![](https://assets.cambridge.org/97811080/41676/cover/9781108041676.jpg)
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Online publication date:
- May 2012
- Print publication year:
- 2012
- First published in:
- 1829
- Online ISBN:
- 9781139151917
- Subjects:
- History of Science, Life Sciences, Zoology, General Science
19th August 2024: digital purchasing is currently unavailable on Cambridge Core. Due to recent technical disruption affecting our publishing operation, we are experiencing some delays to publication. We are working hard to restore services as soon as possible and apologise for the inconvenience. For further updates please visit our website: https://www.cambridge.org/universitypress/about-us/news-and-blogs/cambridge-university-press-publishing-update-following-technical-disruption
Sir John Richardson (1787–1865), surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer, went on Sir John Franklin's first two Arctic expeditions as ship's doctor and naturalist, and made observations and collected a large number of plant and animal specimens from the Canadian Arctic. On his return to England after the second expedition he began to write this four-volume work of natural history, first published between 1829 and 1837. A volume is dedicated to each of the classes of mammal, bird, fish and insect, which are found in the Canadian Arctic. This work is an interesting example of pre-Darwinian natural history, full of detailed descriptions of the appearance, anatomy and behaviour of the different species. Volume 1, first published in 1829, focuses on mammals. Descriptions of the species sometimes include details of interactions between humans and that species; for example, unfortunate encounters between sailors and polar bears.
* Views captured on Cambridge Core between #date#. This data will be updated every 24 hours.
Usage data cannot currently be displayed.