Reviews for Cyclopedia of Civil Engineering Volume - I

The average rating for Cyclopedia of Civil Engineering Volume - I based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-12-01 00:00:00 Herb Harris I absolutely love Bernd Heinrich. I love how he researches the tiniest details of the tiniest creatures - chickadees keeping warm together in a ball, a cuddle, in the snow. And where he knows the animal well not just as a research subject, like his jealous owl, Bubo in One Man's Owl he lets their personality shine through. Especially with ravens. He really loves ravens, and now I do too. He's a scientist who gives equal weight to anecdotes from his observation of animal behaviour. But this book, I had to dnf it. It's exactly what it says. I wasn't misled. But I thought it was going to be about bumblebees, but it really is about their economics, energy input and output. If you have more a mathematical mind than mine, you might enjoy it. I didn't. So sadly, (but with relief) dnf It still gets three stars though, because the writing is good, even if it isn't wonderful enough to overcome the tedious subject.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-07-29 00:00:00 Ben Brewer I think Heinrich’s research is awesome, whether he’s putting pipe cleaners around young raven necks or counting sticks in a kinglet nest. This book was fantastic not only for the “wow” moments contemplating his field methods but for offering in-depth information about a group of animals I knew very little about. Bumblebees <> honeybees (also nifty creatures), and the differences are fascinating. For example, bumblebees don’t dance, which seems unfortunate that the bumbles miss out on a sophisticated form of communication. But because of their basic natural history, it totally makes sense that dancing wouldn’t provide much advantage! Learn how queen bumbles are like songbirds (but unlike birds, they spend nights with their face in a honeypot). Learn how they can sustain themselves in cool climates few insects dare inhabit! Learn why bees visit a few flowers in an inflorescence rather every single one! I was terrifically excited by all these explanations, and I’m not even a bug nerd. Plus, I just love that Heinrich’s approach to most scientific questions is “Hey, let’s stick a thermocouple in it.”