Book 95: "The Bafut Beagles" by Gerald Durrell
Friday, November 30th, 2007 13:03![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kittiwakeFirst published in 1949, this is an account of Durrell's animal collecting expedition in the mountains of the British Cameroons.
I studied "My Family and Other Animals" for my English Lit 'O' Level, and went on to borrow several of his other books from the library. So it's possible that I read this book when I was a teenager, but all the collecting expeditions have blurred into one in my memory, so I don't really remember whether I did or not. The way he talks about the animals is wonderful, as you get a good feel for their behaviour and calls as well as what they look like. Even the toads have personality! He also writes about his talks with the Fon of Bafut (the regional ruler) and local life and customs, and the book is illustrated with line drawings of animals, some of which are very amusing. I also love his descriptions of walking through the mountains around dawn through the early morning mist and the play of light and weather over the mountains.
I studied "My Family and Other Animals" for my English Lit 'O' Level, and went on to borrow several of his other books from the library. So it's possible that I read this book when I was a teenager, but all the collecting expeditions have blurred into one in my memory, so I don't really remember whether I did or not. The way he talks about the animals is wonderful, as you get a good feel for their behaviour and calls as well as what they look like. Even the toads have personality! He also writes about his talks with the Fon of Bafut (the regional ruler) and local life and customs, and the book is illustrated with line drawings of animals, some of which are very amusing. I also love his descriptions of walking through the mountains around dawn through the early morning mist and the play of light and weather over the mountains.
