Fishermen of Taupo is a book about the fly fishermen of New Zealand's Lake Taupo. It tells the individual stories of twenty Taupo fishermen that I have been fortunate enough to fish with over the years. Taupo is, and still remains, a gem, but with the world getting ever smaller due to air travel, this fishery is fragile. Still it remains, like its trout, wild. It needs protecting before it's lost.

Bees are a symbol of nature conservation. People all over the world are studying their fate and the threats posed to them by human activity and biodiversity loss. This is a stunning photographic record captures for the first time the unique way of life of the, forest-dwelling honey bee. A lavish, picture-led book, this is a unique collaboration between Germany's leading bee expert, Prof. Dr Jurgen Tautz, and one of the world's top nature photographers Ingo Arndt, which documents a major research project into the mysterious, hidden world of the honey bee.

Let's face it-all birds are fascinating, wonderful, idiotic jerks-no matter where in the world they reside. Following in the footsteps of the bestselling book The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America, this hilarious sequel ventures beyond to identify the stupidest birds around the world. Featuring birds from North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, author Matt Kracht identifies the dumb birds that manage to live all over the freaking place with snarky, yet accurate, names and humorous, anger-filled drawings. This guide book details exactly how much these morons suck with facts about each bird's (annoying) call, its (stupid) migratory pattern, and its (downright tacky) markings. Complete with a matching game, bird descriptor checklist, tips on how to identify a bird (you can tell a lot by looking into a bird's eyes, for example), this profanity-laden book offers a balance of fact and wit that will appeal to hardcore birders and casual bird lovers (and haters) alike. A MUST-HAVE: A must-have sequel to the bestselling parody book The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America. UNIQUE & LAUGH-OUT-LOUD FUNNY: This is a great coffee table or bar top conversation-starting book. And a bonus, while the content is humorous, it is practical and useful! A GREAT PRESENT: This is the perfect gift for the bird lovers and haters in your life. It also makes a great Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthday, retirement, or gag gift. Perfect for: Birdwatching and nature enthusiasts Armchair birders (or nonbirders) Someone who needs a quirky gift for an animal lover friend People with serious birders in their lives who want something lighthearted

In the sixteenth century, Dutch traveller Jan Linschoten noted the absence of lions throughout the Indian subcontinent. Two hundred years later, echoing similar comments made by various hunters and observers of Indian wildlife, the British shikari and writer, Captain Thomas Williamson, emphatically declared: 'There are no lions in Hindustan.' Much the same was said about the cheetah in the region. These observations piqued the interest of well-known naturalist Valmik Thapar. After an enormous amount of research and study he now believes that, contrary to existing scientific theory, neither of these animals were indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. Remarking on the lack of accounts of encounters with these animals - as opposed to the tiger and the leopard which are extensively documented - as well as inconclusive genetic studies, he argues that, over the centuries, the lion and cheetah were brought into the country from Persia and Africa by royalty, either as tributes or to populate their hunting parks and menageries. Enlisting the help of renowned historian, Romila Thapar - who analyzes historical accounts and representations of the lion in early India - and scholar, Yusuf Ansari - who looks back at the lives of the Mughals and their famed hunts - to further validate his theory, Valmik Thapar concludes at the end of this thought-provoking book that the Indian lion and the Indian cheetah were, in fact, exotic imports, and not indigenous subspecies. Tracing the history of the lion and the cheetah for over 5,000 years, and substantiated with pictorial evidence, Exotic Aliens is a pioneering work that could turn field biology on its head.

Experience the excitement of the holidays and the joy of the seasons with the colorful characters of Tubblewood. Miss Duck would prefer to stay in the warmth of her cozy home sipping a cup of hot apricot tea. However, her life always turns into an adventure when she is called upon to help a friend or a neighbor. Throughout the year, you can join Miss Duck and her woodland friends in their escapades. They may be assisting the groundhog with a mystery guest on his big day, correcting a problem after an April Fool's Day prank goes too far, learning the meaning of Independence Day and how to celebrate the holiday in a safe manner, or working together to save Tubblewood Forest. Holiday traditions for St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Arbor Day, and Thanksgiving also are included. There is a tale to be savored for every season in this collection of stories. Intertwined throughout each story are valuable life messages. Miss Duck and her charming entourage teach these lessons through their words and actions and demonstrate them in a positive manner. The Tubblewood tales have universal appeal. They can be comprehended by young children and still hold the interest and imagination of older children and adults. The quality of the content spans all ages and any generation. Additionally, special scenes are artistically depicted in beautifully designed illustrations. Don't miss the opportunity to create memories by sharing this enchanting group of holiday stories with your loved ones. It's certain to be a time-treasured addition to any household library. Be sure to add to your collection another captivating book, Tales From Tubblewood: A Duck For All Seasons, which contains stories in the settings of Valentine's Day, Easter, summer vacation, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Originally published in 1972 this important falconry book is probably one of the best of its kind. The author was a respected falconer of many years experience and his sheer pleasure in the sport shines through his writing. Contents Include: The Mews - Weathering Enclosure, Bath, Blocks - Bells, Jesses, Clip Swivels, Lures, Hoods, Whistle - Hack Hut and Hack Ground - Eyasses, Treatment before Hack - Hack, its Advantages and Disadvantages - Eyasses compared with Passgers and Haggards - Food - Hooding and Manning - Taming - Flying to Lure and Use of the Lure - Hawking - Homing - The Moult - Health - Miscellany - The Gyrfalcon

Investigate shipwrecks where scorpionfish hide, dive down to the Mariana trench to meet a dumbo octopus, marvel at ocean giants and dart in between manatees in mangrove forests to find out why oceans are magnificently mega! Did you know lobsters keep their teeth in their tummies? Or that you can find rivers and lakes beneath the ocean? And did you know that sea stars have no brain or blood? Explore the wonders of our underwater worlds on every page, from coral reefs, sharks and the deep to shipwrecks, weird fish and frozen seas, there's so much to discover! With fun and colourful illustrations and bursting with facts, Do You Love Oceans? is perfect for readers who want to dive down and explore Earth's spectacular seas, discover the wildlife that lives there and find out why our oceans need protecting. Matt Robertson is the award-winning illustrator of Do You Love Bugs?, Do You Love Dinosaurs? and Do You Love Exploring?

Contents Include: Ash, Common - Ash, Mountain - Beech - Blackberry - Blackthorn - Bluebottle - Bramble - Broom - Buckwheat - Burdock - Campions - Canary Seed - Charlock - Chickweed - Chickweed, Mouse Ear - Cleavers - Coltsfoot - Cornflower - Corn Spurrey - Cress - Dandelion - Dewberry - Dock, Broad-Leaved - Dock, Curled - Docken - Elder - Figwort - Flax - Gold of Pleasure - Goose grass - Grass, Annual Meadow - Grass, Canary - Grass, Rye - Groundsel - Hardheads - Hawkbit, Autumnal - Hawksbeard, Smooth - Hawkweed, Mouse-Ear - Haws- Hawthorn - Heather - Hemp - Hips - Holly - Honeysuckle - Inga -Ivy - Knapweed, Black - Knapweed, Greater - Knotgrass - Lettuce - Ling - Linseed - Mawseed - Meadowsweet - Millet - Mistletoe - Mountain Ash - Mouse-Ear - Mustard - Niger - Nipplewort - Persicaria - Plantain, Greater - Plantain, Ribwort - Poppy, Corn - Privet - Queen of the Meadows - Radish - Ragwort - Rape - Rat's Tail - Redshank - Ribwort - Rose - Rowan - Rye Grass - Sesame - Shepherd's Purse - Sloe - Snowberry - Snow thistle - Spurrey, Corn - Sunflower - Teazle, Wild - Thistle, Scotch - Thistle, Spear - Watercress - Way bread - Wintercress

Get ready for an epic mission INSIDE a water dragon in Alex Neptune's third fast and funny adventure - perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and Dragon Realm! The sea creatures near Haven Bay are acting very strangely, attacking boats, and Alex senses some dark power is controlling them. When he tracks down his friend the water dragon, he finds it's been infected too. If he can't find a way to stop it, the deadly parasite it's carrying could spread throughout the seas. After battling storms, electric eels and an army of angry crabs, Alex realises that the only way he and his team can save the dragon and all their ocean friends is by going inside the dragon...gulp!

The ultimate guide to all South African bird species: Pictorial, factual and audible! Sappi Birds of South Africa with Callfinder is for everyone and is especially useful for tour guides, trainers and game rangers. Quick, easy and accurate identification through shapefinder, dualadex and callfinder. Birds can easily be found with the unique Shapefinder. Birds grouped together according to shape, aiding in quick and effortless comparison and identification. A bilingual index of all the birds listed by their common group names, such as duck or sparrow and the relevant page numbers. The Callfinder (R) is battery operated an easy to use. It doesn't depend on internet or network coverage and has no complicated menus or operating instructions. New printing technology has been used to print an invisible grid over every photo. The eye of the Callfinder (R) reads the grid and recalls the bird's call from its internal memory card. For the first time bird calls can be heard from the pages of a field guide. The text does not merely describe what can be seen in the photographs, but also offers a wealth of extraordinary facts. New updated distribution maps. Species can quickly be compared with the help of icons illustrating normal habitat, nest position, relative size and social behaviour. More than 800 quality full colour photographs by renowned photographers. Bird species are uniquely grouped together according to four behaviour groups: Waterbirds, Raptors, Veld Landscape and Bush Landscape birds. Grouping is then further broken down into the birds' external shapes ensuring that similar looking birds are close to each other thus assisting in comparing different species.

It was most fortuitous that on his first visit to Charleston, John James Audubon would meet John Bachman, a Lutheran clergyman and naturalist. Their chance encounter in 1831 and immediate friendship profoundly affected the careers and social ties of these two men. In this elegantly written book, Jay Shuler offers the first in-depth portrayal of the Bachman-Audubon relationship and its significance in the creation of Audubon's works. In the numerous writings celebrating Audubon, Bachman has been largely ignored, writes Shuler, ""though Bachman made substantive contributions to Audubon's Ornithological Biographies, was his partner in The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, and gave pivotal advice and assistance to Audubon during the troubled last decade of his career."" Drawing on their voluminous correspondence, replete with accounts of their ornithological adventures and details of their personal and professional lives, Had I the Wings provides new insights into Audubon's life and work and rescues from obscurity John Bachman's contributions to American ornithology and mammalogy. Audubon's career can be divided into phases. From 1820 to 1831 he painted and published the first hundred prints of The Birds of America. The second phase began when he met John Bachman and they worked to complete The Birds of America and launch The Quadrupeds. Over the next decade Bachman's home became, in effect, Audubon's home in America. Early on the Bachman-Audubon friendship was enriched and complicated by an intricate social web. Both men were fond of Bachman's sister-in-law and competed for her attention. Audubon's sons, John and Victor, married Bachman's older daughters, Maria and Eliza. Through the fifteen years of their relationship the friends exchanged long letters when separated and jointly wrote to their colleagues when together. In the early 1840s they collaborated on the first volume of The Quadrupeds. Volumes two and three were published after Audubon's death in 1851. Filled with exciting birding adventures and hunting expeditions, Had I the Wings illuminates the fascinating relationship between two major nineteenth-century naturalists.

Originally published as Bulletin of the US Bureau of Fisheries, Volume XLIII, 1927, Part I, this is a classic of the fisheries literature that has been out-of-print and unavailable too long. For each species included in the book, the authors attempted to provide common names, descriptions (in language as non-technical as possible), diagnostic characteristics, variations, food and feeding habits, spawning, embryology and larval development, growth rates, relative abundance, commercial importance, habitat and specimens in the Smithsonian collection.

Originally published in the early 1900s. The illustrated contents include: Description - Capture and Importation - Breeding Developments - Buying - Cages and Their Construction - Birdrooms and Aviaries - Foods and Feeding - Care - As a Talker and Pet - Breeding Difficulties - In-Breeding - Colour Varieties - Ailments and Treatment. Etc. Many of the earliest cage bird books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing many of these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.