Roger Caras' Treasury of Classic Nature Tales

One of his criteria for ``classics'' in nature-writing, comments Caras in this anthology, is the evocation of readers' experiences. (A prime example is Jack Rudloe's ``On the Edge of the Abyss,'' about a stormy voyage in the Gulf of Mexico.) Caras, author of The Endless Migrations , here offers a diverting mix of prose about flora and fauna, from Edward Abbey to Ann Zwinger. Stephen Jay Gould discourses on the Irish elk, Thomas Bledsoe on the Alaskan brown bear, G. Murray Levick on penguins, Sally Carrighar on whales and Caras himself on hummingbird migration. We also find pieces by John Muir, Mark Twain, Mary Austin, Rachel Carson, Ernest Thompson Seton, Loren Eisley and Joseph Wood Krutsch. The collection covers a wide range of subjects richly and vividly; it is well-termed a ``treasury.'' (Dec.)