Programming WPF, 2nd Edition

Colophon

The animal on the cover of Programming WPF, Second Edition, is a kudu. Not to be confused with kudzu (a purple-flowered vine indigenous to East Asia), the kudu, native to East Africa, comprises 2 of the 90 species of antelope: lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis) and greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros). Both species have coats of a brownish hue, adorned with white stripes and spots, and a crest of long hair along the spine. Their coloring and markings help camouflage them from predators including big cats, wild dogs, eagles, hyenas, and pythons. If alarmed, kudus will stand very still, making them virtually impossible to spot.

Kudu males are easily distinguished from their distaff counterparts by their twisted horns, whose myriad traditional applications among African cultures include serving as musical instruments, honey receptacles, and ritual symbols of male potency. Males sometimes form small bachelor groups but more often remain solitary and widely dispersed. Dominance is usually established quickly and peacefully by means of a lateral display, in which one male kudu stands sideways in front of another, making himself look as large as possible. Males only join females during mating season. Female kudus leave their newborns for four or five weeks after birth, but the calves eventually accompany their mothers, forming small groups of 6–10 females and offspring. Calves grow rapidly and are fairly independent by six months of age.

The cover image is from the Dover Pictorial ...