Early Naturalists of N. ۥ
Tlio writings of John Lawson anil John
Brickell are still extant and provide a
wealth of information regarding the na¬
tural resources of North Carolina.
ARK CATESBYS The Nat¬
ural History oj Carolina,
Florida . and the Bahama
Islands was published in two vol¬
umes. The first, an illustrated de¬
scription of one hundred species of
birds observed in the new country,
appeared in 1731. The second vol¬
ume treated the fish, serpents, and
plants and was published twelve
years later. Both contain drawings
and observations which are still
valid, and Catesbury’s publication
is considered to be the first authen¬
tic study of the natural history of
North America.
John Lawson made an earlier
study of the natural history of
North Carolina, however. Lawson
met his death at an Indian stake
in 1711, one year before Catesby's
arrival in America. Catesby’s
work was not begun until his sec¬
ond trip to America, in 1722.
while the first printing of Lawson’s
book appeared in 1709. It was re¬
printed in 1714, and several copies
of it have been made more re¬
cently.
Was Surveyor-General
Lawson carried the title of Sur¬
veyor-General for the Proprietor
of the Province of North Carolina.
He was deeply concerned about the
negligence of the English in learn¬
ing about the continent of Amer¬
ica. Most travellers were not well
enough educated to be able to re¬
late their experiences, and unlike
the French, the English appointed
no one specifically to perform the
task of reporting on the new coun¬
try. John Lawson assumed that
duty of his own accord. During
the eight years of his travelling
and surveying in North Carolina,
he kept careful journals and later
organized their contents into a
book.
The first third of Lawson’s The
History oj North Carolina was de¬
voted to his "Journey of a Thou¬
sand Miles." an excursion which
lasted from 1700 to 1708 and took
him through several nations of In¬
dians. In the second portion. Law-
son described the general features
of North Carolina between Curri¬
tuck and Cape Fear. He described
«»/
filOROK S. F1CIITER
the crops and plants of the area and
then consumed eighty-five pages in
listing and explaining about the va¬
rious animals which were to be
found there. Finally, Lawson gave
a detailed account of the customs
and manners of the native Indians.
Lawson wrote vividly and bold¬
ly. One is easily reminded of his
statement that he intended to be
very exact in his account, for his re¬
porting was admirably candid. He
was certainly far more objective
than most chroniclers of his day.
and his integrity far surpassed that
of many who have followed him.
Lawson repeatedly emphasized that
he attempted above all to be truth¬
ful. His greatest weakness was his
confiding acceptance of stories told
to him by others.
A Primitive Country
Except for a few savannas.
North Carolina — even the Pied¬
mont — was completely forested
when Lawson traveled through it.
Big game animals were found in
abundance, for the land was not
yet divested of its covering. At the
time Lawson wrote, for example,
buffaloes were still killed occasion¬
ally in the hilly regions along the
Cape Fear River. Bears were com¬
mon. as were wolves and beavers.
Elk ranged with the buffaloes, but
Lawson said their fiesh was not as
tasty as that of the deer. The pan¬
ther still occurred in North Caro¬
lina too.
Opossums were something new
to Lawson, for they are peculiar to
North America. Like other Euro¬
peans who encountered the opos¬
sum for the first time, he was fasci¬
nated by the strange manner in
which the young were carried, but
he also recognized how primitive
the animal is. Passenger pigeons
were so numerous during the win¬
ter months one year that they
broke the limbs from many large
trees and flew by in flocks so large
that it took a quarter of an hour for
them to pass. Each flock was fol¬
lowed by another for hour after
hour. Parakeets were regular
spring visitors in the southern por¬
tions of the state.
All of these animals — except the
opossums — are no longer found in
North Carolina. They have been re¬
placed by species more compatible
to human habitation and ones
which prosper in cultivated lands.
Lawson, of course, listed many
other animals, but he made no pre¬
tense of having exhausted the spe¬
cies which might be found. He
clearly stated that he expected his
list to serve solely as a guide for a
more complete natural history to
be prepared by someone in ’ the
future.
The second contributor to the
annals of natural history in North
Carolina was John Brickell, a phy¬
sician of Edenton. His book, called
The Natural History of North Car¬
olina, was published in 1737. It
was obviously styled after Law-
son’s. Many examples of absolute
Siarism can be identified, but
kell also added a great amount
of new information.
Ancient Superstitions
Brickell was not as objective as
Lawson. He visioned in every ani¬
mal either cure or cause for sick¬
ness. For example, he said that the
fresh blood of a mole would cause
hair to grow on bald spots, that the
liver would cause wens to disap¬
pear, and that the pulverized heart
would cure ruptures. The flesh of
screech owls was recommended for
palsies and melancholy and their
grease and galls for strengthening
eyesight. According to Brickell,
headaches could be cleared if the
brain were eaten, and consumption
of an entire, unplucked bird would
help quinsy.
Like Lawson, Brickell gave an
account of the general features of
North Carolina. He discussed the
character and practices of the In¬
dians. elaborating on Lawson’s
presentation. Brickell’s book added
little to the factual knowledge con¬
cerning the animals in North Caro-
olina. A few additions were made
to Lawson's list, and the medicinal
[Continued on page 18)
THE STATE. JULV lO. 1948
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