When Joseph Banks withdrew at the last minute from Cook's second expedition, John Reinhold Forster and his son George were appointed. The voyage made their reputations. They made detailed observations of the natural history and cultures of the islands they visited and made extensive collections of both natural history specimens and ethnographic artefacts. On their return, they published books about the voyage, both men providing detailed accounts that are still used by scholars today. The primary aim of this book is to discover where Forster specimens have been seen and studied or otherwise documented; also to determine currently accepted names.