LONGLISTED FOR THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2021 'Clever, elegantly constructed, utterly convincing' Daily Mail 'As gripping as Hilary Mantel and as convincing as Sarah Perry ... debut novels shouldn't be this perfectly formed' Ben Myers 'Clever, page-turning, original ... beautifully written' Jane Harris 'Exactly observed, densely textured and richly flavoured ... Crow Court is throbbing with life' Rick Gekoski Spring, 1840. In the Dorset market town of Wimborne Minster, a young choirboy drowns himself. Soon after, the choirmaster—a belligerent man with a vicious reputation—is found murdered, in a discovery tainted as much by relief as it is by suspicion. The gaze of the magistrates falls on four local men, whose decisions will reverberate through the community for years to come. So begins the chronicle of Crow Court, unravelling over fourteen delicately interwoven episodes, the town of Wimborne their backdrop: a young gentleman and his groom run off to join the army; a sleepwalking cordwainer wakes on his wife’s grave; desperate farmhands emigrate. We meet the composer with writer’s block; the smuggler; a troupe of actors down from London; and old Art Pugh, whose impoverished life has made him hard to amuse. Meanwhile, justice waits...

New York Times–Bestselling Author of The Last Raven: Two British intelligence veterans race to stop lethal weapons from falling into dangerous hands . . . Andrew Babbington has gone over to the enemy, working on industrial espionage for the KGB. But between the impatient Russians who want to get their hands on some advanced tech, and the British intelligence specialists who’ve trained their sights on the manufacturers who supply them, his efforts could fall apart at any moment—especially after the discovery of a downed plane in the Namibian desert, and the illicit cargo it was carrying. Now, Sir Kenneth Aubrey and Patrick Hyde of MI6 are working off a tip about some shady businessmen with access to terrifying weapons. They’re willing to sell to the highest bidder—no matter how disreputable. To prevent the deaths of innocent people, the seasoned warriors must spring into action. The geopolitical landscape may be shifting in unpredictable ways, but Aubrey and Hyde know that some things never change—including greed . . . Praise for Craig Thomas’s thrillers “Lively, straightforward action.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “The last word in espionage thrillers.” —The Pittsburgh Press

When a predator attacks, prey are faced with a series of 'if', 'when' and 'how' escape decisions – these critical questions are the foci of this book. Cooper and Blumstein bring together a balance of theory and empirical research to summarise over fifty years of scattered research and benchmark current thinking in the rapidly expanding literature on the behavioural ecology of escaping. The book consolidates current and new behaviour models with taxonomically divided empirical chapters that demonstrate the application of escape theory to different groups. The chapters integrate behaviour with physiology, genetics and evolution to lead the reader through the complex decisions faced by prey during a predator attack, examining how these decisions interact with life history and individual variation. The chapter on best practice field methodology and the ideas for future research presented throughout, ensure this volume is practical as well as informative.

Brings together long-term studies of cooperation in vertebrates that challenge our understanding of the evolution of social behavior.

Crows are familiar birds to almost everyone. They are a wide-ranging group whose activities often bring them into contact with man, frequently to their detriment. However, they are a successful family, both in terms of numbers and species, which includes the Blue Jay and Magpie of North America, the Rook of England, the House Crow of India and the Little Raven of Australia. They exhibit great diversity in colour, size and patterns of behaviour. In this second edition, Derek Goodwin has retained the basic format of his earlier work, with all relevant aspects of their appearance, biology and behaviour being described, but he has added up-to-date information as appropriate, much of which was sent to him from readers of the first edition.

“Crows and people share similar traits and social strategies. To a surprising extent, to know the crow is to know ourselves.”—from the Preface From the cave walls at Lascaux to the last painting by Van Gogh, from the works of Shakespeare to those of Mark Twain, there is clear evidence that crows and ravens influence human culture. Yet this influence is not unidirectional, say the authors of this fascinating book: people profoundly influence crow culture, ecology, and evolution as well. John Marzluff and Tony Angell examine the often surprising ways that crows and humans interact. The authors contend that those interactions reflect a process of “cultural coevolution.” They offer a challenging new view of the human-crow dynamic—a view that may change our thinking not only about crows but also about ourselves. Featuring more than 100 original drawings, the book takes a close look at the influences people have had on the lives of crows throughout history and at the significant ways crows have altered human lives. In the Company of Crows and Ravens illuminates the entwined histories of crows and people and concludes with an intriguing discussion of the crow-human relationship and how our attitudes toward crows may affect our cultural trajectory.

Covering more than 900 species, and illustrated with 4,700 photographs, Europe's Birds is the most comprehensive, authoritative and ambitious single-volume photographic guide to Europe's birds ever produced. Easy-to-use, practical and accessible, this guide provides the information necessary for birdwatchers of all abilities to name any bird they see. Detailed descriptions cover the birds in all their plumages--male, female, breeding, non-breeding, adult and immatures, as well as distinctive subspecies. The clear text covers all aspects of identification, including moult and vocalizations, and provides details on range, status and habitat. An unrivalled selection of photographs, chosen to be as informative as possible, makes this a beautiful book to enjoy, as well as an up-to-date and essential source of identification knowledge. Europe's Birds is produced by the same team that created Britain's Birds, which has been described as "without doubt the best photo guide on the market" (Andy Stoddart, Rare Bird Alert). The authors include top-class wildlife photographers, writers and editors, and an imaginative, highly skilled designer. All are experienced birdwatchers themselves, who know what is needed in an identification guide for birdwatchers living or travelling in Europe.

" ... This book changes field guide design to make you a better birder ... The most comprehensive guide : 640 stunning scenes created from 10,000 of the author's photographs ... Lifelike in-focus scenes show birds in their habitats ..."--P. [4] of cover.

Birds have been important symbols in our art and culture for thousands of years. They have inspired poets and painters, and feature in many place names and legends. In this book, Niall Mac Coitir draws together the mythology, legends and folklore of Ireland's birds, both wild and domestic. The birds are presented in seasonal order based on their migratory habits (the cuckoo and summer) or on their cultural associations (the robin with Christmas). He also explores how birds are often powerful symbols of various virtues and qualities, such as the goose, which is a symbol of watchfulness and bravery. This challenges us to look at birds in a different way, as dynamic creatures that have influenced our society over the millennia. Written with imagination and enthusiasm, this mix of natural history, mythology and folklore will delight and enlighten all interested in the birds of Ireland.

Crows and Jays is a combination of scientifically accurate information and an identification guide, planned to give anyone, whether a birdwatcher or biologist, a greater understanding of the lives of these beautiful, yet very complex, group of birds. 120 species of crows, jays and their allies exist in the world today. Many are exceedingly beautiful in colour, grace and form, whereas others are black and somewhat sinister in appearance. In no other group of perching birds has evolution produced such a degree of variation, from the tiny Hume's Ground-Jay of the steppe-highlands of Tibet to the huge Thick-billed Raven of the mountains of Ethiopia. Some have had a long association with people and appear in tales of mythology and superstition, while others have been regarded as agricultural pests. The great majority, however, remain largely unknown, their only contact with humanity being the destruction of their specialised habitats. As a consequence, more than 20 species are now regarded as internationally endangered, some of which are very poorly known. The 30 superb colour plates by Hilary Burn in this book depict them all; each plate is accompanied by an informative caption page summarising the criteria required to identify the species, alongside colour world distribution maps. Some of these birds, bearing such evocative names as the Banggai Crow, Mesopotamian Crow and Flores Crow, have never been illustrated before. The authoritative text by Steve Madge treats each species in depth, summarising identification techniques and concisely reviewing all aspects of corvid behaviour, distribution, population and taxonomy. The author has had first-hand experience of most of the species during his travels throughout the world, travels in which he gradually became fascinated by this very special, but somewhat ignored, group of birds. This will surely be a standard work of reference for many years to come.