The World of the Hummingbird
A respected English naturalist and zoologist, Burton is the  author of some 30 books on birdfeeders, eggs, the seashore,  behavior, roadside nature, and other wildlife themes. His  subject here is the perennially popular hummingbird. Often  called the jewels or butterflies of the bird world, hummingbirds  have long attracted our attention and contributed to our awe of  nature. Besides being brilliantly colored they sport such names  as ruby topaz, purple-throated mountain gem, long-tailed sylph,  and magenta-throated woodstar they can fly backwards and  sometimes even enter a semihibernating state. These creatures  are well served by Burton's book. The authoritative text is  divided into easy-to-read chapters on general hummingbird  biology, flight, flowers, behavior, migration, nesting, and the  place of "hummers" in human lore, myth, and history.  Accompanying the prose are 90 dramatic and high-quality color  plates by some well-known photographers. There are dozens of  books on hummingbirds, but this is a worthy, if somewhat pricey,  addition to most collections. Highly recommended. Henry T.  Armistead, Free Lib. of PhiladelphiaCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.