The Naturalist in Nicaragua

by Thomas Belt

Sometimes.we would fall in with a troop of the white-faced cebus monkey, rapidly running away, throwing themselves from tree to tree. This monkey feeds also partly on fruit, but is incessantly on the look-out for insects, examining the crevices in trees and withered leaves, seizing the largest beetles and munching them up with great relish. -from Chapter VIII This masterpiece of scientific reportage and travel storytelling, first published in 1874, is a captivating narrative of the journeys of mining engineer Thomas Belt through the tropical rivers, valleys, forests, and lakes of Nicaragua. Replete with vivid descriptions of the animals and plants he encountered and full of ruminations on the geology of the region that were dismissed as fanciful at the time but have since been vindicated as true, this is "the best of all natural history journals which have ever been published," according to no less an authority than Charles Darwin. English engineer THOMAS BELT (1832-1878) traveled the world working mines from Australia to Colorado and producing numerous papers on topics ranging from geology to paleontology. The Naturalist in Nicaragua is considered his greatest work.

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1874

About the author

1832-1878

From Wikipedia: Thomas Belt FGS (1832 – 21 September 1878), an English geologist and naturalist, was born at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1832, and educated in that city. He is remembered for his work on the geology of gold bearing minerals, glacial geology, and for his description of the mutualistic relationship between certain bullthorn Acacia species and their Pseudomyrmex ants.

Reviews

[Paola · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good book for Nicaraguans to read but it requires modern knowledge of a few things. Although Thomas had some very racists views I still recommend the book.

[Alvaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a great book. Thomas Belt was definitely an incredibly smart man, with great attention to detail. Books like "The Naturalist in Nicaragua" should make us stop and look around our house, our country, and wonder at the incredible marvels that nature has to offer!

[Private Account · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband and I have a farm in Acoyapa, very near where Thomas Belt spent four years a century and a half ago. Of all the places he writes about, I have been to almost all of them. The animals, birds, foods, and people he encountered have not changed much at all. What a joy it was to read an experience so similar to my own! Though there are no longer wild monkeys or many alligators, his observations about the ants just cracked me up. "I know those guys!!!" I would think. I also learned things, like that we should plant madre de cacao trees above our cacao and banana trees, and that during the garapata season, we should rub our legs with wax.

[Kiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to learn about the wildlife but the very dated racial stereotypes were hard to read past.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Belt is detailed and thorough in every investigation that captures his interest. As we join him on his four year journey through Nicaragua, he teaches us about the culture, the nature (both plant and animal), and the topography/geography. He's an expert in gold mining, glacial activity, and ants, but his deep understanding of people and the way their circumstances shape them is obvious throughout his travelogue. His coverage of Nicaragua and her people is incredible and very interesting. No stone is left unturned here, and though his studies were obviously specific to the natural species he uncovered, going to great lengths to detail the species he observed and their habits, this book offers a much bigger perspective than just that. His way with words keeps the topics interesting even though his explanations are very scientific. He did an amazing job of capturing the country and the culture as it existed then.

Topics covered in this work include:
- Gold mining (how its done and how the deposits are discovered)
- Mammal, bird, and insect species specific to Nicaragua, with particular attention paid to the different types of ants and beetles and their impact on the environment
- Plant and floral species specific to Nicaragua, including what is grown wild versus what must be cultivated
- Glacial activities from the ice age
- Volcanic activity and how it shaped the landscape
- Nicaraguans and their cultural differences
- Politics of the country
- Conquest of the country

[Leo W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinarily interesting. Ranks with The Malay Archipelago and Humbolt's classics. Wide-ranging travelogue, rich with musing on geology, meteorology, and natural history. Many discoveries, it seems, are his that I had long attributed to more modern authors. A reader will need to put aside his disdain for the industry of Nicaraguan people to appreciate the text.