Catesby, Mark (c. 1679–1749)

English naturalist. He spent his time alternately in England and the USA. Travelling in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida to observe the region's natural life, he wrote and illustrated The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands published in England at intervals from 1731–48.

He was 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.