JOURNEY TO RED BIRDS

The Swedish wildlife photographer has journeyed to Trinidad, and this is a robust, entertainingly personal account. Mr. Lindblad stalks the magnificent fauna of the area, crawling into caves filled with nasty surprises, nipping poisonous snakes into a collecting bottle, camping out in trees and swamps. However, a good deal of the author's wit and dating is skillfully applied in doing poachers and exploiters out of their kills. He saves the life of a giant egg-laying turtle by dangling. Hollywood promises before the assassins; alarms poachers of a scarlet ibis by shouts and strategy; plants a potent TV remark about the possibility of infra-red film and seems to deter nighttime bird hunts. With Lindblad's own beautiful photographs, this is a trek to a naturalist's paradise that is uncommonly engrossing.