And no birds sing

by Mark Jaffe

And No Birds Sing is a true environmental detective story that explores one of the strangest ecological disasters of this century - the extinction of birds on the island of Guam. As early as the 1960s, game wardens on the Pacific island noticed that the bird population was dwindling. In the late 1970s, the pace clearly accelerated. Yet, there were no carcasses or clues. It was as if an unseen, malevolent spirit were loose in the rain forest, and the birds were simply vanishing. In the early 1980s, a young biologist, Julie Savidge, was hired to investigate the mystery of Guam's disappearing birds. At the same time, biologist Bob Beck was given the task of saving the rarest species of birds - now teetering on the brink of extinction. Together they spearheaded one of the most inventive projects in conservation biology. But when Savidge finally named her prime suspect in the massacre - a fierce, slender snake that had accidentally been brought to the island - few believed her. The reason?