The Nature of Life Author:Lorus and Margery Milne Increasingly we have come to realize that the earth is a mosaic of ecological habitats in which all animal and plant life are vitally interrelated. That is the important theme of this comprehensive and fascinating book by Lorus and Margery Milne, well-known zoologists and far-traveled naturalists. — They begin by describing the extra-ordinary wa... more »ys in which life has been dispersed about the earth and how it has diversified. Typical is their treatment of the Hawaiian Islands where a small number of land birds, introduced by chance, has proliferated intot the dozens of species that now flourish there. The Milnes then show how life falls into patterns on all continents and islands, from the depest abysses to the highest peaks, from temperate woodlands, taiga and arctic tundra to equatorial forests and deserts, from fresh water and marshes to the ocean floor. And everywhere they draw on their vast store of information and lore to enliven their accounts of both familiar and rare animals and plants. A concluding chapter considers the astonishing distribution of the cultured primate, man, and what he has done to his many environments and to his animal and plant associates.
Supplementing this authoritative text is a rich selection fo photographs, including many that vividly illustrate the interaction of life and the environment.« less