First edition: 283 pages, frontispiece, 18 plates - the plates are printed on poorer quality paper than the text and are lightly browned, original blind stamped mauve cloth gilt, a very good copy.
Mendelssohn (Sidney) South African Bibliography, volume 1, page 897, ‘An account of three journeys in South Africa in the middle of the nineteenth century (1848-1852). The author arrived in Algoa Bay in September 1848, and two months later proceeded to " Graham's Town, "where he remained for ten months, engaged in "shooting, collecting, and preserving birds." He then journeyed to Graaff-Reinet, where a hunting expedition was planned to Lake N'gami, but some dissensions breaking out among the party, the trip was abandoned, and Leyland, and Mr. Nicholson (author of “The Cape and its Colonists," who formed one of the expedition) returned to Algoa Bay. The next trip was started from Graaff-Reinet, on May 18, 1850, and the author evidently endeavoured to combine trading with shooting, but was not very successful in the former direction, he enjoyed, however, excellent sport, meeting lions, hyenas, and all kinds of antelopes, and obtaining a large number of natural history specimens. On his return he stayed for some time at Colesberg, where he became acquainted with Mr. S. Edwards, son of the well-known missionary of that name. They agreed to go to Lake N'gami, and started on their journey on October 26, 1850. En route they visited Dr. Livingstone, then stationed at Kob^Jeng, and saw something of the disturbed state of the country, the result of the disputes of the Boers with Secheli, and of the Kaffir War of 1850. They arrived at the lake on July 13, 1851, and remained in the district till about the end of the year, hunting and trading and obtaining knowledge with respect to the inhabitants and fauna of the country, subsequently, Mr. Leyland returned to Algoa Bay. The volume possesses many notes respecting the game and wild animals and birds of South Africa, with references to Dr. Livingstone and other travellers and missionaries encountered in the journeys.’
S2A3 Biographical Database of Southern African Science (https://www.s2a3.org.za/bio/Biograph_final.php?serial=3316)
'John Leyland was a British hunter and naturalist. He and Francis Nicholson set out on a hunting trip into the Kalahari but travelled by separate routes from the Modder River to Lake Ngami, which they reached in 1851. Both collected birds along the way. Those collected by Leyland were sold to Sir William Jardine. Leyland became the second visitor to Lake Ngami, following David Livingstone, to describe his adventure.'
- Overall Condition: Very good
- Size: 8vo (195 x 138mm)
