Bugs Britannica

Product Description

As with Flora & Birds, Bugs is not a biological guide but a richly-illustrated cultural one, seen through the eyes of writers, musicians, artists & naturalists
- from the great Tudor naturalist, Thomas Muffet (father of Little Miss Muffet) to Irvine Welsh's talking tapeworm in Filth
- as well as contributions by ordinary men & women who are fascinated by creepy-crawlies of all kinds. The book is structured along a roughly evolving path, from simple cell life-forms
- amoeba, worms, crustaceans (proof, say the authors, of 'just how far you can go on very little')
- to bugs we all might recognise
- spiders, butterflies, bees
- & back into the water to meet molluscs & 'almost-fish'... The book works so triumphantly because author Peter Marren has examined bugs in the dusty corners of our houses & gardens as well as traversing mountains, lakes & fields. In addition to the fascinating habits of the bug world, he also

Includes:: the eccentric behaviour of the bug obsessives themselves. But of course, the true heroes of the book are the bugs themselves: the nimble-dicks, clock ladies & coffin-cutters. From the Boring Sponge (its official name!) to the Mermaid's Glove & Penis Worm, via the glamorous Dark Crimson Underwing & Ruby-Tailed Wasp
- this rich compendium of bugs is a must not only for naturalists but for anyone who cares about the crawling, buzzing swarms at our feet.