Humans have never quite pinned down how they ought to interact responsibly with the natural world around them. Should they plant trees for oxygen or chop them down for firewood? Should they take animals into their homes as pets or eat them for dinner? Co-exist with it all or conquer it? The naturalists of the 19th century turned these ethical questions into science, or at least a very crude version of science, venturing into untamed lands and mapping, exploring, capturing and cataloging the vegetation, rocks and wildlife they encountered.