Medlycott's drawings of Maltese natural history

Abstract

In 186lWilliam Tallack wrote: "William C. P. Medlycott, Esq., an English gentleman, who spends a part of almost every winter in Malta, has also devoted much careful observation to its birds and ichthyology. He has drawn a series of very accurate coloured representations of the fish and crustaceans of the island, which, if published would be a valuable contribution to the natural history of Europe" (Tallack, 1861). Thirty-two years later, this paragraph was partly quoted by 1. H. Cooke (1893), who added the question "Can any of our readers inform us of the whereabouts of these drawings?" The aim of this note is to bring to light the whereabouts of Medlycott's drawings, with the hope that someone in future may find the time and resources to make an in-depth study of them.