 A whaling trip with his father in 1867 (he considered 5 August 1867 as the most eventful day in his life) to the Malay Peninsula aroused his interest in natural history, and resulted in the publication of "Rhopalocera Malayana" (1882–1886), a description of the butterflies of the Malay Peninsula.Much of Distant's early life was spent working in a London tannery, and while employed there he made two long visits to the Transvaal.The first resulted in the publication of "A Naturalist in the Transvaal" (1892).