The Curse Of The Labrador Duck

Author : Glen Chilton
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2009-09-08
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781439124994

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The Curse of the Labrador Duck by Glen Chilton Pdf

In an obsessive 82,000-mile quest for dead birds, how much trouble can one scientist get into? Finally, the world's leading authority on the extinct Labrador Duck, Dr. Glen Chilton, shares the story of his frenzied obsession to reveal the histories behind the mysterious bird -- a saga wherein he sets out to examine the remains of every Labrador Duck, conduct genetic analysis on every Labrador Duck egg, and visit every site where the duck was shot...with many a (mis)adventure along the way. More elusive than the Passenger Pigeon, the Dodo, or the Great Auk and breeding in places so obscure that no certain records exist of its nests, the Labrador Duck succumbed to extinction almost before anyone realized it was in decline. When Chilton began his travels, there were thought to be approximately fifty stuffed specimens, scattered among the museums of Europe and North America. However, as his search progressed, it became clear that some specimens had been lost to war and theft, while others lay hidden in far-flung collections, overseen by secretive curators. After traveling the equivalent of 3.3 times around the world with a series of oddball companions, Chilton finally began to close in on every known specimen...but not before he risked heavy-metal poisoning in Russia, swam naked in a glacier-fed stream, corresponded with a millionaire murderer, and narrowly avoided arrest in New York City. A magnificent blend of travel writing, science, detective work, and mishap, The Curse of the Labrador Duck is the zany adventure of one biologist's obsessive quest to uncover the mysteries of one of the world's most enigmatic birds.

Author : Glen Chilton
Publisher : Simon & Schuster
Page : 305 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2009-09-04
Category : Endangered species
ISBN : 1554683629

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The Curse of the Labrador Duck by Glen Chilton Pdf

Little is known about the Labrador Duck, which once populated eastern North America but has been extinct for more than 100 years. Stuffed specimens, housed under glass in museums and in private collections worldwide, are rare -- only 55 are known to exist. Even more rare is the kind of scientist who would, given the task of writing a small species account about the Labrador Duck, travel around the globe more than three times in search of every last stuffed bird. And what about the curse? Everyone who has owned a stuffed specimen has come to a bad end, whether going to jail or dying under mysterious circumstances. But Chilton is a rare specimen himself, and a biologist with a self-professed obsessive personality. ("They say that some children suck their thumb while still in the womb; I spent those nine months chewing my fingernails.") His pursuit of the extinct species took him to the ducks' breeding habitat on Canada's east coast, as well as on many adventures in Europe and America as he searched museums and personal collections. Over the course of his epic journey, Chilton encountered a colourful flock of scientists, journalists and amateur ornithologists. He also endured numerous hangovers, swam naked in a glacier-fed stream and narrowly avoided arrest in New York City. The Curse of the Labrador Duck is a quest unlike any other, an impulsive journey around the planet in pursuit of a bird no one in our lifetime has seen alive. Looking for the chance to win $10,000.00? Read on to find out how you could win.

Author : Curtis Jobling
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2015-11-10
Category : Juvenile Fiction
ISBN : 9780698191907

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Max Helsing and the Thirteenth Curse by Curtis Jobling Pdf

Max is just your average kid growing up in Gallows Hill, a small town outside of Boston—well, except that he lives in a gothic mansion with an old former prizefighter, and his after-school job is carrying on the monster-hunting tradition of his family, the van Helsings. Despite the bloody legacy he’s inherited, Max always tries to be kind and fair to the ghouls, demons, and other creatures he encounters. So he’s confused when monsters start attacking him willy-nilly—even those he thought of as friends. Max discovers he’s been cursed by an evil Warlock who intends to reclaim the earth for the monsters. To save his life, Max must rely on his gearhead friend Syd, his boy-genius neighbor Wing, and his brand-new puppy for help. But time is running out, and if they can’t figure out how to break the Thirteenth Curse, Max—and the world as we know it—will be in deep, deep trouble…

Author : Glen Chilton
Publisher : Univ. of Queensland Press
Page : 295 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2013-04
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780702251436

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The Last Place You'd Look for a Wallaby by Glen Chilton Pdf

Glen Chilton returns with another scientific quest, this time to seek out species ill-advisedly introduced into foreign environments. Chilton visits Ireland to witness how rhododendrons, an ornamental plant that escaped a private garden, now threaten to choke out the last of the great oak forests of the United Kingdom. He escapes blood-thirsty midges and a murderous Hungarian architect while visiting a colony of forgotten Scottish wallabies; finds out how termites, brought in on packing crates after WWII, contributed to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans; dives with turtles in North Queensland; and dodges both crocodiles and big guns in the eucalyptus forests of Ethiopia. Along the way, Chilton never turns down the opportunity to share a few pints with eccentric locals, often finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Author : Donovan Hohn
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 379 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2011-03-03
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781101475966

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Moby-Duck by Donovan Hohn Pdf

Selected by The New York Times Book Review as a Notable Book of the Year A revelatory tale of science, adventure, and modern myth. When the writer Donovan Hohn heard of the mysterious loss of thousands of bath toys at sea, he figured he would interview a few oceanographers, talk to a few beachcombers, and read up on Arctic science and geography. But questions can be like ocean currents: wade in too far, and they carry you away. Hohn's accidental odyssey pulls him into the secretive world of shipping conglomerates, the daring work of Arctic researchers, the lunatic risks of maverick sailors, and the shadowy world of Chinese toy factories. Moby-Duck is a journey into the heart of the sea and an adventure through science, myth, the global economy, and some of the worst weather imaginable. With each new discovery, Hohn learns of another loose thread, and with each successive chase, he comes closer to understanding where his castaway quarry comes from and where it goes. In the grand tradition of Tony Horwitz and David Quammen, Moby-Duck is a compulsively readable narrative of whimsy and curiosity.

Author : Christopher Cokinos
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2009-05-14
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781101057100

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Hope Is the Thing With Feathers by Christopher Cokinos Pdf

A prizewinning poet and nature writer weaves together natural history, biology, sociology, and personal narrative to tell the story of the lives, habitats, and deaths of six extinct bird species.

Author : Glen Chilton
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 295 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2012-04-24
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781443411479

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The Attack Of The Killer Rhododendrons by Glen Chilton Pdf

Glen Chilton, the author of the rollicking Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour finalist The Curse of the Labrador Duck, returns with yet another quest, this time to seek out species ill-advisedly introduced into foreign environments. Chilton visits Ireland to witness how rhododendrons, an ornamental plant that escaped a private garden, now threaten to choke out the last of the great oak forests of the United Kingdom. He escapes blood-thirsty midges and a murderous Hungarian architect while visiting a colony of forgotten Scottish wallabies; finds out how termites, brought in on packing crates after the Second World War, contributed to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans; and dodges crocodiles and big guns in the eucalyptus forests of Ethiopia. And, in true Glen Chilton fashion, he never turns down the opportunity to share a few pints with eccentric locals, often finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Author : John Wyndham
Publisher : DigiCat
Page : 200 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2022-08-16
Category : Fiction
ISBN : EAN:8596547195344

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The Chrysalids by John Wyndham Pdf

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Chrysalids" by John Wyndham. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Author : Farley Mowat
Publisher : McClelland & Stewart
Page : 378 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2009-01-13
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781551991511

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Bay of Spirits by Farley Mowat Pdf

In 1957, Farley Mowat shipped out aboard one of Newfoundland’s famous coastal steamers, tramping from outport to outport along the southwest coast. The indomitable spirit of the people and the bleak beauty of the landscape would lure him back again and again over the years. In the process of falling in love with a people and a place, Mowat also met the woman who would be the great love of his life. A stunningly beautiful and talented young artist, Claire Wheeler insouciantly climbed aboard Farley’s beloved but jinxed schooner as it lay on the St. Pierre docks, once again in a cradle for repairs, and changed both their lives forever. This is the story of that love affair, of summers spent sailing the Newfoundland coast, and of their decision to start their life together in Burgeo, one of the province’s last remaining outports. It is also an unforgettable portrait of the last of the outport people and a way of life that had survived for centuries but was now passing forever. Affectionate, unsentimental, this is a burnished gem from an undiminished talent. I was inside my vessel painting the cabin when I heard the sounds of a scuffle nearby. I poked my head out the companionway in time to see a lithesome young woman swarming up the ladder which leaned against Happy Adventure’s flank. Whining expectantly, the shipyard dog was endeavouring to follow this attractive stranger. I could see why. As slim and graceful as a ballet dancer (which, I would later learn, was one of her avocations), she appeared to be wearing a gleaming golden helmet (her own smoothly bobbed head of hair) and was as radiantly lovely as any Saxon goddess. I invited her aboard, while pushing the dog down the ladder. “That’s only Blanche,” I reassured my visitor. “He won’t bite. He’s just, uh . . . being friendly.” “That’s nice to know,” she said sweetly. Then she smiled . . . and I was lost. —From Bay of Spirits

Author : Dillon Wallace
Publisher : Good Press
Page : 220 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2019-11-29
Category : Travel
ISBN : EAN:4057664587565

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The Long Labrador Trail by Dillon Wallace Pdf

The Long Labrador Trail by Dillon Wallace is an exciting tale of adventure and survival set in the rugged wilderness of Labrador, Canada. The book follows the author's harrowing experiences as he and a companion navigate the challenging terrain and harsh weather conditions on a hunting expedition, providing a thrilling and inspiring account of human perseverance in the face of adversity.

Author : Todd McGrain
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2014
Category : Art
ISBN : 1611685664

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The Lost Bird Project by Todd McGrain Pdf

A sculptor creates memorials to five extinct North American bird species

Author : Richard Adams
Publisher : eBook Partnership
Page : 1618 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2014-11-07
Category : Adventure stories
ISBN : 9781783015566

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Maia by Richard Adams Pdf

Sold into slavery to the dealer Lalloc by her mother when her stepfather seduces her, the beautiful 15-year-old Maia is almost raped by Genshed, one of Lalloc's employees but is saved by Occula, a black slave girl. With no-one but Occula at her side, Maia must summon all her courage, strength and intelligence as she navigates the seedy side of the Beklan empire.

Author : Ralph Waldo Emerson
Publisher : London G. Routledge 1884.
Page : 268 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 1884
Category : Conduct of life
ISBN : HARVARD:HWKJ1Z

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The Conduct of Life by Ralph Waldo Emerson Pdf

Author : Carl G. Jung
Publisher : Bantam
Page : 433 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2012-02-01
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780307800558

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Man and His Symbols by Carl G. Jung Pdf

The landmark text about the inner workings of the unconscious mind—from the symbolism that unlocks the meaning of our dreams to their effect on our waking lives and artistic impulses—featuring more than a hundred images that break down Carl Jung’s revolutionary ideas “What emerges with great clarity from the book is that Jung has done immense service both to psychology as a science and to our general understanding of man in society.”—The Guardian “Our psyche is part of nature, and its enigma is limitless.” Since our inception, humanity has looked to dreams for guidance. But what are they? How can we understand them? And how can we use them to shape our lives? There is perhaps no one more equipped to answer these questions than the legendary psychologist Carl G. Jung. It is in his life’s work that the unconscious mind comes to be understood as an expansive, rich world just as vital and true a part of the mind as the conscious, and it is in our dreams—those personal, integral expressions of our deepest selves—that it communicates itself to us. A seminal text written explicitly for the general reader, Man and His Symbolsis a guide to understanding the symbols in our dreams and using that knowledge to build fuller, more receptive lives. Full of fascinating case studies and examples pulled from philosophy, history, myth, fairy tales, and more, this groundbreaking work—profusely illustrated with hundreds of visual examples—offers invaluable insight into the symbols we dream that demand understanding, why we seek meaning at all, and how these very symbols affect our lives. By illuminating the means to examine our prejudices, interpret psychological meanings, break free of our influences, and recenter our individuality, Man and His Symbols proves to be—decades after its conception—a revelatory, absorbing, and relevant experience.

Author : Patricia McConnell, Ph.D.
Publisher : Ballantine Books
Page : 289 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2009-02-19
Category : Pets
ISBN : 9780307489180

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The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell, Ph.D. Pdf

Learn to communicate with your dog—using their language “Good reading for dog lovers and an immensely useful manual for dog owners.”—The Washington Post An Applied Animal Behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years’ experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell reveals a revolutionary new perspective on our relationship with dogs—sharing insights on how “man’s best friend” might interpret our behavior, as well as essential advice on how to interact with our four-legged friends in ways that bring out the best in them. After all, humans and dogs are two entirely different species, each shaped by its individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (as are wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation. This marvelous guide demonstrates how even the slightest changes in our voices and in the ways we stand can help dogs understand what we want. Inside you will discover: • How you can get your dog to come when called by acting less like a primate and more like a dog • Why the advice to “get dominance” over your dog can cause problems • Why “rough and tumble primate play” can lead to trouble—and how to play with your dog in ways that are fun and keep him out of mischief • How dogs and humans share personality types—and why most dogs want to live with benevolent leaders rather than “alpha wanna-bes!” Fascinating, insightful, and compelling, The Other End of the Leash is a book that strives to help you connect with your dog in a completely new way—so as to enrich that most rewarding of relationships.