The Night of Hoggy Darn

An inexperienced ecologist accepts a short field assignment to a remote, insular settlement to discover why large, egg-producing flightless birds have begun disappearing. He meets guarded residents, a culture built on the birds' eggs, and a hush around local practices that complicates straightforward research. Detailed examinations of dead specimens and local facilities reveal unsettling links between human activity and the birds' decline, leading to a tentative scientific explanation. Before findings can be confirmed, rising suspicion and violence among settlers disrupt the investigation and force a confrontation over control of the species and its prized product.