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ird so sublimely rare that only one has ever been seen： the one shot forrothschild’s collection。 altogether during the decade or so of rothschild’s most intensivecollecting； at least nine species of hawaiian birds vanished； but it may have been more。
rothschild was by no means alone in his zeal to capture birds at more or less any cost。
others in fact were more ruthless。 in 1907 when a well…known collector named alansonbryan realized that he had shot the last three specimens of black mamos； a species of forestbird that had only been discovered the previous decade； he noted that the news filled him with“joy。”
it was； in short； a difficult age to fathom—a time when almost any animal was persecuted ifit was deemed the least bit intrusive。 in 1890； new york state paid out over one hundredbounties for eastern mountain lions even though it was clear that the much…harassed creatureswere on the brink of extinction。 right up until the 1940s many states continued to paybounties for almost any kind of predatory creature。 west virginia gave out an annual collegescholarship to whoever brought in the most dead pests—and “pests” was liberally interpretedto mean almost anything that wasn’t grown on farms or kept as pets。
perhaps nothing speaks more vividly for the strangeness of the times than the fate of thelovely little bachman’s warbler。 a native of the southern united states； the warbler wasfamous for its unusually thrilling song； but its population numbers； never robust； graduallydwindled until by the 1930s the warbler vanished altogether and went unseen for many years。
then in 1939； by happy coincidence two separate birding enthusiasts； in widely separatedlocations； came across lone survivors just two days apart。 they both shot the birds； and thatwas the last that was ever seen of bachman’s warblers。
the impulse to exterminate was by no means exclusively american。 in australia； bountieswere paid on the tasmanian tiger （properly the thylacine）； a doglike creature with distinctive“tiger” stripes across its back； until shortly before the last one died； forlorn and nameless； in aprivate hobart zoo in 1936。 go to the tasmanian museum today and ask to see the last of thisspecies—the only large carnivorous marsupial to live into modern times—and all they canshow you are photographs。 the last surviving thylacine was thrown out with the weekly trash。
i mention all this to make the point that if you were designing an organism to look after lifein our lonely cosmos； to monitor where it is going and keep a record of where it has been； youwouldn’t choose human beings for the job。
but here’s an extremely salient point： we have been chosen； by fate or providence orwhatever you wish to call it。 as far as we can tell； we are the best there is。 we may be allthere is。 it’s an unnerving thought that we may be the living universe’s supreme achievementand its worst nightmare simultaneously。
because we are so remarkably careless about looking after things； both when alive andwhen not； we have no idea—really none at all—about how many things have died offpermanently； or may soon； or may never； and what role we have played in any part of theprocess。 in 1979； in the book the sinking ark； the author norman myers suggested thathuman activities were causing about two extinctions a week on the planet。 by the early 1990she had raised the figure to some six hundred per week。 （that’s extinctions of all types—plants； insects； and so on as well as animals。） others have put the figure even higher—to wellover a thousand a week。 a united nations report of 1995； on the other hand； put the totalnumber of known extinctions in the last four hundred years at slightly under 500 for animalsand slightly over 650 for plants—while allowing that this was “almost certainly anunderestimate；” particularly with regard to tropical species。 a few interpreters think mostextinction figures are grossly inflated。
the fact is； we don’t know。 don’t have any idea。 we don’t know when we started doingmany of the things we’ve done。 we don’t know what we are doing right now or how ourpresent actions will affect the future。 what we do know is that there is only one planet to do iton； and only one species of being capable of making a considered difference。 edward o。
wilson expressed it with unimprovable brevity in the diversity of life： “one planet； oneexperiment。”
if this book has a lesson； it is that we are awfully lucky to be here—and by “we” i meanevery living thing。 to attain any kind of life in this universe of ours appears to be quite anachievement。 as humans we are doubly lucky； of course： we enjoy not only the privilege ofexistence but also the singular ability to appreciate it and even； in a multitude of ways； tomake it better。 it is a talent we have only barely begun to grasp。
we have arrived at this position of eminence in a stunningly short time。 behaviorallymodern human beings—that is； people who can speak and make art and organize plexactivities—have existed for only about 0。0001 percent of earth’s history。 but surviving foreven that little while has required a nearly endless string of good fortune。
we really are at the beginning of it all。 the trick； of course； is to make sure we never findthe end。 and that； almost certainly； will require a good deal more than lucky breaks。
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