Catesby, Mark

Catesby, Mark

(c. 1679–1749) naturalist; born in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. He studied natural history in London and first came to America in 1712. He lived in Virginia for seven years and diligently sent collections of plants and seeds to England, whence he returned in 1719. In 1722 he returned to America, traveling in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida to observe the region's natural life. Returning to England in 1726, he wrote and illustrated The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, published at intervals from 1731–48.