ornithology

This work, translated by Henry M. Labouchere and William Jesse from the second edition of Das Leben der Vögel, was written by A.E. Brehm, the author of the very well-known zoological encyclopedia Brehms Tierleben (Brehm’s Life of Animals). The first half of the book consists of essays describing various behavioral, social, morphological, and even economic characteristics of birds. The last half is a study of fifty individual species. The book is dedicated to Brehm’s father, Christian, a pastor and noted ornithologist in his own right.

This book is a narrative of the author’s 1971-1972 survey of nesting raptors in the eastern Colorado prairie. Species observed included golden eagles, owls, hawks, and falcons. The majority of the book describes the behaviors of these birds in their natural habitats, but it also includes anecdotes involving a few native reptiles, small mammals, and other non-raptor bird species. The author presents an optimistic view of the future of raptor-human interaction with proper conservation methods. The book is beautifully illustrated with drawings by Robert Katona, a self-taught artist.

This is the second of a series of sketches and life histories of birds told in a unique way—by the birds themselves as "autobiographies." This makes it especially interesting to the young readers for whom it was written, but also contributes valuable information for older naturalists. Author Arthur Allen was a professor of ornithology at Cornell University, which is renowned for its Laboratory of Ornithology. The book is illustrated with 240 of Allen's own photographs, and there are eight color plates by George Miksch Sutton. One of Sutton’s images is used for this entry.