Mind Of The Raven: Investigations And Adventures With Wolf-Birds Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Heinrich involves us in his quest to get inside the mind of the raven. But as animals can only be spied on by getting quite close, Heinrich adopts ravens, thereby becoming a "raven father," as well as observing them in their natural habitat. He studies their daily routines, and in the process, paints a vivid picture of the ravens' world. At the heart of this book are Heinrich's love and respect for these complex and engaging creatures, and through his keen observation and analysis, we become their intimates too. Heinrich's passion for ravens has led him around the world in his research. Mind of the Raven follows an exotic journey—from New England to Germany, and from Montana to Baffin Island in the high Arctic—offering dazzling accounts of how science works in the field, filtered through the eyes of a passionate observer of nature. Each new discovery and insight into raven behavior is thrilling to read, at once lyrical and scientific.
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (May 29, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061136050
ISBN-13: 978-0061136054
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (152 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #27,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #6 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Animal Psychology #30 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Animals > Birds & Birdwatching #48 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Nature Writing & Essays
Bernd applies his multi-faceted brand of research to a species that is clearly close to his heart (the raven), with spectacular results. He weaves anecdotes and scientific studies together flawlessly to draw conclusions that are hard to argue with, if only because he refuses to draw unwarranted conclusions when the evidence isn't clear. He personally studies ravens in his northeastern home area, in Alaska, and in Germany to note the differences between different populations of the animal. He also draws extensively on his observations from his own aviary, where it seems he is at times obsessively painstaking in recording nuances of behavior that would fly over the heads of the average bird owner.The Good and the Bad:This book has been done right, with a real attempt to keep the reader's interest without compromising the scientific value of the work. The information given is enough to be compelling without being too boring about statistics. The end of the book gets a little more tilted towards hard science, with a fairly in-depth discussion about what warrants consciousness and intelligence, but there's no other conclusion that would be appropriate.On the bad side, there are very occasional forays into self-indulgence, as when he takes the opportunity to argue the comments of a peer reviewer who contributed to the rejection of the publication of his study, or when a not-so-funny joke is recounted.What I learned:The raven is a remarkable animal, and consciousness evolves for as much of a specific reason as anything else. One bird might be given all of the instinct necessary to operate within a very narrow range of activity, but shorted on additional brain tissue, which is costly to maintain.
Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds The Wild Game Birds Manual: A Guide To Raising, Feeding, Care, Diseases And Breeding Game Birds (Pet Birds) (Volume 4) Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 1: The Assassin's Road (Lone Wolf and Cub (Dark Horse)) Wolf Coloring Book: An Adult Coloring Book of 40 Zentangle Wolf Designs with Henna, Paisley and Mandala Style Patterns (Animal Coloring Books for Adults) (Volume 23) Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus Volume 4 (Lone Wolf & Cub Omnibus) Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus Volume 11 (Lone Wolf & Cub Omnibus) New Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 3 (New Lone Wolf & Cub) New Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 2 (New Lone Wolf & Cub) Wolf Coloring Book: An Adult Coloring Book of Wolves Featuring 40 Wolf Designs in Various Styles (Animal Coloring Books for Adults) (Volume 1) Wolf Coloring Book: A Hyper Realistic Adult Coloring Book of 40 Realistic Wolf Coloring Pages (Advanced Adult Coloring Books) (Volume 1) War Against the Wolf: America's Campaign to Exterminate the Wolf Wolf by Wolf Blood for Blood (Wolf by Wolf) Collage Lab: Experiments, Investigations, and Exploratory Projects (Lab Series) Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People Olfactory Imprinting and Homing in Salmon: Investigations into the Mechanism of the Imprinting Process (Zoophysiology) Primarily Physics: Investigations in Sound, Light and Heat for K-3 The Raven and Other Poems By Edgar Allan Poe, Illustrated Forensic Analysis and DNA in Criminal Investigations: Including Cold Cases Solved Color Choreography: Foundational Studies, Investigations, and Discourses in Color Theory
