Day 23: Romantic adventures in field and forest

I was at work today, and I was taking over for the afternoon. Now, it's at a museum during the winter. Not much to do. So, I read books on Google Scholar. Beautiful 19th century books. Today I found one that was published in 1874, called 'The Hunter and the Trapper in North America: Romantic adventures in field and forest'. It was initially published in French, and this 1874 version is the version translated into English. Or so I believe. It's quite bizarre. It's entirely anecdotes focusing on stories about animals found in North America, and people hunting those animals. Now, a few things.

1. It's French guys in pre-Civil War United States. It's one of the most racist things I've ever read. Not negative racist, per se, but y'know. Pre-Civil War racist. Unacceptable and politically incorrect by modern standards. 

2. I'm fairly certain that the people who wrote and illustrated this book had never seen most of the animals before. For example, the drawing of a raccoon looks a lot like a fox. 

Despite these things, it's so beautiful. I am infatuated with 19th century writing. It's so poetic. 

"...which I can only compare to the wild shriek of laughter that occasionally breaks forth in a lunatic asylum..."

"The most hideous spectacle possible was then presented to our horrified gaze."

"...fragments of bone and skin and putrid flesh..."

"...a malicious enchanter..."

"AN EVIL PROPENSITY"

"THEIR EYES SHUT FORTH FLAME AND FIRE"

"According to all probability, my cat had a changing skin, and belonged to the race of chameleons."

"The moon had risen, and its silver light flooded the mysterious glades of the forest."

"...a kind of pestiferous carrion house, surrounded by shreds of putrid carcasses and whitened bones."

"If a storm broke out during a battle, he was carried off by the lightning and reduced to dust."

"...the stars vanished, absorbed in the ethereal azure; the moon, wan and white as a phantom..."

"HE STOOD THERE IN STATUESQUE DIGNITY"

Oh, check out these images from the book. Like this one of two guys hunting "stags" in the woods, at night, while wearing hats made with lanterns.

And this raccoon, that looks suspiciously like something else...

What does the fox say? Not raccoon noises, that's for sure.