Niko’s Nature: A Life of Niko Tinbergen and His Science of Animal Behaviour

Here is the first biography of Niko Tinbergen, the brilliant but reticent naturalist (once described as "pathologically modest") who turned a passion for observing nature into a revolutionary new branch of science that illuminated the study of animal behavior. Tracing the closely intertwined threads of Niko's personal and professional life, Hans Kruuk reveals the man behind the scientist. He shows how Niko's Calvinist upbringing in a highly intellectual Dutch family--his father was a much-published scholar, his elder brother a Nobel Laureate in Economics--the two-years he spent in a hostage camp during the Nazi occupation of Holland, and most importantly the magical year in Greenland, where he lived amongst the Inuit and observed animals in their natural habitat--an experience that would shape his scientific disposition. The period in Greenland set the stage for the groundbreaking experiments with free-living birds in the 1930s and 1940s that brought the study of animal behavior out of the laboratory and into the wild. Kruuk also offers an illuminating exploration of Niko's work with Konrad Lorenz, for which he won the Nobel Prize in 1973; his great success as a teacher at Oxford, where he was known by enthusiastic students--Desmond Morris, Richard Dawkins, and John Krebs, among them--as "The Maestro"; his frequent bouts of depression; the triumph of his book __The Study of Instinct__, which established ethology as a science; his controversial work on autism in children, and much more. Written by Hans Kruuk, a former student of Niko Tinbergen and himself a distinguished scientist, __Niko's Nature__ offers a fascinating and affectionate account of the man who forever changed the way we think about animal behavior. This First Full-length Biography Of Niko Tinbergen, Lavishly Illustrated With Many Of Niko's Own Drawings, Describes His Background In Holland, A Naturalists' Paradise, And The Beginnings Of His Investigations Into The Behaviour Of Birds, Fish, And Insects. Hans Kruuk Also Explores Niko's Relationship With His Colleague And Co-nobelist Konrad Lorenz. These Were Two Men Full Of Contrasts: Niko A Charming, Self-effacing Field Man And Experimenter; Konrad A Flamboyant And Egocentric German, Always Full Of New Ideas. Niko's Nature Goes On To Follow Niko's Progress In Oxford After The Second World War, Where He Became The World Authority On The Behaviour Of Animals In The Wild: His Inspiring Book The Study Of Instinct Remains An All-time Classic.--book Jacket. Chapter 1 Wild Birds And Science -- Chapter 2 A Dutch Upbringing -- Home, Siblings, Friends, And School 14 -- Youth Organized For Nature 28 -- A Trip Abroad 33 -- Chapter 3 Student Years And Greenland Playing Truant 38 -- Phd Time 51 -- Greenland 59 -- Chapter 4 Ethologist In The 1930s -- Leiden After Greenland 72 -- Camping With The Wasps 82 -- Experiments In Leiden 86 -- Niko And Konrad 90 -- Leiden After Lorenz 98 -- Chapter 5 The Second World War And After German Occupation 114 -- Leiden After The War 129 -- Productivity, Ideas, And Travel 143 -- The Study Of Instinct 149 -- Move To Oxford 151 -- Chapter 6 Starting Again: Oxford In The 1950s -- Arrival 160 00 The'hard Core' 164. Writing And Science 173 -- Students In The Late 1950s 185 -- Research Projects 189 -- Niko And Academia 193 -- Home And Career 200 -- Chapter 7 Niko's Two Worlds: Oxford In The 1960s -- Dunes, Birds, And Beasts 208 -- The Four Whys 218 -- Walney 222 -- Serengeti 225 -- Photography And Filming 229 -- Oxford Academia Again, Niko's Other World 235 -- Writing, Lecturing, And Conferences 247 -- Ethology And Humanity 252 -- The Black Dog, At Home, At Work, Everywhere 257 -- Chapter 8 The Nobel Prize, And Human Behaviour -- Nobel Laureate 268 -- Childhood Autism 274 -- The Alexander Technique 279 -- Chapter 9 Winding Down -- Retirement 286 -- Old Friends 299 -- A Family, A Cottage, A Life 308 -- Chapter 10 Niko's Legacy -- An Evaluation 318 -- Output: Publications And Impact 325 -- Rewards 327 -- Science That Followed 328 -- Torch-bearers 334 -- Memories 345. Hans Kruuk ; With Drawings And Photographs By Niko Tinbergen. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 347-371) And Indexes. Niko Tinbergen's Publications: Pages 373-383. A charismatic naturalist, bird-watcher, teacher, artist, photographer, film-maker, and winner of the Nobel Prize, Niko Tinbergen was a prominent and influential scientist. Jointly with Konrad Lorenz, he laid the foundation for a new science, the biological study of animal behaviour. 'Ethology', and his talent for devising behaviour-testing experiments, provided an outlet for Niko's enthusiasm for gulls and sticklebacks, snow-buntings and foxes, wasps and falcons, and even children. This first full-length biography of Niko Tinbergen, lavishly illustrated with many of Niko's own drawings, describes his background in Holland, a naturalists' paradise, and the beginnings of his investigations into the behaviour of birds, fish, and insects. Hans Kruuk also explores is Niko's relationship with his colleague and co-Nobelist Konrad Lorenz. These were two men full of contrasts: Niko a charming, self-effacing field man and experimenter; Konrad a flamboyant and egocentric German, always full of new ideas. Niko's Nature goes on to follow Niko's progress in Oxford after the Second World War, where he became the world authority on the behaviour of animals in the wild: his inspiring book The Study of Instinct remains an all-time classic. As a scientist Niko will always be known for the four fundamentally different ways in which he asked the question 'why does an animal do this?' These questions, about physiology, development, evolution, and function, became known as 'Tinbergen's four whys'. But Niko's successes came at a price - severe and devastating depressions that were to plague him throughout his career. In this fascinating and engaging story, Niko's long-time friend and student Hans Kruuk argues that his impact as a scientist and naturalist was in large part due to his skills as a communicator, photographer, and film-maker. Niko's Nature is an intimate and insightful portrait of an extraordinary figure. [Amazon.com description] One cold, April morning I was perched on a dune, somewhere along the west coast in the very north of England, a student at work, diligently making notes on birds and beasts.