A Photographic Guide to the Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands: Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Reunion and the Comoros
This photographic guide depicts a selection of the most commonly encountered and striking bird species of Madagascar, the Seychelles, the Comoros, and the Mascarenes - a region boasting high levels of endemism. The species accounts cover the birds' appearance, basic behaviour, preferred habitats, and geographical distribution. Each species account enjoys a full page which features a color photograph, distribution map, and text in English and French.
Aloes are a large genus of plants, about 450 species, from sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and parts of Arabia. Many species are widespread in warm or tropical semi-arid regions, yet the distribution of others is limited to a few living in desert or wet mountainous regions. While some species have been adopted as medicinal plants since ancient times and others are used locally in folk medicine, scientists have yet to discover the full biological activity of the many aloe compounds. In order to realize the vast potential of the genus, it is essential to gather the knowledge acquired over the last fifty years into one comprehensive compilation.
Science writer Matt Ridley has found a way to tell someone else's story without being accused of plagiarism. Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters delves deep within your body (and, to be fair, Ridley's too) looking for dirt dug up by the Human Genome Project. Each chapter pries one gene out of its chromosome and focuses on its role in our development and adult life, but also goes further, exploring the implications of genetic research and our quickly changing social attitudes toward this information. Genome shies away from the "tedious biochemical middle managers" that only a nerd could love and instead goes for the A-material.
This eclectic, semi-academic volume is one part philosophical treatise, one part rambling memoir and one part affectionate look at a singular Australian sheepdog named Cayenne ("It's hard to be grumpy myself in the morning watching this kind of joyful doggish beginning!"). With intellectual precision and obvious enthusiasm, author and "posthumanities" professor Haraway (The Companion Species Manifesto) delves into topics as diverse as the rigors of breeding purebreds, the ethics of using animals in laboratories and the grand leaps of anthropomorphism people use to justify thousands of dollars in medical care for a pet.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hopes that you enjoy our 2004/2005 endangered species coloring book. It has pictures to color and stories to read. You can test your endangered species know-how by taking the quiz inside the back cover. The learning library at the end of each species account features scientific definitions and Web sites for more information.
