"Stories about the Instinct of Animals, Their Characters, and Habits" by Thomas Bingley Using the persona, "Uncle Thomas," Bingley used this text to teach readers about wild animals. Characteristics, behaviors, habitats, and more are discussed in this text in an entertaining and heartwarming way. From horses to swallows and everything in between, the wild animals in this book become characters in their own rights.

A provocative scholar delivers the first book on the new science of storytelling: the latest thinking on why we tell stories and what stories reveal about human nature.

An Italian ethnobotanist explores the remarkable propensity of wild animals to seek out and use psychoactive substances. • Throws out behaviorist theories that claim animals have no consciousness. • Offers a completely new understanding of the role psychedelics play in the development of consciousness in all species. • Reveals drug use to be a natural instinct. From caffeine-dependent goats to nectar addicted ants, the animal kingdom offers amazing examples of wild animals and insects seeking out and consuming the psychoactive substances in their environments. Author Giorgio Samorini explores this little-known phenomenon and suggests that, far from being confined to humans, the desire to experience altered states of consciousness is a natural drive shared by all living beings and that animals engage in these behaviors deliberately. Rejecting the Western cultural assumption that using drugs is a negative action or the result of an illness, Samorini opens our eyes to the possibility that beings who consume psychedelics--whether humans or animals--contribute to the evolution of their species by creating entirely new patterns of behavior that eventually will be adopted by other members of that species. The author's fascinating accounts of mushroom-loving reindeer, intoxicated birds, and drunken elephants ensure that readers will never view the animal world in quite the same way again.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1840.

“A noted naturalist explores the centrality of home in the lives of humans and other animals . . . A special treat for readers of natural history” (Kirkus Reviews). Every year, many species make the journey from one place to another, following the same paths and ending up in the same places. Every year since boyhood, the acclaimed scientist and author Bernd Heinrich has done the same, returning to a beloved patch of western Maine woods. Which led him to wonder: What is the biology in humans of this primal pull toward a particular place, and how is it related to animal homing? In The Homing Instinct, Heinrich explores the fascinating mysteries of animal migration: how geese imprint true visual landscape memory; how scent trails are used by many creatures to locate their homes with pinpoint accuracy; and how even the tiniest of songbirds are equipped for solar and magnetic orienteering over vast distances. And he reminds us that to discount our human emotions toward home is to ignore biology itself. “A graceful blend of science and memoir . . . [Heinrich’s] ability to linger and simply be there for the moment when, for instance, an elderly spider descends from a silken strand to take the insect he offers her is the heart of his appeal.” —Julie Zickefoose, The Wall Street Journal “Deep and insightful writing.” —David Gessner, The Washington Post

What would you do if your dream job suddenly became a nightmare? When a near-fatal riding accident abruptly ended Kat Chrysostom's promising career as a show jumper, she was forced to confront this challenge. In Broken to Branded, Kat shares how she fought back and rebuilt her life by building a successful business. Among the practical secrets Kat shares are these: - How to keep going, even when everything looks hopeless - How to find your life's passion-and how to keep that passion alive - How to make smart decisions and avoid decision paralysis - How to build your network-and why you have more help at hand than you think! Whether you're just starting your career or considering the leap to entrepreneurship, Broken to Branded offers inspiration and practical tools for success, along with real talk about what it really takes to build a business.