. . . [He] is a leading theorist on large-scale patterns in evolution . . . [and] one of the sharpest and most humane thinkers in the sciences." --David Quammen, New York Times Book Review

    "An engaging collection of observations about honeybees and their activities."—Publishers Weekly

    Rare Book

    Line" the author introduces his friend John McPhee, a bush-pilot fish-and-game warden in northern Maine, who is also a writer. The two men met after the flying warden wrote to The New Yorker complaining that someone was using his name. Maine also is the milieu of "Heirs of General Practice," McPhee's highly acclaimed report—virtually a book in itself—on the new medical specialty called family practice. Much of it takes place in the examining rooms of a dozen young physicans in various rural communities, where they are seen in the context of their work with a great many patients of all ages.Two relatively short pieces revisit the subjects of earlier McPhee books. "Ice Pond" demonstrates anew the innovative genius of the physicist Theodore B. Taylor, who developed a way of making and using with impressive results in the conservation of the electrical energy. "Open Man" describes a summer day in New Jersey in the company of Senator Bill Bradley.In "Minihydro," various small-scale entrepreneurs in New York State set up turbines at nineteenth-century mill sites and sell electricity to power companies. A nice little country waterfall can earn as much as two hundred dollars a year for someone with such a turbine. And, "Under the Snow," McPhee Goes back into black bear's dens in Pensylvania in winter, where he becomes intoxicated with affection for some five-pound cubs. They remind him of his daughters.

    Ranging through the stars and the myths humans have told about them for millennia, Raymo delves into "a pilgrimage in quest of the soul of the night." Chet Raymo's elegant essays link the mysterious phenomena of the night sky with the human mind and spirit, as he ranges through the realms of mythology, literature, religion, history, and anthropology. Originally published two decades ago, The Soul of the Night is a classic work that is a must for those interested in the relationship between science and faith.

    In an upbeat and original way of thinking Quammen writes about beetles, bats, crows, snakes and other interesting animals.

    Gary Paul Nabhan has combed the desert in search of plants forgotten by all but a handful of American Indians and Mexican Americans. In Gathering the Desert readers will discover that the bounty of the desert is much more than meets the eye—whether found in the luscious fruit of the stately organpipe cactus or in the lowly tepary bean. Nabhan has chosen a dozen of the more than 425 edible wild species found in the Sonoran Desert to demonstrate just how bountiful the land can be. From the red-hot chiltepines of Mexico to the palms of Palm Springs, each plant exemplifies a symbolic or ecological relationship which people of this region have had with plants through history. Each chapter focuses on a particular plant and is accompanied by an original drawing by artist Paul Mirocha. Word and picture together create a total impression of plants and people as the book traces the turn of seasons in the desert.

    But most people know little of the hundreds of other types of sharks that inhabit the world's oceans. Written by two of the world's leading authorities and superbly illustrated by wildlife artist Marc Dando, this is the first comprehensive field guide to all 440-plus shark species. Color plates illustrate all species, and detailed accounts include diagnostic line drawings and a distribution map for each species. Introductory chapters treat physiology, behavior, reproduction, ecology, diet, and sharks' interrelationships with humans.More than 125 original full-color illustrations for fast and accurate identification of each shark familyOver 500 additional drawings illustrating physical features from different anglesClear identification information for each species with details of size, habitat, behavior, and biologyQuick ID guide helpful for differentiating similar speciesGeographic distribution maps for each speciesFor professional and amateur shark enthusiasts

    In these fascinating, wide-ranging, wonderfully informative stories, Tom Brown--director of the world-famous Tracking, Nature, and Wilderness Survival School--tells all about the uncommon benefits of the common trees, shrubs, flowers, and other plants we find all around us. This indispensible guide includes information on:How to use every part of the plant--leaves, flowers, bark, bulbs, and rootsWhere to find useful plants, and the best time of the year and stages of growth to harvest themHow to prepare delicious food dishes, soups, breads and teas from the riches of the great outdoorsAn incredible range of experience-proven medicinal uses to treat headaches, burns, digestive disorders, skin problems, and a host of other maladies

    Over half of all the species of birds in South America are included, thus making the book useful in regions adjacent to Colombia, as well as in the country itself. The primary purpose of the work is to enable observers to identify the birds of the region, but it also provides detailed species accounts and will serve as an important handbook and reference volume. Fifty-six lavish color plates, thirteen halftone plates, and ninety-nine line drawings in the text illustrate over 85% of the species, including most of the resident birds. Notes on the facing-page of each place, and range maps of 1,475 species, facilitate identification.Written with the field observer in mind, the text gives special attention to comparisons of similar species, transcriptions of voices, and comments on behavior, status, and habitat. It also provides ranges, breeding data, and references. Notes outline taxonomic problems and briefly describe species that eventually may be found in Colombia. Introductory chapters and photographs highlight Colombia's geography, climate, and vegetation, and discuss migration and conservation questions, and the history of Colombian ornithology. Appendices contain a large bibliography, a section on birding locations, and coverage of two of Colombia's far-flung island territories, Isla San Andr�s and Providencia. Maps depicting vegetation zones, political boundaries, national parks, and the most text localities are included.

    Through anecdotes, readers learn of some minor problems female vet students may encounter, a few details on required courses and of her deep concern and affection for animals. They will also get a feeling for the rigors of studying for the vet state board. It's a book filled with laughter and tears. All animal owners and lovers will wish that this vet had set up practice in their community. Pam Spencer, Mount Vernon High School Library, Fairfax, Va.

    

     The 4th edition is bigger and better than ever, with 292 fact-filled pages, 106 illustrations, and 144 photographs. Featured are new photos and first-hand accounts of rescues; expanded material on big-water rescue -- new gear and methods; self-rescue and rescue of others by hand, boat, rope, and other ways; tools and techniques -- rope work, throw bags, boat handling, high- and low-tech gear to use when seconds count; rescue organization -- leadership, teamwork, patient care, evacuation, and more.

    This unusual book is a complete account of the closely linked natural and human history of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico, a region unique in its rich combination of ecological and cultural diversity.

    Beginning with a simple definition of environmentalists as "those who confess a concern for the non-human," he reviews what is inherent in industrial societies to make them so resistant to the concerns of environmentalists. His analysis draws on citing such diverse sources as Merleau-Ponty, Heidegger, and TIME, and examines how we tend to think about the world and how we might think about it.The book does not offer solutions to environmental questions, but it does offer the hope that there can be new ways of thinking and flexibility in human/environmental relations. Although humans seem alienated from our the natural world, we can develop a new understanding of self in the world.'The second edition has a new preface and an epilogue in which Evernden analyses the latest environmental catch-phrase: sustainable development.

    A comprehensive field guide, fully illustrated with color photographs, to the birds, plants, fishes, insects, seashore creatures & other natural wonders of North America's western shores, from Alaska to southern California.

    A comprehensive field guide, fully illustrated with color photographs, to the trees, wildflowers, fishes, insects, birds, and other natural wonders of North America's rivers, lakes, and swamps.

    

    Sweet Herbs and Sundry Flowers is an introduction to medieval plants and gardening practices by way of the gardens of The Cloisters. In her work as assistant horticulturist at The Cloisters, Tania Bayard has become aware of the many questions visitors ask about medieval gardening. Tania addresses those questions in this volume, providing a list of the plants in The Cloisters' gardens. In this book, Tania, who left a career in art history to become a horticulturist, shares her knowledge and experience with us.The gardens of The Cloisters bloom in a unique museum, a division of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, designed to suggest the layout of a medieval European monastery. Planted in reconstructed Romanesque and Gothic cloisters, the gardens resemble those that provided bodily sustenance and spiritual refreshment for monks of centuries ago.The delight in reading Sweet Herbs and Sundry Flowers is the realization that the modern gardener's experience is not unlike that of gardeners one thousand years ago. Then, as now, garden plots were selected for adequate light and water drainage, the soil was prepared in the spring, noxious weeds and stones were removed, the ground was tilled and rakes, and cow manure was added for fertilizer. Seeds and young plants were lovingly tended. When the plants were mature, roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits were harvested for food, medicines, and various household uses. Following the fall harvest, the ground was readied for winter, and thoughts of spring were always present. How wonderful it is that we share with the medieval gardener the same labors and joys, getting our hands dirty with soil as did the ninth-century monk, Walahfrid Strabo. [This book was originally published in 1985 and has gone out of print. This edition is a print-on-demand version of the original book.]

    Founded in 1572, the school's main focus was the training of Lipizzan horses in the art of Classical dressage.

    Included among the 235 full-color pictures are never-before-photographed sequences such as nesting, molting, preening and territorial aggression, as well as an unprecedented portfolio of hummingbirds feeding from wildflowers.Esther Tyrrell has written the accompanying illuminating text, by far the most complete and up-to-date information on hummingbirds ever assembled, which will make this book the definitive source for both scientists and the general reader for years to come.This lavishly illustrated volume opens with an introduction to this lovely family of

    

    He works his land with horses and without electricity. He describes the proper preparation of Sassafras tea, maple sugaring in late winter, chopping firewood in autumn and rejoices in the vast diversity of the birds.

    A comprehensive field guide, fully illustrated with color photographs, to the trees, wildflowers, insects, birds & other natural wonders of North America's eastern forests & woodlands, from Hudson Bay to Florida.

    Roger Peters, while a doctoral candidate in psychology, spent three winter's observing these highly intelligent and sociable animals in the wild. Noting a striking similarity between the living habits of wolves and those of our own primitive ancestors, Peters set out to investigate whether wolves, like people, use cognitive maps to find their way through unmarked terrain.Recalling his impressions while on this theoretical trail and more literally on the wooded paths of his subjects, Peters offers an appealing and intimate look at wolves in their natural habitat - how they mate, raise families, hunt, play, communicate, establish and maintain territories. And all this despite harsh winters, a declining deer population, and the ever-present threat of their only enemy: man.Dance of the Wolves is also a firsthand account of an animal researcher's experiences. Peters overcomes obstacles that range from humorous to life-threatening - from the behaviorists on his dissertation to persecution by local wolf-haters, to. A perilous brush with frostbite and hypothermia, - as he tracks the wolves from the air and through the snow, as he watches them give birth and die, and as he gradually comes to understand these enigmatic yet enthralling creatures.

    Full-color illustrations on the covers. The book also includes a glossary to help colorists determine the proper color shades, patterns, and combinations.

    Magnificently illustrated with hundreds of illustrations, this monumental book celebrates the evolution, anatomy, beauty and nobility of the horse, as well as the story of the horse's relationship with mankind.

    A comprehensive field guide, fully illustrated with color photographs, to the trees, wildflowers, grasses, insects, birds, and other natural wonders of North America's prairies, fields, and meadows.

    

    Gruchow recorded his thoughts, observations, and experiences in each season on the prairie, eventually compiling them into this moving chronicle of a sometimes harsh but always stunning landscape. Be it the bitter winds of winter, the return of the geese in spring, or the first pasque flower, the cycles of growth on the prairie have the power to move and inspire lovers of nature.

    In 1965, twenty-one ponies were released into the northern portion of Assateague, within the Assateague Island National Seashore, where their numbers have risen gradually and the animals have flourished. It is these feral horses--free to roam, forage for their own food and water, and live and reproduce as they choose--that Dr. Keiper, an animal behavior specialist, has studied and photographed. In this book, he presents the fascinating results of his investigations, enhanced by a generous selection of photographs from the vast collection he assembled over a ten-year period of study.

    A comprehensive field guide, fully illustrated with color photographs, to the trees, wildflowers, insects, birds, and other natural wonders of North America's western forests and woodlands, from Alaska to California and the Rockies.

    

    A comprehensive field guide, fully illustrated with color photographs, to the wildflowers, insects, birds, reptiles and other natural wonders of North America's deserts, from Oregon to Mexico.

    Some of my best time on the River has been in the company of game wardens, biologists, commercial fishermen, clammers, trappers, hunters, and a smelly, mud-smeared corcrie of river rats in general, wrote John Madson of his thirty-year acquaintance with the Mississippi. Up on the River is a loving and sometimes uproariously funny tribute, full of unforgettable characters and creatures. Like Joseph Mirchell's Up in the Old Hotel or William Warner's Beautiful Swimmers, this is a classic book about a singular American place.

    These books contain reprints of his essays on natural history.

    

    An illustrated guide to bird watching in the American West provides detailed information on birding and on the identification of Western birds.