R in a Nutshell

Colophon

The animal on the cover of R in a Nutshell is a harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja). Black feathers line the top half of the bird, while white feathers mostly make up the balance, although the underside of its wings may be striped black-and-white. Unlike other species of birds, male and female harpy eagles appear virtually identical.

These eagles—the most powerful, carnivorous raptors in the Americas—typically inhabit tropical rain forests. They prey upon animals that live in trees: sloths, monkeys, opossums, and even other birds, such as macaws.

The eagle is named after the harpies of ancient Greek mythology, female wind spirits who were said to be human from the chest to their ankles and eagle from the neck up. Mythological harpies tormented people as they carried them to the underworld with their clawed feet; perhaps similarly, harpy eagles’ talons violently pierce and subdue their prey before the eagles carry them back to their nests.

Harpy eagles also inspire modern-day life: the eagle is the national bird of Panama and is pictured on the country’s coat of arms. The bird also inspired the design of Fawkes the Phoenix in the Harry Potter film series.

The cover image is from Cassell’s Natural History. The cover font is Adobe ITC Garamond. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont’s TheSansMonoCondensed.