Robert Cleland's mention of "The Carolina Parakeet" jostled my memory of an
absolutely fascinating, informative, and riveting book which I read during one
of my recent past longer research excursions at sea and highly recommend it to
any birder/naturalist, even if only with an armchair interest in such.

"Hope Is The Thing With Feathers"
A Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds

Written by Christopher Cokinos, 2000, this 359pp book features specific
chapters which chronicle the Carolina Parakeet, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Heath Hen,
Passenger Pigeon, and the Labrador Duck and Great Auk. You will learn much
more than you ever thought you knew and thrust into a visualization of an
utterly amazing American landscape now long gone. As Carl Safina wrote on the
jacket cover, "this book will leave you with goose bumps." Indeed!

Speaking of Carl Safina who joined us as a special invited guest and visiting
scientist on one of our 4-month long NOAA sponsored tropical Pacific marine
mammal / seabird cruises a few years back, I'd also like to plug Carl's "Song
for the Blue Ocean" and "Eye of the Albatross" as must haves in any well
rounded naturalists library. Not to just sit on the shelf, but must reads.

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Richard Rowlett
Seattle / Bellevue (Eastgate), WA, USA

"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what
nobody has thought" --Albert Szent-Gyorgi (1893-1986).
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