Gerald Durrell was a zoologist who founded the Jersey Island Zoo in the Channel Islands. He wrote about his expeditions to procure animals as a way to fund his zoo and his crusade to save endangered species (the
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust continues his work).
The Whispering Land is a re-issue of a work originally published in 1964, covering an expedition to Argentina. I had enjoyed Durrell's writing much more when it first came out. The ensuing years have not been kind.
His tales of lighting cigarettes on commercial flights and of nightly gin and tonics speak of an outdated lifestyle. His anthropomorphic descriptions of animals' behavior seem out of place for a scientist (there are two pages detailing the actions of fur seals "making love").
Overall, I was disappointed that this work did not live up to my memories of Durrell's books.