Maybe nature isn’t so great after all

Geese used to be exemplars of graceful flight. Now, they’re the waddling dimwits who foul our parks. Deer used to be storybook animals come to life. Now, they divide their time between destroying gardens and spreading lyme disease. And this week’s news brought the first indication that another much-loved species is riding for a fall. According to an AP item on CNN.com, evidence now indicates that the robin—not, as previously thought, the unloved crow—is a leading host species for the West Nile virus.