Our Amazing Birds: The Little Known Facts About Their Private Lives by Robert S. Lemmon. Illustrated by Don R. Eckelberry published by Doubleday & Co, Garden City, NY, 1952. Book Club Edition. Hardcover with dust jacket.

This book is a collection of short essays written by Robert S. Lemmon about common birds in the US, their historic breeding grounds, habitat, range, intelligence, and unusual characteristics with warmth, humor, and careful attention to detail. Each bird is beautifully illustrated with glowing realism in black and white.

Excepts from the Foreword: “Fivescore authentic bird character sketches, each with its own interpretive portrait. There is no planned pattern in their sequence, as every one is distinct in itself and may be read without reference to the others. In each you will find specific facts about nest, eggs, and range, but above and beyond these I hope you will discover an inkling of what would be called personality if the subject of the sketch were a human being. For birds are no nerveless automatons, moving along dull and monotonous courses. On the contrary, they are alert, resourceful, sentient creatures, superb in the quickness of their reactions, incredible in their instincts and adaptability to the conditions of the moment. Though probably without the power of reasoning and conscious thought, as we understand those terms, they nevertheless display many emotions comparable to ours and often behave as we might try to do were we in their places. The great difference-and this is one of the amazing things about them that you will come upon as you read- is that they do it much, much better!”

CONTENTS: Ruby-Throated Hummingbird; Great Auk; American Bittern; Eastern Bluebird; Black-Footed Albatross; Crow; Willow Ptarmigan; Slate-Colored Junco; Dipper; House Wren; Bob-White; The Egrets; White-Throated Sparrow; Cedar Waxing; Myrtle Warbler; Belted Kingfisher; Ground Dove; Red-Winged Blackbird; California Quail; Snowy Owl; Catbird; Bobolink; Franklin's Gull; Baltimore Oriole; Petrels; Indigo Bunting; Common Tern; Screech Owl; American Flamingo; Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher; Barred Owl; Chimney Swift; The Phalaropes; Trumpeter Swan; Carolina Parakeet; Pine Grosbeak; Snow Bunting; Pileated Woodpecker; Scarlet Tanager; Cardinal; Hooded Merganser; Evening Grosbeak; Wood Duck; Cowbird; Yellow-Breasted Chat; Black-Capped Chickadee; Rose-Breasted Grosbeak; Great Blue Heron; Sparrow Hawk; Gannet; Brown Creeper; Tree Swallow; Whooping Crane; Long-Billed Marsh Wren; Black Skimmer; Robin; Herring Gull; Shrikes; Fox Sparrow; Elf Owl; Whip-Poor-Will; Ruffed Grouse; Red Crossbill; Yellow-Shafted Flicker; Barn Swallow; Roseate Spoonbill; Louisiana Water-Thrush; Man-o'-War Bird; Ruby-Crowned Kinglet; Bald Eagle; American Goldfinch; Ravens; Canada Jay; Road-Runner; Pelicans; Burrowing Owl; Wood Thrush; Horned Lark; Winter Wren; Black-Poll Warbler; Barn Owl; Song Sparrow; Prairie Chicken; Pied-Billed Grebe; Mockingbird; Purple Martin; Blue Jay; Canada Goose; Golden Plover; White-Breasted Nuthatch; Peregrine; Nighthawk; Ovenbird; Water-Turkey; Osprey; Ringed-Necked Pheasant; Common Sapsucker; Tree Sparrow; Passenger Pigeon; Puffin; Blackburnian Warbler; Downy Woodpecker; Index.

CONDITION: This Book is in acceptable condition. Tight binding, clean text. The cover, however, has a small dent on the bottom edge of the front hardcover. The dust jacket is very worn, ripped, soiled, and scuffed. Pages have turned yellow from age. There are some water-based stains on the endpapers at the front of the book. Foxing to paper commensurate with age. Please see pictures. THE PICTURES ARE TO BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF THE DESCRIPTION. PLEASE REVIEW THEM FOR A BETTER IDEA OF CONDITION.