274 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 117 is woefully sonow. As hard asit is to imaginea book clear, concisewriting make it easy material to ab- on cooperativebreeding published today that failsto sorb.I would recommendthe bookto anyonewho is cite work by Nick Davieson (Prunella mod- interested in a basic introduction to robin natural ularis), Andrew Cockburn and Steve Pruett-Joneson history. The book is composedof 10 chapters,each Malurus fairy-wrens, Jan Komdeur on Seychelles of which addressesdifferent aspects of robinbiology Warblers (Acrocephalusseychellensis), and Kerry Ra- rangingfrom basicdescriptions of appearanceto the benold on Campylorhynchuswrens, here it is. As a re- robin's enemies and threats. sult, the bookis frighteninglyinadequate unless one In Chapter 1, the authorintroduces the robin as is aware of how the field has advanced since the book America'smost well-known songbird:"It is asAmer- was first written. ican as apple pie, baseball, and the Stars and This is not to say that the book lacks redeeming Stripes." Our familiarity with this speciesstems features.Skutch is not just a fine naturalist,he is pos- from the widespreaddistribution of robinsthrough- sibly the greatestavian natural historianalive today. out North Americaand their successfuladaptability The fact that he is still activeat 95 is nothingshort of to human-dominatedlandscapes. Wauer reminds us amazing.The ornithologicalcommunity is truly for- that we have all experiencedclose encounters with tunate that he has devoted so much of his life to ob- robins,whether watching them hunt earthwormson servingNeotropical and that he has madehis our lawns or listeningto their cheerfuland familiar observationsso accessibleas a result of his prolific song.The authorprovides some of his own interest- writings. Skutch'scontributions are legion and in- ing experienceswith robinsthat causedhim to take clude the first review of cooperativebreeding (Auk up birding asa hobbyand natural history as a career 52:257-273,1935), which was publishedlong before (he is a retired National Park Servicepark interpret- most of us were born, muchless old enoughto hold er, scientist,and resourcespecialist). As a result,he binoculars and write field notes. The multitude of refersto the robin ashis "sparkbird." The introduc- natural history observationsreported and summa- tory chapterconcludes with a sectionon the robin's rized in this book are part of his vastlegacy and, as "claim to fame" by mentioning some well-known such,deserve publication despite the lack of a mod- popular referencesto the species,such as the color ern evolutionaryperspective. I'd even go so far asto "robin's-eggblue," and song titles, lyrics, and nu- condonea reprint of the original edition, in spiteof merousnursery rhymes that refer to robins.Unfor d it being obsolete,as long as the publishermade it tunately,as the author correctlyacknowledges, the clear that this is what it was. However,passing the cited nurseryrhymes most likely refer to the unre- volume off as "an expandededition" when nothing lated (Erithacusrubecula). substantivehad been expandedis sleazy.I can only Chapter2 is brief and offersfacts and fictionabout recommendit if (1) you don't have the 1987edition, robins, including some useful information such as and (2) you havea shelfof "Skutchiana"that needs estimated life span, wingspan, body mass, and filling out.--WALT KOENIG,Hastings Reservation, Uni- clutch size. Wauer also provides some interesting versity of California,38601 East CarmelValley Road, (not-so-useful?)and hard-to-find tidbits, suchas the CarmelValley, California 93924, USA. fact that the robin has approximately2,900 feathers on its body (how did he know this?)!I was alsoun- clearon how to interpret the fact that 2,200to 3,300 cyclesper secondreportedly have been found in the robin'ssong. This sectionwould have been more use- ful if metric measurementshad alsobeen provided, especiallybecause mass is givenin both ouncesand The Auk 117(1):274-276, 2000 gramsa few pageslater in the book (p. 13). The next section addresses the derivation of the robin's name, The .--Roland H. Wauer. 1999. which I found to be an interestinginterpretation. I Universityof TexasPress. Austin. x + 93 pp., 14 color had alwaysthought the AmericanRobin was given plates, 1 table, 2 maps. ISBN 0-292-79123-2.Cloth, its name by the British becauseits breastre- $17.95.--The American Robin is No. 39 in the slim, minded them of the EuropeanRobin back home. Ac- elegantvolumes of naturalhistory in the CorrieHer- cordingto Wauer,however, it wasthe American Rob- ring Hooks Seriesby the University of TexasPress. in'sbehavior, rather than its plumage,that reminded Wauer's book, like others in this series, is written for early settlersof the European Robin. The scientific a lay audienceand summarizesthe natural history name, Turdusmigratorius, is well describedin a sim- of America's"most visible and beloved songbird," ple and accuratemanner. The chapterends by pro- the American Robin (Turdusmigratorius). Through- viding numerousexcerpts from historicallegends out the book,the authorsuccessfully weaves togeth- and folklore that mention the robin. I found "non- er personalobservations, scientific facts, and obscure scientific"inclusions like theseto be particularlyin- tidbits of information that make The American Robin teresting and to greatly enhancethe readability of delightful reading. Its relatively short length and the book. The chapter'sfinal quote from Shake- January2000] Reviews 275

speare,who refersto the "ruddock," is definitelya thoughperhaps beyond the scopeof the bookand its reference to the "British robin" and not the Ameri- intended audience,an appropriate addition to this can species. chapterwould havebeen some discussion of the sev- Chapter3 describesthe robin'sappearance, flight, en subspeciesof Turdusrnigratorius itself. voice,physiology, and senses.Throughout this chap- In Chapter6, Wauerdoes an excellentjob of sum- ter, Wauercompares various aspects of the robin (e.g. marizing the complexbehaviors of robins.We per- body mass, flight speed, body temperature)with haps know more about this aspectof robin natural other familiar species.1 thoughtthis was par- history than any other. In the sectionon feeding, ticularlyuseful, especiallyfor the readersfor whom Wauer clearly describesthe familiar behavior of a this book is primarily intended. Again, someinter- robin foragingfor invertebrateson a lawn. The clas- esting facts are mentioned,such as the observation sic"head-cock" and "bill-pounce"behaviors are de- that both malesand femalesapparently sing. Unfor- scribedeloquently. When they feed in this way,rob- tunately,the authordoesn't provide any citationsfor ins actuallyare foragingby sightand not sound,and thesepoorly documentedfacts, so the reader is un- Wauer'sreview of studiesthat supportthis ideais ex- able to follow up on these points. I was often left cellent. The rest of this section is devoted to a thor- wondering,here and elsewherethroughout the book, oughdescription of major food itemsin the robin's whetherthe observationsbeing reportedwere from diet. Other sectionsin this chapter coverbathing, the author'spersonal experiences or from the scien- preening,anting, flocking,and roostingand include tific literature.Toward the end of this chapter(sec- Wauer's interesting personal observations. Wauer tionson physiologyand senses),much of the infor- uses these personal experiencesto portray some mation refers to birds in generalrather than specif- poorly studied aspectsof robin behavior;e.g. he is ically to robins.Again, the lay audiencewill appre- convincedthat robins bathe twice daily, once in the ciatethis morethan the avian researchbiologist who morning and oncein the afternoon. might be lookingfor specificinformation on robins. Chapter 7 is entitled "Life History" and is by the Chapter4 describesthe distributionof the robin, far thelongest chapter in thebook. The author begins which can be found from shoreline to above tree line with an introductorysection on the conceptof life throughoutNorth America.The authorprovides sev- history and reproduction.Again, someuseful com- eral quotesfrom previousworks that documentthe parisons,this time of maximum known ages, with robin'srange expansionsince the early 1900sand other well-known bird speciesare provided. The separatesthis chapterinto summerand winter dis- robin's life history (or "breeding cycle") is broken tributions. The comment that the robin is one of the down into sevensections: migration, territory, court- few native speciesto have benefittedfrom human ship,nest building, laying, incubation,and care developmentis a goodone. Maps of thebreeding and of young.The sectionon migrationfocuses on spring wintering distributions are derived from Breeding (i.e. arrival on breeding grounds).Oddly, however, Bird Survey (BBS)and ChristmasBird Count (CBC) the discussionof fall migration,which is more com- data, respectively.A review of BBS and CBC data plex than a simple shift southward,was not includ- helpscomplete this chapter.However, readers who ed. The use of quotesin this sectionalso seemeda are unfamiliar with interpreting suchmaps might little excessive.In contrast,the sectionon territory find thein confusingbecause the numbersprovided and territory defense is enjoyable and well re- in the legendon both maps lack units. As notedby searched.I wish the authorhad providedthe citation the author,robins appears to be stableor increasing for his interesting observationthat older (experi- throughouttheir range.Not mentioned,however, is enced)males are the first to arrive on the breeding the fact that somewestern populations are clearly groundsand obtain territories,and that inexperi- declining(e.g. in the SierraNevadas and the North- encedmales usually must settlefor suboptimalsites. ern Rockies,as well as in Oregon and California). The sectionon courtship,primarily a collectionof Despitethe fact that Chapter5 is only two pages quotesfrom previous works, is a pleasantreminder long, it is an important contributionto the book. of how classic writers such as Audubon and Bent Here, the authorputs the robin in perspectivewith once described birds and their behavior. other North American thrushes(subfamily Turdi- Because of its attention to detail, the next section nae), specificallythe Turdus.Most readers, on nestbuilding is the strongestpart of the chapter. evenprofessional ornithologists, will appreciatethis I especiallyliked the variousreports of unusualnest brief diversioninto thrushtaxonomy. Using the sixth locations.The next two sections,egg laying and in- edition of the AOU's "Check-listof North American cubation,are straightforward.The statementthat Birds,"Wauer ends the chapterwith a useful table "egg-layingusually occursin the early morning that listsall speciesof the genusTurdus that breed in hours .... "is incorrect, however. Robins are, in fact, North America.These have remainedunchanged in unusualamong songbirds in that they lay their the AOU's recentlypublished seventh edition of the late in the morning, or even during the early after- check-list.The scientificname of the Bare-eyedRobin noon, rather than around sunrise. I also noticed one (Turdusnudigenis) is misspelledin the table. A1- inconsistencyin that the incubationperiod is quoted 276 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 117 as 11 to 14 dayson page 62, yet 11 to 13 dayson page thusiasm for others to have similar personal 55. Publishedstudies actually document an incuba- experiences.Finally, although the artificialdiet re- tion period of 12 to 13 days or 12 to 14 days, de- ferred to by the authorthat was usedin the 1960s pending on geographiclocation. The penultimate probablyworked perfectly well, a morerecently de- sectionof this chapteraddresses care of youngand veloped banana-soy-protein-fruitdiet ("banana makesfor a delightfulcombination of scientificfacts, mash") has becomea standardfor feedingrobins fascinatingtidbits, and well-written prose.I enjoyed duringbehavioral observations in captivity. learningthings like "by the last day in the nest,a The final chapter(Chapter 10) provideshighlights youngrobin may eat 14 feetof "and that from the bookwith a one-pagesummary of the rob- severalother bird specieshave been documented in's characteristicfeatures, adaptability, and famil- feedingyoung robins, both in and out of the nest! iarity thatmake it North America'smost widespread, The final sectionin Chapter 7 on "associates"has visible,and belovedsongbird. As such,it is a fitting limited usefulness,in my opinion, and is an unnec- close to a fascinatingbook. Followingthe closing essary inclusion in what is already a relatively chapteris a bibliographythat allows the readerto lengthychapter. follow up on referencesto previousworks that are Chapter8 describesenemies and threatsof robins made throughoutthe book. Althoughmany of the andis packedwith detailedinformation. The chapter referencesin the text are made only casually(often, contains seven sections: predators, competitors, only namesare provided,but not dates),the reader brood parasites,overindulgence, weather, diseases, should have little trouble identifying the corre- and human-causeddeaths. The sectionon predators spondingcitation in the bibliography.Finally, the is a good one,despite going off on a tangentabout a colorphotographs throughout the book are excellent "Dear Abby" columnconcerning house repro- and enhanceits appearanceand readabilityconsid- duction.The •ectionson competitorsand brood par- erably.This book belongs in all universityand com- asites are succinct and solid contributions to the munity libraries,as well in the personalcollections chapter.The sectionon overindulgencecaptures the of ornithologistsinterested in learningmore about well-known observation of drunken robins that have the basicnatural history of the AmericanRobin.- ingestedtoo muchoverripe (fermenting) fruit. The REx SALLABANKS,Sustainable Ecosystems Institute, 30 section on threats from weather includes an inter- East Franklin Road, Suite 50, Meridian, Idaho 83642, estingexample of mortality from a tornado,as well USA. as a well-chosenquote from Leopold's(1966) "A SandCounty Almanac." Robin deathsfrom disease are difficult to detect. As a result, the next section on diseasesconsiders songbirds in general,but never- thelessis an excellentsummary of availableinfor- mation.The useof citedliterature is especiallygood in this section.Wauer begins the final sectionof this The Auk 117(1):276-277, 2000 chapter,on human-causeddeaths, by remindingus that suchdeaths are not only senseless,they are also illegal. This sectionis also enjoyablereading as it A Guide to the Birds and Mammals of Coastal Pa- movesfrom a historicalperspective to an elaborate tagonia.--Graham Harris. 1998. PrincetonUniver- discussionof the more recentdevastating effects of sity Press,Princeton, New Jersey.xviii + 231 pp., 33 DDT. It was the robin that becamethe symbolof the colorplates, 30 figures,251 distributionmaps. ISBN fight to stopthe useof this deadlychemical, and the 0-691-05831-8.Cloth, $65.00.--This interesting book link betweenearthworm immunity to DDT and rob- is a hybrid in severalways. Its hard coverand size in deaths is well made. render it rather awkward as a field guide,but it is a The authornears the end of the book (Chapter9) nice addition to a personalbookshelf. Its scopeen- with severalsuggestions on how to invite robinsto compassingbirds and mammalsrenders it "half in- your home.After readingabout the naturalhistory teresting"to pure ornithologistsor to pure mam- of the robin, I think this is a wonderfulattempt to malogists.Contents include descriptions, status, and involve the lay audiencein providingfood, water, rangesof terrestrialand marinebirds and mammals, and nestingplatforms for this speciesin their own all elements useful for bird watchers and whale backyards.The American Robin is not my "spark watchers.The book provides insightful comments on bird" (havinggrown up with the EuropeanRobin in habitat and behavior, areas of much interest to ecol- my backyard),but building a nest box as a young ogists.Its concentrationon the coastalstrip of Pata- child and watchinga pair of birds (in my case,Eur- gonia providesa detailed picture of that specific asian Kestrels [Falcotinnunculus]) use it to success- meetingof seaand land but consequentlyfails at set- fully raisebrood after brood had a significantinflu- ting a properbiogeographic context. In addition,its enceon my choiceof career.The author'searly en- small print throughoutis an insult to the tired eyes counterswith robinsclearly show through in his en- of bird watchersand reviewers alike. Although I read