The Birds of Heaven

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

An entire book on cranes, the world’s largest and certainly one of the
most spectacularly beautiful birds, is reason to rejoice. Aldo Leopold
called the crane “the trumpet in the orchestra of evolution ... the
symbol of our untameable past.” Add eight color plates of gorgeous
paintings and drawings by internationally renowned wildlife artist
Robert Bateman, and the feast is complete.

In clean, strong prose, Peter Matthiessen chronicles his many worldwide
journeys in search of cranes, all 15 species. His journeys have taken
him to Tibet, Hong Kong, and the Indian provinces of Gujarat and
Rajasthan. Snatches of the history, geography, and legends of the areas
favored by cranes are woven seamlessly into details of their habitat and
habits. In Gujarat, for example, country people say that if a crane is
killed, its mate will shortly pine away, perhaps destroy itself. The
Indian villagers also believe that a person who kills a crane will
shortly lose his or her own mate.

The Birds of Heaven, endlessly fascinating, is best consumed a little
at a time. Matthiessen, the author of several books, including The Tree
Where Man Was Born, is deeply concerned about the future of cranes and
the tremendous loss to humankind if these magnificent birds are allowed
to disappear. On his journey he encountered many “craniacs” or
crane-lovers—scientists, conservationists, bird-watchers—whose
contributions helped to build this fascinating portrait of a rare
species.