary works and ...

.''The Bird Man of Brisbane''
at Boolarong Press

References

Notes

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Diggles, Silvester 1817 births 1880 deaths Australian ornithologists Australian entomologists Australian musicians Australian bird artists Artists from Liverpool Musicians from Liverpool People from Brisbane Burials at Toowong Cemetery 19th-century Australian painters 19th-century Australian male artists English emigrants to Australia 19th-century English musicians Australian male painters