A Naturalist at Large

Some of the world's greatest writings on birds, insects, trees, elephants, and more by a scientist who "richly deserves the comparison to Thoreau" ( The Washington Post Book World ).   From one of the finest scientist/writers of our time comes an engaging record of a life spent in close observation of the natural world, one that has yielded "marvelous, mind-altering" ( Los Angeles Times) insight and discoveries. In essays that span several decades, Heinrich finds himself at home in Maine, where he plays host to visitors from Europe (the cluster flies) and more welcome guests from Asia (ladybugs); and as far away as Botswana, where he unravels the far-reaching ecological consequences of elephants' bruising treatment of mopane trees. The many fascinating discoveries in Naturalist at Large include the maple sap harvesting habits of red squirrels, and the "instant" flower-opening in the yellow iris as a way of ensuring potent pollination. Heinrich turns to his great love, the ravens, some of them close companions for years, as he designs a unique experiment to tease out the fascinating parameters of raven intelligence. Finally, he asks "Where does a biologist find hope?" while delivering an answer that informs and inspires.   Praise for Bernd Heinrich "One of the finest naturalists of our time."—Edward O. Wilson   "[Heinrich's] ability to linger and simply be there for the moment when, for instance, an elderly spider descends from a silken strand to take the insect he offers her is the heart of his appeal."— The Wall Street Journal "Passionate observations [that] superbly mix memoir and science."— The New York Times Book Review