Hawk Nests Research Articles

Blackfly-Induced Mortality of Nestling Red-Tailed Hawks

--We documented blackfly infestations (Simulium canonicolum) at 42 Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) nests in Wyoming. Blackflies caused mortality at 6 of 42 (14%) nests where young hatched (13 of 87 nestlings) and were the only known cause of nestling mortality. The onset of infestations occurred when nestlings were 3 to 20 days old and usually lasted until nestlings died or fledged. Age of nestlings at mortality ranged from 9 to 43 days. Levels of blackfly infestation were highly variable among nests and were affected by weather The cumulative effects of infestations on nestlings, including physical harassment, Leucocytozoon (a blood protozoan transmitted by blackflies) infection, and direct loss of blood and body fluids from biting flies, apparently resulted in mortalities through sustained physiological damage, trauma associated with early nest departure, or both. Because blackfly infestations can be detected only at close range, are ephemeral at nests, and can cause mortality of nestlings over a wide range of ages, the presence of blackflies and their influence on reproduction probably are undetected during most raptor productivity surveys. Received 23 January 1997, accepted 26 August 1997. A VARIETY OF PARASITES has been found in raptors (Trainer 1969, Keymer 1972, Greenwood 1977, Guti6rrez 1989, Philips 1990, Forrester et al. 1994). Although the literature describing parasites in raptors is fairly extensive, few researchers have described the effects of these parasites on their raptor hosts. Blackflies (Simulium spp.) and the parasites they transmit have been associated with at least four species of raptors (Greiner and Kocan 1977, Jolly 1982, Hunter et al. 1997), but their effect on the health of these species is largely unknown. Fitch et al. (1946) reported that 7 of 11 mortalities of nestling Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) were due to blackflies (Eusimulium clarum). Similarly, Brown and Amadon (1968) reported that during wet years, biting flies (Prosimulium spp.) were a principal cause of mortality of nestling Red-tailed Hawks in Cal4 Present address: Teton Science School, P.O. Box 68, Kelly, Wyoming 83011, USA. E-mail: roger@tetonscience. org s Present address: Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California 95521, USA. ifornia. However, they did not suggest possible mechanisms of mortality and gave no source for the information. Stabler and Holt (1965) reported a prevalence of blood protozoa in a number of different hawks, and Forrester et al. (1994) documented the relative occurrence of blood parasites in raptors in Florida but made no mention of the potential effects of these parasites on raptor productivity. Hunter et al. (1997) attributed mortality of Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) to feeding blackflies (Simulidae), anemia, and blood parasite (Leucocytozoon spp.) infection. However, all of the mortality they observed occurred in owls tethered to platforms for experimental purposes. In a portion of our study area in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP), northwestern Wyoming, the number of young Red-tailed Hawks fledged per nest declined from 1.4 to 0.7 between 1947 and 1975 (Craighead and Mindell 1981). More recent monitoring of productivity (1990 to 1991) indicated a high proportion of nesting failures, and dead young were found in and beneath some nests (S. Cain unpubl. data). In all cases where dead nestlings were found, prey items were in the nests, and adults were

Red-Shouldered Hawk Broadcast Surveys: Factors Affecting Detection of Responses and Population Trends

Forest-nesting raptors are often difficult to detect and monitor because they can be secretive, and their nests can be difficult to locate. Some species, however, respond to broadcasts of taped calls, and these responses may be useful both in monitoring population trends and in locating nests. We conducted broadcast surveys on roads and at active red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) nests in northcentral Minnesota to determine effects of type of call (conspecific or great horned owl [Bubo virginianus]), time of day, and phase of the breeding cycle on red-shouldered hawk response behavior and to evaluate usefulness of broadcasts as a population monitoring tool using area occupted-probability-of-detection techniques. During the breeding seasons of 1994 and 1995. we surveyed 4 10-station road transects 59 times and conducted 76 surveys at 24 active nests. Results of these surveys indicated conspecific calls broadcast prior to hatch and early in the day were the most effective method of detecting red-shouldered hawks. Probability of detection via conspecific calls averaged 0.25, and area occupied was 100%. Computer simulations using these field data indicated broadcast surveys have the potential to be used as a population monitoring tool.

Natural Selection and Sexual Dimorphism: Sex-Biased Sparrowhawk Predation Favours Crypsis in Female Chaffinches

A general assumption is that bright colours, song and other traits of male birds lead to high predation risk; lower risk is often assumed for the more cryptic females. However, the reversed scenario is also a theoretical possibility, as breeding females spend much time foraging, which may increase predation. We examined predation on breeding chaffinches Fringilla coelebs by sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus, the major predators of this species. Assuming male biased sex ratio, or sex ratio of unity, significantly more females than males were taken by hawks (especially in a year with harsh weather). The idea that bright male plumage is a signal of'unprofitable prey' was tested by exposing pairs of stuffed chaffinches near hawk nests. We found no support for this idea, as the hawks did not avoid the males. Female chaffinches spent more time foraging and were more active and closer to the ground than males; they were therefore probably easier to detect and catch for sparrowhawks. Thus, predation probably selects for crypsis in female chaffinches. Higher predation risk that favours crypsis in females is one of the reasons for sexual dimorphism in plumage in this and presumably also other passerine birds.

Nest success and productivity of Ferruginous Hawks in northern Montana

In 1993–1994, we investigated nest success and productivity of Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) in north-central Montana. The 171-km2 study area contained a variety of habitats, a high density of breeding raptors, and 24 occupied Ferruginous Hawk territories. Only 42% of occupied nests produced fledglings. Occupied territories produced an average of 0.96 fledglings (SE = 0.19). Successful nests produced an average of 2.30 fledglings (SE = 0.21, n = 20). Lagomorphs were scarce on the area. Richardson's ground squirrels (Spermophilus richardsonii) were more numerous along the edges of cropfields and roads than in grasslands. Multiple regression indicated that Ferruginous Hawk nests closer to cropfields and roads and farther from other breeding raptors produced more young than other nests. Thus, habitats altered by humans, which were not extensive (20% cultivated), apparently had higher densities of ground squirrels and thereby benefited breeding hawks. However, because our multivariate analysis was exploratory and based on a moderate sample size, our results should be interpreted cautiously and further evaluated in future studies.

Artificial colour mutation: do red-painted great tits experience increased or decreased predation?

A brightly coloured mutant may suffer increased predation (by being conspicuous) or may be favoured by reduced predation (if predators avoid novel or rare varieties). These alternatives were examined in a 2-year study of great tits,Parus majorby painting and ringing 1655 fledglings near 27 pairs of nesting sparrowhawks,Accipiter nisusA minority (<10%) of the great tits in each hawk territory were manipulated. On average, 40.7%of the fledglings in each brood were bright red, the others controls (yellow). Based on ring recoveries at hawk nests, the percentage of red tits taken was 5.5%, compared with 4.0% for controls, indicating an increase in predation rate by 38% for red birds. The results were similar in both years. However, using hawk pairs as sample units, predation risk was not significantly higher for red tits. Hawks that caught only one painted tit did not take red ones more often than expected, whereas those that caught two or more tits tended to take red ones more often. A predation cost for bright mutants may initially be low or absent, later increasing with the frequency of the mutant. In addition, tit parents fed red fledglings more often than controls, indicating a possible parental preference for red.

Prey selection by sparrowhawks,Accipiter nisus: relative predation risk for breeding passerine birds in relation to their size, ecology and behaviour

Predation is a fundamental ecological process, but there are few studies of predation risk for adult, breeding birds. In this study, we quantified Relative Predation Risk (RPR) for 46 species of passerine birds preyed on by sparrowhawks during the breeding season in south-western Sweden. The sparrowhawk is a major predator of smaller birds in Eurasian forests and woodland. Near nesting hawk pairs, prey abundance was estimated by line transects. From prey remains at hawk nests, we estimated the frequency of prey species in the diet of hawks. For each hawk pair, RPR values for different prey species were calculated. The mean RPR for each prey species, based on hawk pairs as sample units, indicated degree of overrepresentation (positive RPR) or underrepresentation (negative RPR) of the prey in the diet. Prey species with a high positive RPR nested mainly near human habitations (villages or towns), at forest edges and in farmland. However, there were marked seasonal changes in RPR. Forest birds, such as the goldcrest and wren, had the highest RPR in April. Later, the hawks seemed to hunt mainly in the habitats mentioned above, where prey were more abundant or easier to catch, resulting in increasing RPR for the house sparrow, yellowhammer, greenfinch and other species. RPR values were analysed in relation to prey body size (mass) and relative density, as well as prey foraging height and nest height (categorized from the literature). In addition, the mean perch height and mean exposure of prey species were quantified in the field. Most predation was due to the smaller male hawks, providing food for their mates and young, RPR increased with prey body size up to a mass of about 40 g, then declined with increasing body size (larger prey being more difficult to catch), RPR decreased with increasing relative density of prey species. Nest height was not correlated with RPR, but foraging height seems to be an important factor: RPR decreased with increasing foraging height. A similar result was found for mean perch height, when larger prey (over 40 g) and singing individuals were excluded from the field data. RPR increased with mean exposure of prey species when larger prey and singing birds were excluded; a combination of perch height and exposure improved the correlation with RPR. Singing birds were generally perched high in the vegetation and may not suffer high predation risk, contrary to common belief. The results of this study are discussed in relation to temporal and geographical variation in RPR and antipredator adaptations in passerine birds.

Forest Structural Characteristics of Accipiter Nesting Habitat: Is There an Allometric Relationship?

In montane forests of the western United States, a general correlation of Accipiter body size and scaling of the vegetation component of nesting sites and nest trees used by sympatric Accipiter species has been reported. We evaluated this pattern with vegetation data collected at Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Cooper's Hawk (A. cooperii), and Sharp-shinned Hawk (A. striatus) nest sites in the Jemez Mountains and Pajarito Plateau of north-central New Mexico. We selected habitat variables at the nest tree and nest site scale that would allow us to evaluate the prediction that accipiters use nesting habitat in which their body size is positively correlated with tree size and tree spacing, and inversely correlated with tree density, basal area, and percent canopy closure. At the nest-site level, density of larger diameter trees should be positively correlated with body size, and density of smaller diameter trees should be inversely correlated with body size. Our results suggest that nest tree height and diameter support body size predictions about nesting habitat for accipiter hawks. None of the nest-site parameters measured in this study supported the body size predictions due to a large amount of intra-specific variation. As a result ofthis variation, it was difficult to differentiate between Cooper's Hawk and Northern Goshawk nest sites for most site variables. These results suggest there is a correlation between accipiter size and nest tree size, but that a correlation between nest site structural size and accipiter body size may not be a widespread phenomenon for all vegetation variables for all three species. Many commonly measured forest stand structural characteristics such as basal area and total tree densities may not be adequate for predicting suitable accipiter nesting habitat in all areas, particularly in the absence of comparisons with available habitat.

Nest-site selection by the Swainson's Hawk on the Regina plain, Saskatchewan

Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) nest sites on the Regina plain were compared with randomly selected sites. Various immediate and surrounding habitat variables were examined to determine whether this hawk shows a preference for nesting habitat. Results showed that hawks selected nest sites with significantly less surrounding wheatland and more surrounding grassland, trees, and shrubs than random sites. Nest sites were also farther from buildings and water and closer to larger communities than random sites. These results suggest that this hawk selects nest sites least affected by agriculture.

Azure-winged magpies, Cyanopica cyana, 'parasitize' nest defence provided by Japanese lesser sparrowhawks, Accipiter gularis

Abstract. A field experiment with simulated nests of azure-winged magpies was carried out to test the hypothesis that this species nests in association with Japanese lesser sparrowhawks in order to reduce nest predation while paying few costs. The predation rate on nests was lower within 50 m of a hawk's nest during the incubation to nestling period than it was further away or at other stages of the breeding cycle. In addition, there was an inverse relationship between nest predation rate and hawk defence effort. Observations of natural nests showed that magpies did not defend their nests when nesting close to a hawk, and that hawks rarely preyed on magpies. Thus, magpies benefited from nesting close to hawks, while paying few or no costs.

Investigation of an outbreak of gastroenteritis

On Tuesday November 26, 1991, 68 children from a public school at Singleton, accompanied by three teachers and six parents, travelled to Hawks Nest Caravan Park where they were to stay for a week on a camping excursion.

Nest-Defense Behavior of Red-Tailed Hawks

From 1983 to 1986 I visited 26 Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) nests in east-central and southeastern Colorado. I estimated the closest distance that each defending adult approached, and recorded the number of calls that each bird gave and the number of times it dived while I was at the base of the nest tree for a 10-min period and subsequently at the nest for a 5-min period. The age and number of young in the nest, the height of the nest above the ground, and whether one or both adults were present were used as potential predictors of the intensity of nest-defense behavior. Nestling age was a significant predictor of call rate of the closest adult and nest height was a significant predictor of call rate of the farthest adult while I was at the base of the nest tree. Dive rate and closest approach were not significantly related to any measured variable. No independent variable was significantly related to nest-defense intensity while I was at the nest, however, dive rate increased and closest approach decreased when I was at the nest compared to when I was on the ground. These observations are only in part consistent with current theoretical models that predict patterns of nest-defense intensity in altricial birds.

Exploring the Dangerous Trades

In 1943, noted industrial health expert, Dr. Alice Hamilton, published a memoir, Exploring the Dangerous Trades. Hamilton had spent her professional career fearlessly documenting the nature of dangerous industrial chemicals and toxins, working tirelessly to have them removed from the workplace. A founder of the field of industrial hygiene, Hamilton recognized the serious toll taken on health by working conditions in factories and mines.1 Martin Cherniack's The Hawk's Nest Incident, and David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz's Dyingfor Work seek to explore the history of the dangerous trades in modern America. Both suggest that health and disease are critical markers for understanding the nature of work. The labor history of the 1960s and 1970s sought to move beyond traditional historical accounts of trade unionism to reflect the sociocultural world of the worker. Nevertheless, few works in this genre explicitly directed attention to the considerable dangers of work which laborers endured. Moreover, few studies attempted to describe precisely the toll in disease and debility taken by industrial labor. These two fine books break new ground in historical attempts to understand the relationship of class, work, and disease. Although many historians have focused attention on fights concerning hours and wages, these accounts direct attention to the debates about working conditions and safety. In this respect, these books take on a critical yet relatively unexplored dimension of labor history, as well as the history of public policy and medicine. Martin Cherniack's account of the industrial disaster at Gauley Bridge, West Virginia in 1930 is thoroughly researched and closely rendered. Cherniack's narrative is a model of prospective expose. Although the story of the

Book Review: The Hawk's Nest Incident: America's Worst Industrial Disaster

Book Review: The Hawk's Nest Incident: America's Worst Industrial Disaster

Tragedy at work and at home: three histories of occupational and environmental health in America.

Martin Cherniack. The Hawk's Nest Incident: America's Worst Industrial Disaster. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986. x + 194 pp. Illus. David DeKok. Unseen Danger: A Tragedy of People, Government, and the Centralia Mine Fire. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986. xiv + 299 pp. Illus. David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz, eds. Dying for Work: Workers' Safety and Health in Twentieth-Century America. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987. xx + 234 pp. Occupational and environmental health are specialized areas for American his- tory, with their own tales of great tragedies in which hundreds of workers or residents are killed in a fire or by exposure to a toxic chemical or hazardous waste. These are morality plays, with the public or workers exploited by corporate greed and by an unfeeling government bureaucracy, and with similar endings in which the tragedy spurs the government regulation that should have prevented the accident in the first place. The writers of these tales hope to force us to think and act now to prevent future tragedies.

The Hawk's Nest Incident: America's Worst Industrial Disaster.

(1988). The Hawk's Nest Incident: America's Worst Industrial Disaster. The Oral History Review: Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 183-185.

Effect of Annual and Habitat Variations in Prey on the Growth and Productivity of Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis)

The effects of different habitats, years and brood sizes on the growth rates, asymptotic body sizes, biomass fledged per nest and nestling mortality in red-tailed hawks are compared in this investigation. Habitats were categorized as crop, pasture or mixed. During three years of the study, drought and wet years occurred. Both male and female hawks showed similar growth rates and patterns of growth. Differences in habitat and brood size had no effect on the four parameters measured. Among years, there was a difference in biomass fledged per nest: more were fledged during 1982 than in previous years. This difference was taken to indicate larger clutches that year, given that rate of mortality was essentially similar among years. Prey availability affected the reproductive biology of red-tailed hawks before the eggs were laid rather than afterwards. Prey availability affects the reproductive biology of raptors in several ways. Limited prey availability can (1) decrease growth rates (Moss, 1979), (2) decrease weight at fledging (Cave, 1968; Moss, 1979), (3) increase nestling mortaltiy (Bechard, 1983; Mebs, 1964; Southern and Lowe, 1968) and (4) decrease size of clutch (Cave, 1968; Linkola and Myllymaki, 1969; McInvaille and Keith, 1974; Mebs, 1964; Smith et al., 1981; Southern and Lowe, 1968). The extent that prey availability affects each of these aspects of reproductive biology may vary among species of raptors. This study determined which aspects of the red-tailed hawk's (Buteo jamaicensis) reproductive biology responded to differences in available prey. Differences in available prey in the vicinity of a red-tailed hawk's nest were inferred rather than measured. The estimate of populations of two important prey species of red-tailed hawks (rabbits and snakes) is difficult (Fitch and Bare, 1978; Fitch et al., 1946). There is evidence that different Corresponding address: 2267 N. Yale, Wichita, Kansas 67220. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.112 on Wed, 07 Sep 2016 05:24:28 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms VOLUME 91, NUMBERS 3-4 97 habitats contain different amounts of available prey. Red-tailed hawks delivered more prey to nests located in certain habitats compared with others (Luttich et al., 1970; McInvaille and Keith, 1974). Nests of red-tailed hawks located near water or pasture habitats, which were presumed to have more prey, had larger clutches than those in other habitats (Adamcik et al., 1979; Howell et al., 1978). In Swainson's hawk (Buteo swainsoni), a congeneric species, the amount of searchable space available varies with habitat and so does the amount of prey and the development of the nestlings (Bechard, 1982, 1983). It was assumed that there were more prey available in a pasture than crop habitat. Weather conditions differed markedly for the three years of this study. A severe drought occurred during 1980 and much wetter conditions occurred during the next two years. An increase in microtine populations was reported in several areas of the state between 1980 and 1982 (Slade, pers. comm.; Terman, pers. comm.) and more microtine carcasses were found in the nests during 1982 than in either previous year (Cress, 1982). More prey were assumed available during 1982 than 1980. Growth rates, asymptotic body sizes, nestling mortality and biomass fledged per nest of red-tailed hawks reared in different habitats and during different years were compared to see which of these parameters responded to potentially different amounts of available prey.

Natural History of the Gyrfalcon in the Central Canadian Arctic

A population of breeding gyrfalcons was studied from 1982 to 1986 on a 2000 sq km area in the central Arctic of the Northwest Territories. Each year 14-18 territories were occupied. The mean internest distance was 10.6 km, giving one of the highest recorded densities for the species. There was a tendency for regularity in spacing of territories. Most (85%) nests were in abandoned stick nests of common ravens or golden eagles. Rough-legged hawk nests were not used by gyrfalcons, despite numerous available. Mean date of initiation of laying was 8 May. Mean size of clutch was 3.80 and of brood was 2.53, and mean productivity was 1.50 fledged young. A reduction of 48% from estimated number of eggs laid to number of fledglings was determined. Reproductive success declined with increased severity of spring weather, notably increased days and amount of precipitation.Key words: gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), natural history, reproductive ecology, central Arctic

Book ReviewThe Hawk's Nest Incident: America's worst industrial disaster

Book ReviewThe Hawk's Nest Incident: America's worst industrial disaster

Pair and Group Reproductive Success, Polyandry, and Cooperative Breeding in Harris' Hawks

-The average size of Harris' Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) social units in New Mexico was 2.7 individuals, and pairs were most common (49%; n = 61). Groups of more than two hawks included both adult(74%) and immature-plumaged (26%) members (n = 76). Immatures rarely provided food to nestlings, but adult supernumeraries did. Electrophoretic analyses of two groups containing two adult-plumaged males did not suggest polyandry. At least in southeastern New Mexico, Harris' Hawk groups consist primarily of a monogamous pair with helpers. Pairs and groups showed no differences in clutch size, number of young produced per successful nest, or number of offspring fledged per year. Pair nests failed less often (16%) than group nests (46%) during the incubation period. Groups reared larger offspring and tended to initiate second nests more frequently than pairs. The overall lack of correlation between reproductive output and group size suggests that kin selection has not been a major influence in the evolution of the Harris' Hawk breeding system. Received 6 June 1986, accepted 22 December 1986. MADER (1975a, b) described a breeding population of Harris' Hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus) in Arizona that consisted both of pairs and of putatively polyandrous trios. Since publication of Mader's work, the Harris' Hawk often has been cited as one of only a few species known to exhibit polyandry or a cooperatively polyandrous breeding system (e.g. Woolfenden 1976; Brown 1978, 1983; Faaborg and Patterson 1981; Koenig and Pitelka 1981; Ligon 1983; Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick 1984; Oring 1986). In contrast, 18 of 19 (95%) Harris' Hawk nests in Texas were tended only by pairs, suggesting that polyandry and cooperative breeding are rare in at least one Texas population (Griffin 1976). Cooperative breeding should entail some fitness advantage over available alternative strategies. Benefits resulting from cooperation may be shared mutually by all group members or biased toward those individuals of the group that have greater behavioral leverage (Emlen and Vehrencamp 1983). These advantages may be expressed in terms of increased reproductive success, improved quality of young (e.g. production of healthier or heavier fledglings), decreased stress on breeders (Morton and Parry 1974, Ricklefs 1980, Emlen 1984), or increased probability of survival (Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick 1984, Faaborg 1986). Because survival probabilities and stress are difficult to measure, most fieldworkers have concentrated on obtaining estimates of reproductive success. Data on reproductive success show that, in general, large groups produce more fledglings than smaller groups of the same species (Brown 1978; Emlen 1978, 1984). There are exceptions, however, and in many cases this positive relationship is not significant. Koenig (1981) compared productivity measures for 15 species and found that per-capita reproductive success tended to decrease with increased group

New Appalachian Books

New Appalachian Books by George Brosi* Barker, Garry. Mountain Passage and Other Stories. 250 pages. Berea, Kentucky: Kentucke Imprints, 1986. Trade paperback. $9.95. Three of the stories in this, the author's second short story collection, won prizes. Barker was born in 1943, the third child in a family of nine raised in Fleming County, Kentucky, in the northeastern part of the state. He has lived in Berea, Kentucky, and worked in crafts marketing, throughout this decade. Berry, Wendell. The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture. 228 pages. San Francisco, California: Sierra Club Books, a 1986 edition of a 1977 release. Trade paperback. $7.95. A new preface, dated 1986, sets off what has become a classic plea for America to turn back to a respectful rootedness on the earth. An urgent, compelling and thought-provoking book, one of the most powerful of the current era. Best, Bill. The Great Appalachian Sperm Bank and Other Writings. 125 pages. Berea, Kentucky: Kentucke Imprints, 1986. Trade paperback. $6.95. The title essay in this collection is an attempt to satirize Harry Caudill's blunt insistence that some of Appalachia's problems are genetic. In his foreword, however, Caudill insists that Best's "sperm bank" is a wonderful idea. AU of this makes for enjoyable reading for those who don't take things too seriously. The other essays take on other issues with Best's characteristic provocative and pointed commentary giving the reader a great deal to ponder. •George Brosi owns and operates the Appalachian Bookstore in Berea and publishes the bimonthly Appalachian Mountain Books. He also sells books through mail orders to clients in all parts of the country . If readers need more information about any of the above listings, write him at 123 Walnut Street, Berea, KY 40403. 92 Carter, Forest. The Education ofLittle Tree. 216 pages. Albuquerque, New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press, a 1986 reprint of a 1976 release with a new preface. Trade paperback. $10.95. "Everyone who has ever read The Education ofLittle Tree seems to remember when and where and how they came to know the book...for [it] is a book from which one never quite recovers.... Little Tree is Carter's autobiographical remembrances of life with his Eastern Cherokee hill country grandparents. But [it] is... much more than a touching account of 1930s' depression-era life. This book is a human document of universal meaning. The Education ofLittle Tree speaks to the human spirit and reaches the very depth of the human soul." —Rennard Strickland in the new preface. Caudill, Harry M. Lester's Progress. 106 pages. Berea, Kentucky: Kentucke Imprints, 1986. Trade paperback. $6.95. The author of Night Comes to the Cumberlands, widely regarded as one of the most powerful books ever written on Appalachia, here turns his hand to biting satire making fun of all the hallowed institutions of the "Quackgrass State," even "Gruff" Arena and "Harry M. Cuddle" himself! Sure to offend anyone who reads it, and not recommended for people still forming their impressions of Eastern Kentucky, it is perfect, however, for those with a good sense of humor who have kept abreast of current events in Kentucky. This book is a tribute to small presses. No major publisher would have touched it. Chappell, Fred. Dagon. 181 pages. New York: St. Martin's Press, the first paperback edition, 1987, of a 1968 release. Mass market paperback. $3.50. "I am honestly convinced that Fred Chappell is one of the finest writers of this time, one of the rare and precious few who are truly 'major' " —George Garrett. "Dagon is fascinating and disturbing, and...smoothly and beautifully written. It casts its own spell which is not easy to shake off." —Joan Williams. The novel centers around a writer and his wife who go to his late grandfather's farm in the North Carolina mountains to write a book about a pagan god. It turns out that the god, Dagon, is alive and well and haunting the farm. The French Academy named Dagon the Best Foreign Novel of 1968. Cherniack, Martin. The Hawk's Nest Incident: America's Worst Industrial Disaster. 194 pages. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press...