A photographic essay on the archipelago that was the genesis for Darwin's theory

Published in association with the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. This beautifully produced oversize (9x11.5) volume contains 104 thoroughly captioned illustrations (55 plates in color) accompanying a narrative profile of the man and his work as naturalist and artist. The author, an art historian and former curator of the New York Historical Society, is an authority on Audubon and on the art and culture of 19th-century America. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

A collection of thoughts, essays, stories, and profiles from nature provides a look at such different places as the central Amazon, the South Pacific, and Cincinnati, detailing such adventures as kayaking on a Class V river in Chile and tracing the spread of the Ebola virus

A firsthand exploration of the extraordinary abilities and surprising, sometimes life-saving talents of “working dogs

Stephen Jay Gould reexamines Darwin's theory in light of the findings of modern evolutionary biology and shows the ways in which biological theories have been concocted to justify social ills

"A wonderful collection of bird superlatives. ... Fascinating facts and beautiful photographs make this one a winner." -- Library Journal

"A volume for a lifetime" is how The New Yorker described the first of Donald Culross Peatie's two books about American trees published in the 1950s. In this one-volume edition, modern readers are introduced to one of the best nature writers of the last century. As we read Peattie's eloquent and entertaining accounts of American trees, we catch glimpses of our country's history and past daily life that no textbook could ever illuminate so vividly. Here you'll learn about everything from how a species was discovered to the part it played in our country’s history. Pioneers often stabled an animal in the hollow heart of an old sycamore, and the whole family might live there until they could build a log cabin. The tuliptree, the tallest native hardwood, is easier to work than most softwood trees; Daniel Boone carved a sixty-foot canoe from one tree to carry his family from Kentucky into Spanish territory. In the days before the Revolution, the British and the colonists waged an undeclared war over New England's white pines, which made the best tall masts for fighting ships. It's fascinating to learn about the commercial uses of various woods -- for paper, fine furniture, fence posts, matchsticks, house framing, airplane wings, and dozens of other preplastic uses. But we cannot read this book without the occasional lump in our throats. The American elm was still alive when Peattie wrote, but as we read his account today we can see what caused its demise. Audubon's portrait of a pair of loving passenger pigeons in an American beech is considered by many to be his greatest painting. It certainly touched the poet in Donald Culross Peattie as he depicted the extinction of the passenger pigeon when the beech forest was destroyed. A Natural History of North American Trees gives us a picture of life in America from its earliest days to the middle of the last century. The information is always interesting, though often heartbreaking. While Peattie looks for the better side of man's nature, he reports sorrowfully on the greed and waste that have doomed so much of America's virgin forest.

Presents the best-selling tale of a newly hatched barn owl whose youth and injury prevented his release into the wild, describing the long-lasting friendship through which the owl and author developed a unique communication ability, in an account that also offers insight into owl folklore, abilities, and brain structure. Reprint.

The emphasis in research on waterfowl has traditionally focused on breeding as opposed to migrant or wintering birds. Scientists have long been interested in courtship, nest sites, laying, and brood-rearing, and they have also been concerned about losses of eggs, young, nesting hens, and breeding habitats, especially as they have affected the goal of increasing populations. But lately there has been an upsurge of interest and research on the migratory and wintering phases, and this volume offers ample evidence of the knowledge gained. The authors - 105 waterfowl biologists - have contributed 47 chapters that range geographically from Alaska to northern South America, and from the Pacific Northwest to Nova Scotia and Florida. Their subjects include: --distributional changes due to human influence --population trends and concerns over less common species --pairing and other behavior that occurs in the wintering areas and is vital to the success of the species --feeding ecology and body condition during winter --new habitats created by such activities as aquaculture and park development --losses of habitat due to development and drainage for alternate uses --lead poisoning and pollutants that are detrimental to waterfowl --habitat management for maintenance of successful populations now and in the future Also presented are reports of workshop discussions outlining current issues and future research needs. Preparation of this volume was assisted by an editorial board comprising Bruce J. J. Batt, Robert H. Chabreck, Leigh H. Fredrickson, and Dennis G. Raveling.