The Way of the Hummingbird: In Legend, History and Today's Gardens

Seemingly everything you've ever wanted to know about hummingbirds is packed into this comprehensive volume by a contributing editor to Birdwatcher's Digest. Holmgren includes legends and scientific facts (for example, the hummingbird's unusual plumage is explained first in Mayan Indian stories and then from a scientific point of view), as well as obscure details (hummingbirds fight, according to scientific data, because the birds have so little body mass that they are unable to store food, and, therefore, they spar fiercely for nutrients; one legend has it that hummingbirds can't sing because their vocal cords are underdeveloped). Illustrations. (October)