Wanderings in South America by Charles Waterton

Description

Although in the original preface to this work the British naturalist Charles Waterton (1782-1865) modestly says his book has 'little merit', his account is a rich description of his experiences in South America and the Caribbean. Waterton managed his family's sugar plantations in Demerara from 1804 to 1812, studied natural history, and later (1812-25) divided his time between the Americas and Europe. This book, originally published in 1825 and reissued here in its 1828 second edition, show more describes his four expeditions, beginning with his search deep in the rainforest for samples of the rare poison, curare. Waterton also recounts a fierce battle with the Maroons, but his main focus is zoology, including the capture of 'an enormous Coulacara snake', encounters with sloths, monkeys and vampire bats, and close observations of a huge variety of birds. The final chapter describes Waterton's methods of 'preserving birds for cabinets of natural history'. show less

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2 reviews

wesh 70 reviews

An interesting if at times rambling account of Charles Waterton's...well...his wanderings in South America, &c. The passages dealing with the US Pacific Northwest are revealing. The illustrations by Charles Livingston Bull are a treasure.

Dec 21, 2007

jpyvr 1 review

Couldn't finish.

Apr 10, 2010

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Africansky1 156 reviews