File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (18157501432).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo15amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
BEGINNINGS OF AMERICAN NATURAL HISTORY By Charles R. Eastman
Text Appearing After Image:
THE following notes concerning the first mention in literature of various American animals have been suggested by the discussion which has been running in Nature during the past twelve-month concerning early ref- erences to the opossum and kangaroo. The article may serve as a sequel also to one on "The Beaver Group" by Dr. F. A. Lucas, in the Journal of the American Museum for March, 1913, and to two or three that have appeared in Science and Popular Science Monihhi, by Dr. E. W. Gudger, on early Brazilian naturalists. It is surprising how rapidly informa- tion accumulated regarding the natural history of the New World directly after its discovery. Columbus himself, a voluminous writer, is proved by his Journal and letters to ha^•e been a keen observer of the strange aspects of nature and man in the regions discovered by him. To the Admiral we owe the first account of the alligator, iguana, hutia, manatee, native dog of the \^'est Indies, and numerous species of birds, trees and plants. The letter of Dr. Chanca, who accompanied Go!uml)us, and those of ^^espucci ^ are also full of interestin;:^; natural history details. 1 Vespucci's first letter (1497) was republislied in facsimile hy Varnliagen in 1893, having for frontispiece a design by Stradanns dating from about 1580, in wliicli various South American animals are rejjresented. Mention occurs in tliis letter of tiie iguana, puma and ocelot from the coast of Tampico. Dr. Chanca's letter has re- cently been translated and edited by Fernandez de Ybarra, in Smithson. Misc. Coll., 1906, and Journ. Amer. Med. Assoc, for same year. Cut at the left above, macaw after pre-Colum- bian Maya codex; at the right, Central American parrot, as shown in Maya codex. As early as 1504 there was published in Venice a little collection- of voyages entitled Libretto dc tutta la Navigatioiie dc Re de Spagna, de la Isole et Terreni Nouimenie Trovati. The matter in this Libretto was taken over into the famous Paesi Nommente Retrovati, a larger col- lection edited by P'racanzio da Montal- boddo, and printed in 1507, '08, '13 and '19. In the Libretto and also in this second collection are found the first printed description of the opossum. The Oceani Decas (Decade of the Ocean) of Peter Martyr was published in 1511, and this and succeeding Decades are enlivened by interesting digressions on the natural history of the new conti- nent. Here occurs the first mention in literature of the potato and the earliest recognizalile description of the tapir. This author's statement that a live opossum, captm-ed with her litter by the Pinzons in 1500, was exhibited in Gran- ada, Spain, is confirmed by a Latin inscription which accompanies a figure intended to represent this animal in the Waldseemiiller world-map of 1516, and in three succeeding editions of Ptolemy's Geof/raphj/. A reproduction of a portion of the map known as Tabula Terre Nove in the Ptol- emy of 1522 showing this same figure and a Brazilian cannibal scene, is given by Edward Everett Hale in Winsor's Narra- tire and Critical History of America (vol. ii, p. 598). Gesner and Topsell also take their illustrations of the so- - Peter Martyr is thought to have been the author of the Latin original, and Angelo Trivi- giano the translator and editor of this pioneer work. 349

Note About Images