Robert D. FitzGerald
Irish surveyor, ornithologist, botanist and poet
Died when: 61 years 256 days (740 months)Star Sign: Sagittarius
Robert David FitzGerald (or possibly Robert Desmond FitzGerald) (30 November 1830 – 12 August 1892) was an Irish-Australian surveyor, ornithologist, botanist and poet.Whilst working as a public servant FitzGerald's private passion and ability regarding ornithology and botany became so skillful that he communicated directly with Charles Darwin regarding Australian species of plant and was referred to several times in the book The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species of 1877.
He also collected orchids for the German-Australian botanist Ferdinand von Mueller.His extraordinary skills gave rise to a volume of work completed over seven years called Australian Orchids which Joseph Dalton Hooker another botanist, considered "would be an honour to any country and to any Botanist".