Thomas Horsfield (1773-1859) was an American naturalist who worked extensively on the flora, fauna and geology of Java. He left the East Indies in 1819 and became Keeper of the Museum of the East India Company in Leadenhall Street. This publication is one of the most significant works of zoology in Java and the region. It presents Horsfield’s research with notes on taxonomy, morphological characteristics and behavioural descriptions of species such as primates, bats and birds. Most of the original drawings were by William Daniell (1769-1839), the noted English landscape artist and engraver known for his works on the Far East.
