Songs to Birds

Former editor of Smithsonian magazine and author of Zoo: The Modern Ark, Page demonstrates a light touch in these essays on various birds and animals. He examines mutual dependence among birds and the voices of nature--``the growl and whine school of communication.'' He describes watching toads copulate as less exciting than watching water erode a mountain. He muses on the aerodynamics of Archaeopteryx , eroding beaches, the color of cardinals. At their Virginia home, he and his wife gave foster care to baby chimney swifts; when they moved to New Mexico, they were greeted by a roadrunner that came to stay. Whether writing about zebra finches, gulls or horseshoe crabs, Page is always entertaining. (May)