Tarlton Rayment

Percy Tarlton Rayment FRZS (27 November 1882 – 17 June 1964) was an Australian artist, author, broadcaster, poet, naturalist, entomologist and beekeeper. He is especially renowned for his extensive pioneering studies of Australia’s native bees.[1][2]

Tarlton Rayment
Born	Percy Tarlton Rayment (1882-11-27)27 November 1882 Carlton
Died	17 June 1964(1964-06-17) (aged 81) Melbourne
Occupation	Artist, naturalist

Apart from numerous papers and articles in the entomological literature and in natural history journals and popular magazines including Walkabout,[3] books authored by Rayment include:

• 1916 - Money in Bees in Australasia. Whitcombe & Tombs: Melbourne. (Handbook to beekeeping).
• 1933 - The Prince of the Totem. Robertson & Mullens: Melbourne. (Collection of Aboriginal tales and legends for children).
• 1935 - A Cluster of Bees. Endeavour Press: Sydney. (Major monograph comprising 60 essays on Australian bees).
• 1937 - The Valley of the Sky. Ivor Nicholson & Watson: London. (Novel).
• 1945 - Eagles and Earthlings. A metrical tribute to the air crews in the war. Author. (Poetry).
• 1946 - Profitable Honey Plants of Australasia. Whitcombe & Tombs: Melbourne. (Handbook to beekeeping).
• 1953 - Bees of the Portland District. Portland Field Naturalists Club.

Although Rayment is currently best remembered as a person who wrote expertly about beekeeping in Australia, he spent a considerable amount of time with the Aruntja people of Central Australia. He had no formal training as an anthropologist, but his wide-ranging intelligence was a good alternative to such training. He was sufficiently accepted by the Aruntja people that, although a white-man, he was regarded as an honorary member of their tribe.

In The Prince of the Totem, Rayment himself drew the striking black-and-white illustrations that vividly depict the characters, and events.