James Orton

James Orton (21 April 1830, Seneca Falls, New York – 25 September 1877, Lake Titicaca, Peru) was an American naturalist who contributed much to the knowledge of South America and the Amazon basin.

Biography James Orton taken in William Notman's studio in Montreal in 1870. Orton was the son of Presbyterian clergyman and theologian Azariah Giles Orton. Four of his seven brothers died in infancy, and the family's financial resources were very meager. Early in life he developed an interest in natural history and writing. Financial difficulties and poor health delayed his matriculation at Williams College,

Works His works include: Miners' Guide and Metallurgists' Directory (New York, 1849) The Proverbalist and the Poet (Philadelphia, 1852) The Andes and the Amazon (New York, 1870; 3rd ed. 1876) Underground Treasures: How and Where to Find Them. A Key for the Ready Determination of All the Useful Minerals Within the United States (Hartford, 1872) The liberal education of women: the demand and the method. Current thoughts in America and England(New York, 1873) Comparative Zoology, structural and systematic (1875)