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BIRDS AS INDIVIDUALS by Len Howard Kirkus Star

BIRDS AS INDIVIDUALS

By

Pub Date: Sept. 24th, 1953
Publisher: Doubleday

A fascinating book for the amateur ornithologist reveals a long history of note-taking, observation and personal experience with birds whose English background is related to the American scene in an introduction by Roger Tory Peterson. There are two long biographies of bird families, titmouse and blackbird; there are sections on behavior, emotions, memory, flight and intelligence; on the habits and customs of nesting and feeding, friendship, communication and games. The second section is devoted to an analysis of bird songs and to the individual songs of the various species. Here are the differences, the effects of seasonal changes, the personal characteristics, the intimate lives of bird neighbors and friends -- all delightfully recounted by a dedicated watcher. There is also a foreword by Julian Huxley and the photographic illustrations are by Eric Hosking. A good country reference book and one to make a watcher's eyes sharper.