The autobiography of W. H. Hudson contains unique and sensuous insights into his early life in provincial Argentina during the mid-19th century. By the time he published this retrospective account of his formative years, W. H. Hudson was a highly respected and famous naturalist and ornithologist, responsible for the expansion and development of both disciplines. He was also a novelist, publishing tales of romantic adventure to praise. Although he held a special love for his native Argentina, and the Patagonia region of South America, Hudson would permanently migrate to England in 1874, remaining there for most of his remaining years. His studies and comparisons of the avian species of Britain and his native land were welcomed by the academic establishment in the UK, who found Hudson's papers well-researched and informed by their author's origins.