In the Heart of the Amazon Forest

One of the most impressive of all Victorian scientists but also a marvellous writer, Bates'' (1825-1892) account of his years in the upper reaches of the Amazon is almost too good to be true - a great monument to human inquisitiveness as he battles great hoards of malevolent reptiles and insects in his quest for ever more obscure specimens on ever more narrow and creeper-choked tributaries.

Great J...