Researched and compiled by Pradeep Hegde and Sathya Chandra Sagar H S (Batch 2012 – 15) BSc. Department of Life Sciences Christ University, Bengaluru. Published by the Center for Publications, Christ University, Hosur Road, Bengaluru 560029, India [email protected]

Story about a little plantation town called Peermade in the Western Ghats of Kerala.

Australians have a love–hate relationship with spiders. Some spiders, such as the Redback and the Sydney Funnelweb, inspire fear. Yet Peacock Spiders, with their colourful fan-spreading courtship dances, have won rapturous appreciation worldwide. A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia uses photographs of living animals to help people identify many of the spiders they encounter. Featuring over 1300 colour photographs, it is the most comprehensive account of Australian spiders ever published. With more than two-thirds of Australian spiders yet to be scientifically described, this book sets the scene for future explorations of our extraordinary Australian fauna. This field guide will be enjoyed by naturalists and anyone with an interest in learning more about Australia's incredible arachnids.

Collection of previously published essays on little known aspects of India's wildlife and natural history.

The Eastern Himalaya -- land of Gods, of ancient mountain kingdoms, of icy peaks and alpine meadows -- is like no other place on Earth. The life and landscapes of the region are as diverse, spectacular, and fragile as the mountains themselves. Even today, these mountains hold many mysteries: unnamed species, primeval cultures, and the promise of magical cures to heal all of humanity. This book takes us on a journey of biocultural discovery -- from the great canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo and the Siang Gorge in the east to the Kali Ganda ki Gorge in the west. Along the way, the book demonstrates, in breathtaking imagery and words, why the preservation of this heritage is so important -- not just for us, but for the future of all life on Earth.

On a misty morning early half a century ago, Baskaran watched in awe as a skein of Bar-headed geese landed in Devarayan lake near Tiruchi. Their honking calls through the surrouding fog rendered the moment with a certain magic. The morning sparked the beginning of Baskara's nature writing. The articles he wrote over the years, published mostly in The Hindu, examined wildlife, ecology and conservatio, reflecting his enduring concerns with environmental issues. His writing based on personal observation has a sense of immediacy that draws readers to the lived experience of nature. The essays in this anthology range from an account of the stream-dwelling Brown dipper to a search for the lost orchid of Coutrallam. As Peter Matthiessen said, ""one way to grasp the main perspectives of biodiversity is to understand the precious nature of a single living form, a single manifestation of the miracle of existence; if one has truly understood a crane- or a eaf or a cloud or a frog- one has understood everything."" The articles anthologised in this volume represent a lifetime's pursuit of such an understanding.

Other title information from cover: First comprehensive guide to Indian dog breeds in over fifty years.