William Anderson Cawthorne was an artist, author and schoolmaster. He recorded his observations of how Adelaide had been affected by the rush to Victoria for gold, in his diary from 1849-1859 held in the State Library of NSW Manuscripts Collection.

In November 1862, an advertisement in The Critic recommended his book Who Killed Cockatoo? for young children to acquaint them with the nature of the colony. Cawthorne had modified the English rhyme Who Killed Cock Robin? and illustrated the small pamphlet with his own engravings of Australian birds and animals.