Archibald James Campbell

Archibald James Campbell (18 February 1853 – 11 September 1929) was an Australian civil servant in the Victorian (later Australian) government Customs Service. However, his international reputation rests on his expertise as an amateur ornithologist, naturalist, and photographer. He was one of the principal founders of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU) in 1901, and served as its president in 1909 and 1928. He was also a founder member of the Victorian Wattle Club in 1899 and the Bird Observers Club in 1905. Campbell was active in the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria from its inception in 1880, leading pioneering expeditions and writing for their journal. He wrote the classic field guide to oology (a branch of ornithology) in Australia: Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds, published in 1901. Early life Campbell (the ornithologist) shared his personal names, Archibald James, with his father, so to avoid confusion the ornithologist will be referred to throughout this article as "Campbell", whilst his father will be named in full. Campbell's parents were Scottish, Archibald James Campbell (1817–1872) and his wife Catherine (née Pinkerton) (1833–1882) both having been born in the Gorbals area of Glasgow. Travelling alone, the 22 year-old Archibald James Campbell sailed from Liverpool aboard the barque Statesman on 4 February 1840, disembarking in Melbourne on 21June. He obtained employment in the Victorian Education Department, but moved to the rural Werribee River region in 1851 at a time when it was beginning to be exploited for agricultural and pastoral purposes.