WINDOW ON THE WILD

Scott calls this a lesson in ""seeing""--his term for observing nature--and he begins each of these eleven animal sketches with a first-person account of some encounter of his own. But the discussions of different animals don't focus on those features that might be observed by an amateur in the wild; nor do they include any tips on finding the creatures or any hints as to how they are to be observed. Instead, they mix anecdotes of past observations with reports on life cycles or special features, and with much appreciative exclamation--on the worm's contribution to the soil, the monarch butterfly's migration feat, the badger's strength and skill, the fox's cunning, the loon's affecting cry, and so on. It's all pleasantly readable in a chatty, personal way, which might give it some appeal for the casual naturalist who has not read the more informative juveniles on these animals. Serious readers might wish for more sense of direction.