Field notes on science & nature

Author(s)

    • Canfield, Michael R.

Bibliographic Information

Field notes on science & nature

edited by Michael R. Canfield

Harvard University Press, 2011

Available at  / 3 libraries

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Note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Contents of Works

  • Foreword / Edward O. Wilson
  • Introduction / Michael R. Canfield
  • The pleasure of observing / George B. Schaller
  • Untangling the bank / Bernd Heinrich
  • One and a half cheers for list-keeping / Kenn Kaufman
  • A reflection of the truth / Roger Kitching
  • Linking researchers across generations / Anna K. Behrensmeyer
  • The spoken and the unspoken / Karen L. Kramer
  • In the eye of the beholder / Jonathan Kingdon
  • Why sketch? / Jenny Keller
  • The evolution and fate of botanical field books / James L. Reveal
  • Note-taking for pencilophobes / Piotr Naskrecki
  • Letters to the future / John D. Perrine and James L. Patton
  • Why keep a field notebook? / Erick Greene

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Once in a great while, as the New York Times noted recently, a naturalist writes a book that changes the way people look at the living world. John James Audubon's Birds of America, published in 1838, was one. Roger Tory Peterson's 1934 Field Guide to the Birds was another. How does such insight into nature develop? Pioneering a new niche in the study of plants and animals in their native habitat, Field Notes on Science and Nature allows readers to peer over the shoulders and into the notebooks of a dozen eminent field workers, to study firsthand their observational methods, materials, and fleeting impressions. What did George Schaller note when studying the lions of the Serengeti? What lists did Kenn Kaufman keep during his 1973 "big year"? How does Piotr Naskrecki use relational databases and electronic field notes? In what way is Bernd Heinrich's approach "truly Thoreauvian," in E. O. Wilson's view? Recording observations in the field is an indispensable scientific skill, but researchers are not generally willing to share their personal records with others. Here, for the first time, are reproductions of actual pages from notebooks. And in essays abounding with fascinating anecdotes, the authors reflect on the contexts in which the notes were taken. Covering disciplines as diverse as ornithology, entomology, ecology, paleontology, anthropology, botany, and animal behavior, Field Notes offers specific examples that professional naturalists can emulate to fine-tune their own field methods, along with practical advice that amateur naturalists and students can use to document their adventures.

Table of Contents

Contents Foreword Edward O. Wilson Introduction Michael R. Canfield 1. The Pleasure of Observing George B. Schaller 2. Untangling the Bank Bernd Heinrich 3. One and a Half Cheers for Listmaking Kenn Kaufman 4. A Reflection of the Truth Roger Kitching 5. Linking Researchers across Generations Anna K. Behrensmeyer 6. The Spoken and the Unspoken Karen L. Kramer 7. In the Eye of the Beholder Jonathan Kingdon 8. Why Sketch? Jenny Keller 9. The Evolution and Fate of Botanical Field Books James L. Reveal 10. Note-Taking for Pencilophobes Piotr Naskrecki 11. Letters to the Future John D. Perrine and James L. Patton 12. Why Keep a Field Notebook? Erick Greene Notes Contributors Index

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