The Naturalist on the River Amazons [Volume II only]

London: John Murray. Very Good with No dust jacket as issued. 1863. First Edition. Hardcover. Volume two only of two volumes. Ex-libris bookplate on front endpaper, J. Cecil Le Sonet, with motto "Souef Sans Foyblesse" and tree and crown illustration. A minor dampstain to outer margin of a few leaves, extending 15mm into blank margin of a few leaves around the plate facing page 279. A minor dampstain 35mm long and extending 5mm into margin of most leaves up to about page 115. Joints and hinges very good. 12mm split to cloth at upper end of rear joint, and 6mm split near lower end of rear joint. Slight starting to gutter at front hinge. Tiny 3mm loss to cloth at tail of spine and tip of lower corner of front board. Minimal foxing. Overall a nice and original copy of the second volume only. ; Volume Two only of two volumes. Title continues: "A Record of Adventures, Habits of Animals, Sketches of Brazilian and Indian Life, and Aspects of Nature Under the Equator, During Eleven Years of Travel". vi, 423, [1 (blank)] pages + frontispiece + 3 plates. 20 in-text illustrations. Original brown cloth boards with gilt lettering and rule on spine, gilt illustration on front board. Page dimensions: 198 x 122mm. "I have already given a short account of the size, situation, and general appearance of Santarem. Although containing not more than 2500 inhabitants, it is the most civilised and imporant settlement on the banks of the main river from Peru to the Atlantic." - the opening sentences of Chapter One, page 1. [Reference: de Moraes "Bibliographia Brasiliana" p. 91: "Bates came to the Amazon with [Alfred Russel] Wallace in 1848, and remained in Brazil for 11 years. He formed an enormous collection of about 14,000 insects [. . .] It was Darwin who encouraged him to write this book, which today is a classic. In Darwin's words: 'Bates is only excelled by Humboldt in his description of the tropical forest.'"] .