Event

Science: Glen Chilton: 'The Curse of the Labrador Duck'

Like the passenger pigeon, the dodo, and the great auk, the Labrador Duck holds a revered status among extinct birds. Asked to write an article on the long-dead duck for the Birds of North America series, ornithologist Glen Chilton, Professor Emeritus at St. Mary's University College in Calgary, Alberta, set out to chronicle every stuffed specimen of the bird in the world. Beset by challenges ranging from fabricated claims to Middle Eastern intrigue and insane millionaires, Chilton's book documents an engaging and obsessive journey to the edge of extinction, yielding more than three trips around the globe, and 55 stuffed ducks. The title, by the way, refers to a particular duck that has changed hands many times and brought misfortune or an untimely death to each of its owners; its current owner is in prison. Presented as part of Seattle Science Lectures, with Pacific Science Center and University Book Store.