Author Description

The Breath of Life of a classic nature/biology essay by John Burroughs that includes the following content: The breath of life -- The living wave -- A wonderful world -- The baffling problem -- Scientific vitalism -- A bird of passage -- Life and mind -- Life and science -- The journeying atoms -- The vital order -- The arrival of the fit -- The naturalist's view of life. "As life nears its end with me, I find myself meditating more and more upon the mystery of its nature and origin, yet without the least hope that I can find out the ways of the Eternal in this or in any other world. In these studies I fancy I am about as far from mastering the mystery as the ant which I saw this morning industriously exploring a small section of the garden walk is from getting a clear idea of the geography of the North American Continent."