Silent Fields: The Long Decline of a Nation's Wildlife (hardcover)

Since time immemorial mankind has taken it upon himself to wage war against nature - against those species of birds and mammals which he believes conflict with his livelihood. This remarkable book is about that war of attrition against the native mammals and birds of England and Wales form the middle ages to the present day. There is widespread knowledge about the huge decline in popular species such as song birds, farmland birds, otters, and pine martens, however, there is less understanding about the deep-rooted causes of these losses, or about the complex relationship between mankind and these species.