N.B.: Copyright to these papers has not been conveyed to the University of Florida. The copyright owner is not known.
Tom Harrisson, noted turtle scientist and conservationist, first began turtle observations as curator of the Sarawak Museum in Borneo and as chief executive officer of the Sarawak Turtle Board, posts to which he was appointed in 1947. His activities included turtle tagging, hatching young turtles, and keeping detailed records of eggs collected. In 1974 he was appointed co-chair, with Archie F. Carr, of the Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Survival Services Commission (SSC) and undertook a reorganization of the group.
Upon retiring from Sarawak, Harrisson joined the Southeast Asian studies faculty at Cornell University (1967-68) and for the remainder of his life was involved with IUCN activities and as director of the Mass-Observation Archive at the University of Sussex. Harrisson died along with his third wife, Barronne Christine Forani, in a traffic accident in Thailand, January, 1976. Before assuming his duties in Borneo, Harrisson had been active in mass observation in his native England. Earlier in his life, he attended Pembroke College, Cambridge, participated in several scientific expeditions, and lived among native tribes in the Pacific. He was the author of numerous books, primarily based on his experiences in the Pacific and on mass observation. He was the author of many articles, but no published books on turtles. (Cf.Who Was Who, 1971-1980).
Scope and Content: Divided into two series, the Harrison Papers document his career as a turtle researcher and conservationist during his tenure as curator of the Sarawak Museum and as an active member of the SSC of the IUCN and as co-chair of its Marine Turtle Specialist Group. The Papers contain many of Harrisson's complete manuscripts, including the book length Turtle Island, his turtle notes and observation records from 1947, correspondence, some published writings, manuscripts and secondary materials of other writers, and his IUCN files. A very small portion of the Papers are more personal, or relate to subjects other than turtles.
Harrisson was closely associated with Archie Carr, whose presence and influence is very noticeable in the Papers. Many of the correspondents and topics are the same as in the Carr Papers, and there is doubtless duplication. Harrisson's Papers often expand the point of view found in Carr's Papers and are rich in details of certain geographic areas, notably Malaysia and Indonesia, but also other islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Harrisson's IUCN files are more extensive than Carr's. Researchers on turtle topics are advised to consult both the Carr and the Harrisson Papers.
Provenance: There are two sources of the Harrisson Papers.
In 1975, Harrisson, through his ex-wife Barbara, sent some of his papers
to Archie Carr at the University of Florida. Barbara wrote Carr:
In 1978, following Harrisson's death, Carr was asked to accept additional Harrisson Papers. There is no way of determining which items belong to which batch. The Papers remained in Carr's possession until his death, after which they were donated, along with his own Papers, to the George A. Smathers Libraries, by his widow, Marjorie Harris Carr. A folder on the provenance of the Harrisson Papers is stored in the first box.
Arrangement: There was little apparent order to the Papers, as received by the library. It appears that Harrisson had cannibalized his own correspondence, manuscripts, and notes as well as the secondary material of other writers to create subject files, indicated by the red script found on many papers, probably for use in his intended book, Turtle Island. Many apparently disparate item were found together, however, and items on the same subjects were dispersed throughout the papers. Rather than restore these subject files, the attempt has been to restore papers to the units in which they were created.
They have then been assigned to either a Sarawak series or IUCN series, and grouped by type and subject. There is some overlap between the two series, as Harrisson was a MTSG member before he left Sarawak, but the bulk of the IUCN Papers are from the time he became co-chair in 1974, after leaving Sarawak, or are clearly identified as IUCN business.
Condition: At some point, some of the Papers became
wet. In addition to moisture damage, this caused clips and staples
to rust extraordinarily, resulting in further deterioriation.
Box 1: Published articles by T.H., Biographical Information, and Manuscripts, "A" - "S" , 1950-1976.
Articles about T.H., including Memorials, 1964-1976.
Reprints and copies of articles by. T.H., 1956-1975, [n.d.].
Five unidentified ms. fragments, some are probably part of the ms. of Turtle Island, or articles for the
Sarawak Museum Journal:
Typed ms. fragment, p. 2-10 [n.d.].
Typed ms. fragment, p. 5-16 [n.d.].
Typed ms. fragment, p. 2-15, (i) "The Lady Lays" [n.d.].
Typed ms. fragment, p. 2-15 [n.d.].
"Baby Loggerhead: Further Observations," typed ms. [1959]
"Baby Loggerheads of [cf.] Greens," typed and a. notes, Satang, 6/26 - 6/29/1965
"Baby Speeds on Beach: Green and Loggerhead," a. and typed notes, 6/28/1965
"Bone and Tooth Artifacts from the Niah Caves," by T.H. and Lord Medway, typed ms. [1962] and related material, 1961
"Borneo Insects," a.ms. [ca.1959] and notes, Oct. 1959
"Breading [sic] Seasons, Green Turtles," typed ms., 11/16/1974
"The Edible Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) - Monsoonal Facts and Migration," typed ms. [ca.1959]
"Egg Laying Cycles of the Green Turtle in Southeast Asia," a. ms., March 8, 1975
Eggs, a.notes, n.d.
"Green Turtle - Special Notes," Besar, 10/1-7/1961
Green vs. Loggerhead, a. notes [n.d.]
Hatchlings; a. and typed notes from Satang, 1950-1959
"The Hawksbill and Loggerhead Turtles II, Further Notes, 1961 (Satang)," typed, August 12, 1961
"Hawksbill and Loggerhead: Various Special Features," a. and typed notes, 6/27/1965
Hawksbill Eggs and Nest Making - Satang," typed and a. notes, 6/30/65
"Hawksbill Relaxation" [Ms. is a comparative study of Hawksbill, Green and Loggerhead turtles. This title may have been intended only as a section caption] Typed ms., 50 p., and a.ms. of several sections, [ca.1959]
Inhabitants at Besar, Kechil, and Satang, a.notes, 1950-1966
"Leathery Turtle," typed ms. of visit to Trengganu with Lady Head, etc. (Cf. correspondence, Box 6) July,1965
"Liberation in Water: and One Remarkable Result," typed ms. fragment, p. 4-[21] 1965
"Loggerhead Turtle," typed ms., S.M.J. No. 13, 1959
Loggerhead Turtles - Satang, a. and typed ms., 1965
Malays of Sarawak, fragmentary proof, ca. 1966
Malaysia Fauna - Notes by T.H. and others, 1965-1966. (Includes a "draft" content note for Turtle Island
"The Marine Turtle Situation in Sarawak," typed ms., 1/10/69
"Memorable Meal" [Semah] typed ms., and Expenditure for 1964 Semah, typed statement, 1964
"Must the Turtle Die," Sunday Times, June 14, 1964, and correspondence, 1964-1965. Cf. "Turtle Islands of Borneo."
"Night Excursions To See the Giant Turtle," published in the Times, October 27, 1965, prepared for IUCN/SSC Meeting, Dec. 1, 1965
"Notes on Marine Turtles, 14 - Albino Green Turtles and Sacred Ones," typed ms. by T.H., notes and correspondence, n.d., 1963-1964
"Notes on Marine Turtles - 15: Sabah's Turtle Islands," typed mss., variant drafts, [1964]
"Notes on Marine Turtles - 17: Sabah and Sarawak Islands Compared, typed ms." [ca.1965]
Notes on the Edible Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) - 9: With Other Oceanic Turtles (on Satang)," typed ms. [1965]
Notes on the Edible Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) - 11: Sarawak Statistics: the Downward Trend," typed ms. and a.notes [1967]
"On the Beach at Acalpuco, Turtle?" typed ms., March 11, 1970
"Population Decline," typed ms. fragment, Nov. 16-17, 1974
"Present and Future of the Green Turtle," typed ms., May 15, 1962
Press Release, Oct. 11, 1961
"A Report on the Sarawak Turtle Industry (1966)," typed ms.
Ridley Turtle Notes - Satung [1959]-1969
"Sabah's Turtle Islands:" Vertebrate Notes," typed ms., 3/10/1966
"Satang Hawksbills (Growth Rates) - II," typed notes, August 14, 1964
Site Plans - Turtle Islands, 1962
"Sizes and Weights of Baby Loggerheads cf. Green," typed notes from Satang [19654-65] 6/27/65
So Excellent a Fishe by Archie Carr, typed review [1967]
"Stirbt die Suppenschildkrote aus?" Umschau, no. 11, 1964, and correspondence
Box 2: Manuscripts (Continued) "T" - "V":
"Turtle Approval Routes" a.ms., March 8, 1962
"Turtle Hatch Experiment; Talang2 Besar (May-July 1959)" and "Parallel Turtle Hatch Talang2 Kechil (May-June, 1959)," typed mss. and a.notes, 1959
Turtle Island:
Turtle Island (partial draft, original 7/22/69)
Turtle Island (partial draft, carbon with a. annotations) July 22, 1969
Turtle Island Turtles," typed ms. for Sarawak Gazette, Aug., 1962
"Turtle Islands of Borneo and Turtle Soup," typed ms., as submitted to the Sunday Times, published as "Must the Turtle Die?"] April 13, 1964
"Turtle Notes, 1965: Satung," typed, May 1, 1965
Turtle Prehistory and Evolution, notes by T.H., 1963
Turtle Rearing Report, typed note, July 5, 1959
"Turtles," 2 typed mss., labelled S.M.J., and S.M.J. 13 [ca.1959]
"Turtles," typed ms., 11p., possibly intended as chapter 15 in Turtle Island. Portions of the text are the same as "Must the Turtle Die?" The folder also contains a fragmentary second copy, with annotations, and a. notes which may pertain to the ms. [between 1962 and 1975]
"Turtles and Blue Water,:" typed ms., May 15, 1962
"Turtles, Hong Kong," a. notes, 7/9 - 8/28/1964
Turtles in Art and Religion - mss., notes, photos, secondary material, 1964-1966
"Turtles in South China Sea," a.note, October, 1964
Turtles in Thailand, a. and typed notes, 1961-1965
"Turtles in the Philippines," several a.mss., notes, correspondcence and secondary material, 1968-1969
Turtles' Nests and Tracks - Besar, Kechil, and Talang (Diagrams) May 20, 1962
"Vertebrates of Sabah, Turtle Islands and Sulu Sea," typed ms., 8/13/64
Box 3: NOTES and NOTEBOOKS (Arranged by date) n.d., 1947-1959:
Satung Records, 1947-1951; notebook
Turtle Data Notebook, 1948
Talang Ketchil Hatch, notebook and loose sheets, 1948-1950
Notes, looseleaf, Sept. 2, 1949-April, 1952 [bulk July- September1950]
Notes from Besar, looseleaf, Sept. 6, 1949-1950 [bulk 1950]
Ms. notebook, with loose sheets inserted, 1950-1951
Notebook, June, 1950, with loose pages inserted
Besar records, April-May, 1951
Miscellaneous notes, 1951-60
Besar Research Bungalow inventory, Notebook 1954,
Notes on Turtles - 3; [notebook, 1955?]
Notebook, 1956
Miscellaneous notebook, labelled "Ridleys - Satang,"1959
Besar and Satang, loosleaf notes,1959
Box 4: Notes and notebooks (continued) 1960-1967:
Ram books; Seven notebooks from Talang2 Besar and Kechil, 1960-1961
Turtle Board, Sarawak, Memorandum and Records, 1961-1966
Turtle Islands Egg Collection Statistics for1946-1967, 1961 - 1967
Notebooks, two shorthand pads, [1963-1964]
Turtle Islands, bound notebook, 7/15-7/17, 1964
Turtle Board, Sarawak, Record Comparison Sheets, 1964-1966
Cornell notebook, 1967
Box 5: Subjects, 1866 [bulk 1949] - 1974:
Brooke, Charles Anthoni Johnson. "The Diary of Charles Brooke, Second Rajah, (Sept. 1866-June1867) 7 typed leaves; fragmentary [n.d.]
Bustard, H. Robert. "The Systematic Status of the Sarawak Green Turtle," and "The Status of Chelonia depressa in Australia Waters," and other mss. attributed to Bustard [ca.1967]
Caribbean Conservation Corporation- Report of the Technical Director, 1964-1965, contract between CCC and government of Costa Rica, correspondence, etc., [ca. 1965]-1967
"Conservation of Sea-Turtles," by Bhwani Tharmalingam from Malayan Nature Journal (v.15, 1961) with a.notes by T.H.
"The Giant Leathery Turtle Conservation Program," by E. Balasingam, copied from the Malayan Nature Journal (v.19, 1965) with a. notes by T.H.
Green Turtle - Bibliographical notes [ca. 1960]
Island Resource Foundation/Caribbean Conservation Association - Report on Sea Turtle Research and Conservation Program, 1972
Measurements of Sea Turtles Caught and Tagged, 1966-67
Niah Caves - "Table Showing Sarawak Time of Sunrise & Sunset at Niah Caves in the Year of 1966"
Palmer, Bruce, "The World about Us," [1965?] and correspondence with T.H., March, 1965-May, 1967
"Pestilent Porpoises, Destructive Dolphin," (FAO Rlease, 1964) - Annotations by T.H.
"Problems of Conservation of Laboratory Primates" by B. Harrisson & W.T. Roth, 1969
Rainfall Data - Sarawak, 1959
Rainforests Habitat and Forestry, miscellaneous secondary matrerial, 1974-1975
"Report on visit to the Th. Pisau Group of Turtle Islands," March, 1964, by B. F. Burgess, Deputy Conservator of Forests; Sandakan
Somadikarta, S. "Sea Turtles in Indonesia," typed ms., or notes based on lecture [1965]
Talang Talang Sea Salinity, typed notes,1964
"Tortoiseshell," copied from the Sarawak Gazette, March 17, 1919 [ca. 196?]
Turtle Egg Collection in Sabah by Stanley deSilva with correspondence to T.H., 1974
Turtle Migration, notes, ms., secondary material [ca.1960]
Turtle Products - Advertisements for products made from turtle parts, 1964-1967
Turtle Soup (3 folders) - Miscellaneous information regarding turtle soup and turtle as food, notes, recipes, menus, surveys of restaurants, etc. [ca. 196?]
Turtle Soup Questionnaire (Durham, England) - Results of Survey Regarding Turtle Soup, 1964
Turtle Tagging - Fragmentary notes & photos, 1956-58
Turtle Tagging (Turtle Islands) - Interim Report on Returns as of Sept. 15, 1957
Turtle Tagging Returns, 1956
Turtles - Bibliographies, 1967
Wooley's Diary, 1901
Box 6: Correspondence, drawings,and photographs, 1950-1975:
General Correspondence by Year
1960-1963
1964
1965
1966-1969
1970-1975
Correspondence By Name:
Bustard, H. Robert, 1964-1974
Caldwell, David K. (Los Angeles County Museum) 1963-1964
Carr, Archie F., 1956 [bulk1965-1966] 1975
Cubitt, T. B. (Newbury Food Bank)- Re: Egg trade, 1964
Fitter, Masie and Richard S., 1966-1967
Hughes, George R. (South Africa) - Includes ms. on Marine Turtles of Natal by Hughes and A. J. Bass, 1966-1969
Mrosovsky, Nicholas, 1968-1973
Schulz, J. P., (Turtles in Suriname) 1964-1965
Sujati Nivatengs (Thai Turtles) 1969
Tanis, O. L., 1965-1969
Wessberg, Karen and Olaf, 1975
Wingate, Roger M., 1965-1966
Correspondence by Subject:
Turtle Board, Sarawak - Official Turtle Board and Sarawak Museum correspondence, internal memorandum, some minutes of board meetings, 1956-1969
Turtles in Sabah, Malaysia, between T.H. and Malaysian officials, P. F. Burgess and G. S. deSilva, with egg collection statistics, 1964-1967, 1975
Visit of Lord and Lady Head and Party to Dungin, 29 July1965, - Correspondence and notes, 1965-1966
Drawings and Photos:
Turtle and Beach Scene Photos, 1965
Photos from Malaysia(?) [197?]
Photos from Sarawak Museum
Scott, Peter, Portrait of a Swan, 1968
Turtle Drawings [dated from discarded envelope],1969
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