Breathtakingly beautiful and exotic, the peacock inspires devotion among both artists and bird lovers. Its iridescent plumage, when fully displayed, is a delight to behold. The bird itself, as Christine E. Jackson notes in Peacock, appears to enjoy its audience, preening and strutting about within a few feet of humans.
Rat (Animal series) by Jonathan BurtThe rat has been described as the shadow of the human. In this fascinating account of the rat in history, myth, and culture, Jonathan Burt traces the contradictory human relationship with rats from the first archaeological finds to the genetically engineered rats of the present day. He explores the representation of rats in the arts and sciences, religion and myth, and psychoanalysis and medicine, and shows the complex range of human attitudes that the rodent provokes.
Bee traces the bee's role in art, politics, and social thought, drawing on scientific studies, literature, and historical texts. The volume examines the evolution of the bee's cultural image from a symbol of virtue and civility to the dangerous swarms of killer bees in Hollywood horror flicks. From ancient political analogies to Renaissance debates about monarchy to studies of bee behavior that portend ominous conclusions for our own socialization and use of technology, Bee analyzes the complex connections between the bee and human culture.
Crow (Animal series) by Boria SaxThis book considers crows, ravens, magpies, and their relatives in myth, literature, and life. It ranges from Noah's raven through Victorian novels to recent films. It will be of interest to anyone who has ever been intrigued, puzzled, annoyed, or charmed by these wonderfully intelligent birds.
At present, there are 11,006 species of ant known. They are found throughout the world except at the polar icecaps, and it is estimated that their combined population makes up half the mass of all insects alive today. Ants have figured in fantasy as miniature armies, as models of good behavior, as infiltrating communists, and as creatures on the borderline between the realms of the organic and the machine. Ant experts have been hired to help solve problems with information networks.
