Descrizione

London, The Royal Society, 1781. 4to (26.0 x 19.2 cm). 6 pp.; one large, double-folded engraved plate. Disbound. = A rare paper by the German naturalist and zoologist of Scottish descent, Johann "John" Reinhold Forster (1729-1798), describing and illustrating a new species of cat, Felis capensis, observed by Forster at the Cape of Good Hope, during his voyage, as official naturalist - replacing Joseph Banks - on the Resolution with Captain Cook (second Pacific voyage). Five years earlier, and apparently unknown to Forster, Schreber described the same species as Felis serval. It is still known as serval, but it has become extinct in the Cape Province and the coastal region east of the Cape. Published in the Society's Philosophical Transactions. Uncut. edges a bit uneven, lightly frayed; light offsetting to the plate; otherwise in excellent condition.