Select specimens from nature of the birds animals &c &c of New South Wales / collected and arranged by Thomas Skottowe Esqr. ; the drawings by T.R. Browne. N.S.W.

Thomas Skottowe was Commandant of the Newcastle penal settlement from 1811 to 1814. While in Newcastle, Skottowe organised the collection and drawing of specimens for this manuscript. He was also responsible for their arrangement and wrote the accompanying text.

Richard Browne, watercolour painter and natural history artist, was transported to New South Wales after being convicted in Dublin in 1810. He served the majority of his seven-year sentence in Newcastle.

Accompanying each illustration is a description of the specimen that includes physical appearance, habitat, methods of reproduction, and native name.