Natural History At Its Best

It's Raining Frogs And Fishes: Four Seasons of Natural Phenomena and Oddities of the Sky
Jerry Dennis
Drawings by Glenn Wolff
HarperCollins, $20, cloth, ISBN 0-06-016375-5

The Bird In The Waterfall: A Natural History of Oceans, Rivers, and Lakes
Jerry Dennis
Drawings by Glenn Wolff
HarperCollins, $26, cloth, ISBN 0-06-017098

"It seems so simple: fluid at normal temperatures, frozen when cold, vaporous when heated--too transparent to be complicated and too plentiful to be precious. But appearances deceive. Water is among the most remarkable of all compounds." --Jerry Dennis

We had the pleasure of introducing Jerry Dennis and Glenn Wolff to our readers in the November 1993 Riverwatch with an excerpt and review of their book, A Place on the Water.

In the past three years they have produced two additional and exceptional books on the natural history of sky and water, two areas of natural phenomena and substance that should be of great interest to fly fishers. The only possible area of greater interest would be the natural history of trout.

Books such as these, being compilations of many diverse essays, no matter how literate and entertaining, are difficult to review. The first has thirty-three essays (organized by seasons) about some natural events (some unusual, some mysterious) that take place in the sky ranging from violent storms to shooting stars to migrating insects to the nature of snow and the survival of birds in winter. Only seven have been previously published in such magazines as Wildlife Conservation, Utne Reader, and Country Living.

The second contains twenty-two original essays on the theme of water ranging from the anatomy of rivers to the nature of waves to the tug of the moon to the American dipper. (No, not the dipper in the sky and not Wilt Chamberlain, a.k.a. the Big Dipper.)

The illustrations, moreover, are such an important and integral part of the book, that it is difficult to talk about the text of Dennis without the drawings of Wolff.

So I hope you understand the burden placed on this reviewer.

In their most recent book, The Bird in the Waterfall, they demonstrate there is nothing like water. Without water there would be no life: it is, to put it simply, unique, a chemical anomaly, an intellectual curiosity. This marvelous book is a recognition of its wonders as Dennis and Wolff pursue the natural history of rivers, lakes, and oceans. With solid, commanding text, and engaging, creative illustrations, their careful collaboration takes us on their journey as they explore waterfalls, seeping springs, ocean waves and tidal bores, whirligig beetles and torrent ducks, mermaids and manatees, and much more.

They combine science, folklore, mythology, and personal experience to delve into many puzzles, such as: Why do rivers meander? How do migrating marine animals navigate so well across open ocean? Why are we so attracted to falling water and crashing surf? What are the sources of rip tides and rogue waves? What about the various colors of water? And again, so much more.

The earlier book, It's Raining Frogs and Fishes, is equally delightful and informative, and should be especially so for the angler who wants to know what is happening around him and in the sky above, such as how and why does thunder and lightning form to drive you off the river, how do bats use sonar to assault the fly on the end of your tippet (yes, that has happened to me a couple of times), and how do mayflies conduct their courtship (you know--"sex, death, and fly fishing") and again, as in the later book, so very much more.

Nelson Bryant, the outdoor columnist of The New York Times, gives well- deserved praise:

Jerry Dennis and artist Glenn Wolff have created a charming, informative, humorous, and scholarly journal that embraces wind and weather, thunder and lightning, the sun, the moon and stars, the seasons of the year, and the effect of these things on the denizens of this planet. It is a delight.

Back to the American dipper. Those who have fished western waters know what this is: a bird who walks into the water to forage for food. When I first saw it on the Madison in Montana I was astounded; I had never heard of such a bird. In the title essay, "The Bird in the Waterfall," the author and artist tell us about other similar birds including the torrent duck who only inhabits torrential rivers. This essay alone is worth the price of the book.

For those anglers who enjoy the natural world around them and not just the fishing these two books belong on their shelves, on their nightstands, and in their travel bags. They deserve your attention. RWOL

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