A Naturalist in Costa Rica

by Alexander F. Skutch

A Naturalist in Costa Rica picks up Alexander F. Skutch's story in 1935, the year his memoir The Imperative Call ends. In it he records his life, work, observations, and reflections during thirty-five years in the southeastern Pacific section of Costa Rica.

Genres: Nonfiction

382 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1992

About the author

Doctor Alexander Frank Skutch was a naturalist and writer. He published numerous scientific papers and books about birds and several books on philosophy. He is best remembered for his pioneering work on helpers at the nest. Skutch wrote over 40 books and over 200 papers on ornithology, preferring a descriptive style and eschewing statistics and even banding.

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anecdotes of mishap and discovery by a young naturalist who first came to Costa Rica in 1935. Skutch's prose is lush, at times courtly. His description of the Entada, a gigantic liana, is especially fine; he is sometimes given to vocabulary like "bedight" and "scandent."

Of particular interest to me are the chapters on farming and coffee agriculture, written long before the late-century introduction of "sun coffee." Skutch's strength is that he understands both birds and plants and their interactions, as in the "Birds and Arils" section of chapter 22.

[Margery · Rating 3 out of 5]

what a fascinating man and an interesting life - one that could not be duplicated in today's world. Kept me running to Google to find pictures of the plants/birds/animals he described.

[Martha Crouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

My lack of knowledge made some chapters difficult to get through, but I loved the narrative sections that chronicled Skutch's life in Costa Rica, and I learned from the chapters on the flora and fauna of this beautiful country.