Pallas, Peter Simon

Pallas, Peter Simon pāˈtər zēˈmôn päˈläs [key], 1741–1811, German naturalist and explorer. He became (1768) professor at the Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg. In 1769, Pallas was a member of an expedition to observe the transit of Venus, and until 1774 he explored the upper Amur, the Caspian Sea, and the Ural and Altai mts., collecting valuable specimens in natural history. Pallas published (1771–76) an account of the journey and also wrote on natural history and on Bering's discoveries.

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