National Geographic June 1993

Silence of the Songbirds
A spring without birdsong? As human development spreads and avian habitat shrinks, many of the 200 species of migratory birds that nest in eastern North America continue to decline.
The Iceman: Lone Voyager From the Copper Age
Discovered by hikers high in the Alps, a 5, 000- year- old mummy reveals startling clues about Europeans of the Copper Age.
Chesapeake Bay- -Hanging in the Balance
With oysters, crabs, rockfish – – and the great estuary itself – – at risk from overharvesting and pollution, the six states in its watershed struggle to save the bay.
Bangladesh: When the Water Comes
Time and again, cyclones hurl wind and water at the densely packed Asian nation, with tragic loss of life. Yet monsoon floods bring silt, a key to growing rice in one of earth’s largest deltas.
Corn, the Golden Grain
Domestically cultivated 7, 000 years ago from a Mexican grass, corn sustained pre- Columbian civilization, from Aztec to Zuni. Today, corn products include toothpaste, fireworks, and garbage bags.