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Birds’ eggs are true wonders of the natural world: they are strong enough to protect the embryo as it grows and to withstand incubation by the parent, yet sufficiently fragile to allow the chick to hatch. Little wonder that the enormous diversity of avian eggs – the amazing range of shapes, sizes, colours, textures and patterns – has long fascinated us. Since boyhood, the renowned landscape photographer Colin Prior has had a passion for wild birds. For him, birds are the embodiment of nature, and fundamentally enrich the experience of being outdoors. This stunning new book presents Prior’s remarkable images of birds’ eggs side by side with his dramatic photographs of the birds’ natural habitats. At a time when many human influences are having an adverse impact on the environment, these habitats are equally fragile and vulnerable to change. Loss of habitat is, in turn, a major factor in the decline of wild bird populations.It has been illegal to take any birds’ eggs from the wild in Great Britain since 1954, and since 1982 it has been against the law to possess the egg of any wild bird. The eggs featured in this book belong to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, which holds one of the world’s largest collections of birds’ eggs. The eggs were collected legally during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and bequeathed to the museum by private collectors. Prior set up a studio at the museum and spent five weeks photographing more than 300 eggs using the latest digital technology. Each photograph is a compilation of between 40 and 80 separate exposures that were then blended into a single image using specialist software. The final image is an exquisite, almost three-dimensional rendition of the egg, pin-sharp from the front to the back. The eggs vary in size from that of the tiny goldcrest, the UK’s smallest bird, to that of the mute swan.In his introduction, Prior describes how his love of the natural world was nurtured by the endless hours he spent in the countryside around the Glasgow suburb where he grew up; how he overcame the technical challenges of photographing the eggs; how the featured eggs were selected from the museum’s collection; and how the photography of each bird’s habitat was completed. In his essay, the Scottish environmentalist Professor Des Thompson reflects on the state of nature and the relationship between nesting and habitats. In the main part of the book, the birds’ eggs are arranged into chapters according to the species found in a particular habitat, such as ‘Mountain and Moorland’ and ‘Seashore and Estuary’. The caption beneath each egg details the common and scientific name of the bird, the date the egg was collected, the size of the clutch, and the egg’s dimensions. Each egg is presented in a diptych with a photograph of the bird’s habitat, painstakingly captured at a time of year when the dominant colours of the landscape most closely resemble those of the egg. Fragile – the culmination of ten years’ work – not only showcases the inherent beauty of birds’ eggs, but also serves as a powerful reminder to protect the birds’ natural habitats and thereby the birds themselves.

A collectors' edition of 200 of the very best of Colin Prior's unsurpassed Scottish landscape panoramas including 35 previously unpublished photographs and maps showing the exact sweep of each stunning shot.

The ice mountains of the Karakoram are among the world's greatest natural treasures. At 8611 metres (28,251 ft), K2 is the second tallest mountain on Earth. There are three other mountains in the range that top 8000 metres (26,247 ft) - Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II - and more than 60 peaks above 7000 metres (22,966 ft). Extending in a south-easterly direction from the north-eastern tip of Afghanistan and spanning the borders of Pakistan, India and China, the Karakoram is part of a complex of ranges in Central Asia that includes the Hindu Kush to the west and the Himalayas to the south-east. These mountains, however, are distinctive. This is the most glaciated region on the planet outside the Arctic and Antarctic. But while most of the world's great peaks are almost blanketed in snow and ice, the Karakoram is an exception: the mountains are so vertical that they rapidly shed snow, leaving their bold, jagged outlines of black granite glistening in the sun. The name of the range comes from the Turkic term for 'black rock' or 'black gravel'. The well-known landscape photographer Colin Prior was initially inspired to visit the Karakoram in his early twenties: in his local library he picked up the book In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods (1977) by the American climber and photographer Galen Rowell, and was instantly captivated by images of the sharp, fractured peaks and vast glaciers. His first trip to the Karakoram came in the mid-1990s, and he has been passionate about these mountains ever since. Prior's new book is the result of six expeditions he has made to the Gilgit-Baltistan region of north-east Pakistan over the last six years. Because the region is so remote, there are no established base camps, and each expedition requires careful planning and miles of trekking with a large team of guides, porters and ponies to carry the equipment and provisions. There are regular rock falls and perilous snow-covered crevasses to contend with. The reward for Prior is what he calls the ultimate mountain landscape: 'The scenery is graphic, with towers, minarets and cathedrals of rock.' This beautifully produced volume showcases the breathtaking beauty of the Karakoram in some 130 duotone and colour photographs. The images are largely arranged to follow Prior's progress up the glaciers, and are accompanied by well-chosen quotations from accounts of historical expeditions to the region. A selection of 'making of' images at the end of the book highlights the challenges of documenting the most exceptional mountain range in the world.

This book describes a powerful and flexible technique for the modeling of behavior, based on evolutionary principles. The technique employs stochastic dynamic programming and permits the analysis of behavioral adaptations wherein organisms respond to changes in their environment and in their own current physiological state. Models can be constructed to reflect sequential decisions concerned simultaneously with foraging, reproduction, predator avoidance, and other activities. The authors show how to construct and use dynamic behavioral models. Part I covers the mathematical background and computer programming, and then uses a paradigm of foraging under risk of predation to exemplify the general modeling technique. Part II consists of five "applied" chapters illustrating the scope of the dynamic modeling approach. They treat hunting behavior in lions, reproduction in insects, migrations of aquatic organisms, clutch size and parental care in birds, and movement of spiders and raptors. Advanced topics, including the study of dynamic evolutionarily stable strategies, are discussed in Part III.

This book offers an accessible and broadly conceived introduction to social psychology. Written in a lucid and lively style, it assumes no prior knowledge of the field, and is the ideal textbook to get students thinking about the subject. The volume covers the main issues of social psychology ? as well as many classic studies ? such as self and personality, interpersonal relations, language and communication, altruism and aggression, group processes, attitudes, and intergroup relations. What sets this book apart is its coverage of less orthodox topics which are often neglected in introductions of this kind. These areas include emotions, social and moral development, social representations, health and illness, employment and unemployment, and the implications of these fields for social policy. The result is an unusually rich and wide-ranging presentation of social psychology, drawing together a deliberately varied range of methodology and theory. The currently dominant cognitive and psychological approach to social psychology receives systematic consideration in a number of chapters, but its focus on individuals and face-to-face interaction is continually related to broader social concerns and contexts. This is achieved through the use of cross-cultural and historical comparisons, together with an awareness of the contributions that can be made by related social sciences. The authors aim to show that social psychology illuminates the whole of social life, including everyday issues faced by all of us.

This book offers an accessible and broadly conceived introduction to social psychology. Written in a lucid and lively style, it assumes no prior knowledge of the field, and is the ideal textbook to get students thinking about the subject. The volume covers the main issues of social psychology ? as well as many classic studies ? such as self and personality, interpersonal relations, language and communication, altruism and aggression, group processes, attitudes, and intergroup relations. What sets this book apart is its coverage of less orthodox topics which are often neglected in introductions of this kind. These areas include emotions, social and moral development, social representations, health and illness, employment and unemployment, and the implications of these fields for social policy. The result is an unusually rich and wide-ranging presentation of social psychology, drawing together a deliberately varied range of methodology and theory. The currently dominant cognitive and psychological approach to social psychology receives systematic consideration in a number of chapters, but its focus on individuals and face-to-face interaction is continually related to broader social concerns and contexts. This is achieved through the use of cross-cultural and historical comparisons, together with an awareness of the contributions that can be made by related social sciences. The authors aim to show that social psychology illuminates the whole of social life, including everyday issues faced by all of us.

This book gives practical help to anybody who wishes to learn anything about the practical and accessible ways to raise boys' achievement in primary and secondary schools. Its down-to-earth language, easy style and rational sequencing of actions will appeal to all readers. This is essentially a handbook that can be used for reference, background reading, planning, preparing arguments, essays or as a general introduction to one of the most pressing issues in education today. The authoritative case studies and clear explanations of what to do and how to do it will be a boon to all readers.It discusses why some boys underachieve, what can be done to raise achievement, and how current national strategies aim to address the problem. It is aimed at headteachers, heads of department, ITT students, governors and parents in all phases of education.