The Naturalist on the River Amazons

by Henry Walter Bates, Henry Walter Botes

Charles Darwin encouraged Bates to write this book about his 11-year experience exploring and collecting insects in the Amazon basin.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Science, Biology, Nature, Natural History, History

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1863

About the author

After British naturalist Henry Walter Bates, a palatable or harmless species of insects especially in Batesian mimicry, a protective form, closely resembles one that predators therefore avoid.

This fellow of royal, Linnean, and geological societies and an English explorer gave the first scientific account in animals. He started his most famous expedition to the rainforests of the Amazon River with Alfred Russel Wallace in 1848. Wallace returned in 1852 but lost his collection on the return voyage, when his ship caught fire. Bates sent back more than 14,712 samples, including eight thousand new scientific specimens, and after a full eleven years arrived home in 1859. Bates wrote up his findings in The Naturalist on the River Amazons , his best-known work.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_W...

Reviews

[Merilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful 1863 classic by the famous naturalist after whom Batesian mimicry is nmaed. An into by Charles Darwin himself. It must have been on a later trip that Bates' home-bound ship caught fire and he lost almost all of his specimens (dead and alive) and his drawings. He was apparently 3 days in a lifeboat and was lucky to have been rescued.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book describes Henry Walter Bates’ 11 year journey of discovery, documenting and collecting plants and animals in the Amazon region of South America. He is often accompanied by his companion, Alfred Wallace. Some of the samples they collected are still in museums even today. Alfred Wallace later went on to become famous in his own right for his work in the Malay Archipelago.

The book has illustrations of the a lot of the plants and animals mentioned but not all of them. Usually, he gives scientific name of each plant and animal so one can look them up if desired. However, a few of the names seem to have changed since the 1800s.

I would call this book partly a travelogue. In addition to plants and animals, he describes the places and people he encounters during his travels. Some of it is a bit racist. Unfortunately, this seems to have been common during the time.

Although certainly it seemed at times tedious, stressful, and even dangerous, it also sounds like it would have been quite an adventure too, driven by one’s curiosity to discover many new and wondrous things. One learns something from each new discovery, but this discovery also opens up more questions to explore. For example, why is the toucans’ beak the way that it is?

A few things that would have been nice to improve:
- More illustrations of plants/animals. Many plants/animals had illustrations but many did not.
- A map showing where he went. Some of the names he mentions are hard to find on a modern map.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

When he actually talks about natural history, it's quite delightful. He brushes up against, but doesn't quite mention, the concept of mimicry (one of the things for which he is most remembered today). I enjoyed the mentions of Wallace and wish there had been more about their interactions. Stars taken off mostly for the 19th century casual racism.

[Seb · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the great natural history book, Bates makes the rich diversity of the Amazon basin come to life. If that book doesn't make you want to go to the 19th-century Amazon at least a little bit, I'm not sure you're fully human.

[Jon Mountjoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tales of English naturalist and explorer Henry Bates. He spent 11 years in the Amazons, ending 1859. That's a quite remarkable time to have travelled the world. During this time he had "collected over 14,000 species, of which 8,000 were new to science." That's quite something.

The book is not, I admit, an absolute pleasure to read. Some of it is tedious. But the wonder it instills is quite something. Just imagine what it must have been like in that day and age, to experience that amazing river, the people, the animals, the sickness and hardships, the newness and excitement.

The book is also of its time. The number of times the author mentions various races and mixes of races is quite astounding. How they mix, and in what proportion, is somehow very important. The Indian's skin, is apparently hot to the touch, and speaking of a particular individual, he says "This Indian was a man of steady resolution, ambitious and enterprising; very rare qualities in the race to which he belonged, weakness of resolution being one of the fundamental defects in the Indian character." That's about the kindest quote I could find of his - there are plenty far more base.

Given all this, he does appear to be against slavery: "The problem, how to obtain a labouring class for a new and tropical country, without slavery, has to be solved before this glorious region can become what its delightful climate and exuberant fertility fit it for—the abode of a numerous, civilised, and happy people."

I wanted to learn about how it was to be in that day and age, and this book certainly delivered on that. Not just on attitudes to race, as noted above, but also on "civilization" (and how it had to be brought on other people, or how remarkable it was to him how it was rejected by some), on language (Tupi, primarily), on religion (it's taken for granted that his religion is "right") and its upholding, and how easy it is for him to kill animals. I'd be reading some beautiful passage about a rare and wondrous animal, only for it to be curtailed with something like "After watching the animal for about half an hour I gave him a charge of shot."

Also covered are the peoples (the Portuguese of course, as well), the breathtaking expanse of the river, the animals, the plants, disease (much of which would have been caused by Europeans), and science and its pursuit.

I found this quote, on disease, so sad:

The principal cause of their decay in numbers seems to be a disease which always appears amongst them when a village is visited by people from the civilised settlements—a slow fever, accompanied by the symptoms of a common cold, "defluxo," as the Brazilians term it, ending probably in consumption. The disorder has been known to break out when the visitors were entirely free from it— the simple contact of civilised men, in some mysterious way, being sufficient to create it. It is generally fatal to the Juris and Passes; the first question the poor, patient Indians now put to an advancing canoe is, "Do you bring defluxo?"

Some things were quite funny too. In all seriousness he claims "I was once two years without tasting wheaten bread, and attribute partly to this the gradual deterioration of health which I suffered on the Upper Amazons"

He arrived back the year that The Origin of Species was published, which I'm sure must have influenced some of his writing. What a pity he never had that book in hand when he explored. Darwin did, however, write the foreword and encourage that this book be written.

[Dennis Littrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary and very readable

I read the Kindle edition which is the edition from 1864. It came out five years after the publication of Charles Darwin’s “The Origin of Species.” (I believe all the editions offered are very much the same; after all, this is public domain book.) It includes “An Appreciation” by Darwin and numerous typos and archaic geographical names; however I wasn’t the slightest bit distracted. The lengthy narrative is a masterpiece of its kind coming from one the great naturalists of the nineteen century in the person of Henry Walter Bates who began this awesome adventure in 1848 with Alfred Russel Wallace. Wallace returned to England in 1852 but Bates stayed on another seven years as he sent over 14,000 specimens back to Europe, some 8,000 of them new to science, including plants, animals, many birds, and many, many insects.

Bates does not limit his attention to flora and fauna. He gives the reader a vivid, colorful and detailed account of what it was like to live along the rivers of the Amazon among the various “Indian” tribes, the mulattos, the half breeds, the “negroes,” free and slave, the whites and even some cannibals. He gives us some idea of the politics, the sociology, geography, and a riveting account of what’s it’s like to face mosquitos, poisonous snakes, alligators, jaguars, biting insects, etc. in heavy, humid heat while tramping through the jungle in bare feet. Yes, he was often in bare feet.

In navigating the rivers we learn what it’s like to travel aboard small craft tossed about by sharp changes in wind and weather. Additionally, finding enough to eat was no small matter; and eating nothing but turtle flesh for weeks on end with just a smattering of fruits and nuts was more challenging that I would ever want to be challenged. But Bates didn’t just endure this; he reveled in it. What a romantic age it was for the naturalist adventurer! It was like competing for the highest prizes since there was still so, so much to be discovered; and to be one of the great naturalists of that age was to be a most amazing and greatly admired person.

Bates can claim his place alongside Darwin and Wallace and maybe even hold a bit of an edge in terms of hardships endured and species discovered. His indefatigable curiosity about plants, animals, people and their interactions is like no one I’ve ever read. I won’t say that this book is better than Darwin’s “The Voyage of the Beagle” published in 1839, but it belongs in the same league. No serious student of natural history, evolutionary biology, anthropology, or sociology, for that matter, should miss it. The difference between the way people lived along the Amazon in the middle of the nineteenth century and the way they live today alone is fascinating. The many hardships of everyday life that Bates endured along with the locals—and endured them with such nonchalance—amazed me. I thought at one time what a fine thing it would be to study ants in faraway places like the Amazon basin. To be honest after reading this book I know that even in my best years I would not be able to do it.

Bottom line: this is the best natural history book I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a few.

--Dennis Littrell, author of “Understanding Evolution and Ourselves

[Patty Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars for this one. A sometimes fascinating, sometimes tedious look at the Amazon region in the mid 1800s written by a naturalist who lived there for about 10 years, travelling around the area quite extensively. Unfortunately, he also comments frequently on the Indians of the area from the mindset of the mid 1800s, calling them "savages" and comparing them negatively to "civilized" races. He doesn't have much problem with the tribes that enslave other tribes, and even at one point "acquires" a house boy from such a tribe. He repeatedly suggests that their minds are inferior and incapable. Towards the end, such comments are very frequent. He is, however, very positive about other non-whites.

On the positive side, his descriptions of the landscapes, vegetation, wildlife, and village life are vivid and interesting. His goal was to see and collect specimens of all living animals, and some plants too, from the area. He never hesitates to shoot anything he can, from monkeys to rodents to birds, so that he can send them to museums. It took place before the days of conservation and the demise of the turtles in the area is foreshadowed in his description of the many thousand turtles killed annually for food and to make oil, and millions of turtle eggs collected for food.

Maps would be a welcome addition to the book.

[Jonathan Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an entomologist who lived in Ega (Tefé), I find it fascinating to read the accounts of a naturalist in the mid nineteenth century. Bate’s insect drawing plates are unbelievably beautiful and precise. For the technology available at the time, he must have been a very skilled artist.
On the last page, as Bates is leaving and sees the Amazon forest for the last time, he writes a quite interesting reflection on the contrasts between life in the tropics and life in England, each one having its attractions, with the Amazon being incomparably diverse in nature and England incomparably diverse in social life. As someone from the tropics that appreciated the intellectualism of British culture, I can relate to this question.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall excellent, very well written and engaging. A great first-hand introduction to the natural history of the Amazon basin and the character of the river and surrounding neighborhoods. Bates writes in a very immediate way about his life during those years (mid-nineteenth century): difficulties and triumphs, and many personal experiences. His knowledge of the wildlife and the effort that he put into his studies are humbling. This book also serves as a good travel guide: anyone planning to be on the great river during high water may think again after reading his descriptions. Highly recommended.

[Kew · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, stalled out halfway through. Boring. He does not describe the plants and animals enough to get an image of them. He seemed to only scratch the surface of the peoples, animals, bugs he runs into, gaining little perspective into their behavior or culture. Does give an interesting glimpse into a world where multiple cultures are living side-by-side effectively and some of the logistical issues in travel along the Amazon River area.

Not a hard read, considering when it is written, just not worth my time.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Bates' travelog quite interesting especially for his descriptions of the people and cultures. He describes much of his travels on the Amazons and its natural history which is a bit difficult to follow due to a lack of maps and his list-like recitation. This edition has many annoying typos. The edition also suffers from its format -- small print and little white space making the reading stressful on the eyes. Despite all, well worth a read.

[Woody Debris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, to have been alive back in the era of Victorian natural history exploration...

[Jim Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most fun true adventure stories I have ever read. His time, this place, and his discovers were probably the most exciting possible anyone could experienc ever!

[Rod]

Enchanting, vivid tale of an 11 year expedition to the Amazons over 175 years ago

[Miriam Fitting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Often self-serving autobiography on motherhood, irritated the crap out of me often but other parts rang true hugely.