Men, Birds, and Adventure, first published in 1962, is a fascinating look at the early exploration of America by naturalists and adventurers, with an emphasis on the birds they discovered and described.
From the Foreword: They were the men who discovered America and all its parts, and, in the exploring, they found America's birds. The often incredible hardship and hunger, the punishment of weather and of terrain, and the ultimate triumph of truth, all played their part in man's ornithological adventures, from the shores of the Atlantic to the waters of the Pacific, from Mexico to the Arctic Ocean. These stories are not fiction; they are all facts, many of them obtained from the journals of the adventurers, who could be astonishingly calm about their near brushes with disaster. John Burroughs wrote: "What I offer ... is a careful and conscientious record of actual observations and experiences, and it is true as it stands written, every word of it." The adventurers after birds were really the ones who wrote this book . . . true, every word of it. Includes black and white illustrations, a bibliography and index.
Author Virginia Eifert (1911-1966), was the author of numerous books and a long-time employee of the Illinois State Museum.
