Field notes, v504
Page 222
Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. | www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
28/05/91 (Hand written) I agree that the sign of struggle is a turtle's shell. I have to admit that it's hard to see a bird in an owl. It's a different kind of thing. You can't just look at it and say, 'Oh, that's a bird.' But I think it's because we're so used to seeing things from a distance that we don't notice them when they're close up. And yet, if you get close enough, you might find something surprising. Like how some birds are actually just insects wearing feathers as camouflage. It seems almost like a trick of nature - but isn't it? The whole world is full of surprises if you take the time to look closely. Even things we think we know about can turn out to be completely different from what we expected. Take the case of the so-called 'lost' species. Scientists thought they were extinct until someone found a single egg in a cave in Mexico. Now, there's hope that these creatures might still exist somewhere hidden away from our view. And who knows? Maybe one day we'll discover more amazing secrets about the natural world - and learn to appreciate them even more.