Forster, Johann Reinhold, 1729–98, German naturalist and teacher. His Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (1772–73) on zoology, ornithology, and ichthyology established him as one of the earliest authorities on North American zoology. Forster accompanied Capt. James Cook on his second voyage around the world and published (1778) his observations on the trip. His son, Georg Forster, 1754–94, was a naturalist, traveler, and author. He also accompanied Cook on his second world voyage. Georg's account of the trip was published in 1777, and although not so scholarly as Johann's account, Georg's work established a new genre of travel books presenting scientific information in a fine literary style.
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