Darwin noted in his letter that "Athenaeum" magazine reviewed the book coldly and insolently, while the "Reader" received it warmly. Darwin published "An Appreciation" of the book in the "Natural History Review" in 1863, in which he notes that Bates sent back "a mass of specimens" of "no less than 14,712 species" (mostly of insects), of which 8000 were new to science. Darwin at once observes that although Bates is "no mean authority" on insects, the book is not limited to them, but ranges over natural history and more widely to describe his "adventures during his journeyings up and down the mighty river". Darwin clearly enjoyed Bates's account of the hyacinthine macaw, calling it a "splendid bird" with its "enormous beak" able to feed on mucuja palm nuts, and quoting Bates: "which are so hard as to be difficult to break with a heavy hammer, are crushed to a pulp by the powerful beak of this Macaw." Darwin took the opportunity to hit back at the "Athenaeum" magazine which had criticised Bates's book, at the same time painting a picture of Bates's lonely life in the rainforest: