Coprosma Hawk Moth, Hippotion scrofa

This unpublished scientific illustration (No. II) depicts the life stages of the Coprosma Hawk-moth, Hippotion scrofa (as Scrofa Hawk Moth, Chaerocampa scrofa), from Studley Park near Melbourne, by Arthur Bartholomew, January to March, 1861. Bartholomew illustrated the larva, pupa, adult moths, and the host plant, noting the date of each successive transition towards metamorphosis. When the perfect imago (adult insect) emerged, the species would be identified by William Kershaw, pinned and entered into the collection. The level of detail attained by Bartholomew in these illustrations makes them one of the most significant contributions to natural history illustration in colonial Australia. This illustration is annotated with pencil notes by Frederick McCoy and Bartholomew. McCoy, the first Director of The National Museum of Victoria, presumably commissioned this work for a future plate in 'The Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria; Figures and descriptions of the living species of all classes of the Victoria indigenous animals'. Unfortunately, McCoy died before completing this enormous undertaking. Bartholomew’s illustration forms part of the much larger Prodromus Collection. Many of the original illustrations and prints in the collection informed the production of The Prodromus, the first major publication of the National Museum of Victoria. Between 1878 and 1890, McCoy published his zoology 'Prodromus' as 20 parts in two volumes, with each part comprising 20 plates. Unfortunately, almost 90 plates in the collection remain unpublished, and hundreds of illustrations were either not completed or not printed.