Description

Meet Eoornis, the woofen-poof. It's a joke. As the author explains, 'Through countless ages and successive civilizations, this remarkable bird has been the symbol of speed, stamina, grace of line, proportion of members, and beauty of motion.' Here are the origins of the phrase, 'graceful as a bird.' This is a classic 'burlesque' in the history of science. Not a hoax. Not a mistake. It's a raucous, now legendary, adventure through the zoology and natural history of a most unusual creature. Written in the 1920s by Augustus C. Fotheringham, a pseudonym for Lester Sharp and Cuthbert Bancroft Fraser, this monograph has circulated far and wide. For years, it has moved quietly through scientist circles, handed down with a wink and a nod. If nothing else, Eo rnis shows the passion and dedication scientists have for their subject. Facsimile of 1928 edition.