Value of the Books They Review. As Such, They Are Subjective

REVIEWS

EDITED BY WILLIAM E. SOUTHERN

Thefollowing reviews express the opinions of theindividual reviewers regarding the strengths, weaknesses, and valueof thebooks they review. As such, they are subjective evaluations and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorsor any officialpolicy of theA.O.U.--Eds.

The growth of biological thought. Diversity, evo- tually lighter numbers of Nebelspalter!I then decided lution, and inheritance.--Ernst Mayr. 1982. Cam- that I must use "prime time," for me, 5-9 AM. This bridge, Massachusetts,Belknap Press of Harvard I did at first with reluctance,knowing that it would University Press. ix + 974 pp. $30.00.--Although slow the productivity of my laboratoryin the cur- contemporarybiologists accept, at least pro forrna, rencyof the contemporaryrealm of biosciences--the "organicevolution" as the majorunifying concept of (usuallyshort) research paper--and possibly thereby our science,surprisingly few can articulate the five constrict its cash flow. However, the more I read, the theoriesof CharlesDarwin (pp. 505-510);even fewer easier I found it to rationalize away these ominous can readily musterthe supportingevidence for and thoughts.Only time will tell if my rationalization the fallibilities of each,real or alleged.Few of us have was a grave overshoot. I doubt that it was! a clearperception of the scientific,philosophic, and This historic book can be characterizedin many socialmilieus of the mid-nineteenthcentury when ways. Depending on aspect,it is compendious,an- the historic pronouncementsof A. R. Wallace and alytical, and synthetic.The reader will soon recog- Darwin severely rattled the intellectual scaffold of nize that it is in placesselective, pontifical, and opin- Westernculture. Only somewhatbetter appreciated ionated. But to avoid these characteristics of is the enormouspost-Darwinian schism that emerged decisiveness, for which the author is well known, with the rediscoveryof Mendel'slaws. This schism, would require three times as many pages.The text fosteredby seeminglyirreconcilable philosophic and is alsorepetitious. But the historyof biologyis one methodologicdifferences and unnecessarilyand of historiesof many inter-relatedideas which have fecklesslyvituperative communications,persisted for been temporally asynchronousand intermittent, almosta half century.The eliminationof this schism often, for various reasons,evolving in mutual iso- by eclecticsynthesis, in which ErnstMayr playeda lation. Thus, in a treatise of this magnitude repeti- majorrole, hasresulted in a unity of biologythat has tion becomes both essential and inevitable. not heretoforeexisted. This participationin the clo- Mayr expressesrepeatedly the historicallydelete- sure of the schism and his almost incredible knowl- rious influenceof physicssensu lato (i.e. physical edgeof the entire historyof Westernbiology and the sciences)on the developmentof biology,sensu stricto ever-shifting intellectualmilieus in which it evolved that of the naturalistsor, more recently,the evolu- placesMayr in a unique position to produce "the tionarybiologists. It is true that physicistslong as- growth of biologicalthought." A synthetictreatise sumed that natural scienceis physicsand that other of this magnitudecould be undertakenonly by a "natural-science"disciplines are "acceptable"in the courageousgenius or a fool. The authoris clearlynot order of adherenceto the philosophyand method- a fool! ologies of physicists.This stems in part from the Deviating from conventionalityin reviews, a word simplistic belief that life should somehow be ex- of explanationis in order concerningits preparation plainablein terms of conventionallaws of physics by a "non"-evolutionarybiologist sensu stricto. When and a failureto contendwith the "programmed"his- I departed from the University last summer for a tory of both phylogenyand the developmentof the 5-week visit in the USSR, I askedmy former secre- individual. On the other hand, the conflict has been tary to respondto incomingpost, either transmitting unwittingly abetted, first by naturalistsand later by requestedinformation in consultationwith persons evolutionarybiologists (but not by molecularbiolo- in my laboratoryor by simpleacknowledgments say- gists, physiologists,and many ecologists),by a fail- ing that I would respondin September.By accepting ure to recognizethat organismsare not exemptions the invitation for me to review this book she unwit- to the laws of physics.Nevertheless, in principle, I tingly, but hopefully,may have provided a smallbit agreewith Mayr that "... the lasttwenty-five years of cementfor the contemporaryunity of biologypro- have alsoseen the final emancipationof biologyfrom claimedwithin its pages.I firstresorted to an attempt the physicalsciences," and with his assertionof the to read this book as a spare-time effort. It was inef- centralityof biology among the natural sciences.Un- fective. I even attemptedto read it during a sojourn fortunately,these conclusions have yet to be recog- in hospitalbut its physicalweight proved to be in- nized by either university administrations in allo- compatiblewith my intravenousglucose-saline drip cation of resourcesor by the federalbureaucracy in tube! I switchedto reading physicallyand intellec- the selectionof scientificadvisory bodies!

507 508 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100

From time to time Mayr discussesan isolatinggap, spring and early summer. For those in which the first between "the herbalist-naturalists" and "phy- annualcycle in daylengthfunctions as a Zeitgeberfor sician-physiologists"of the sixteenthcentury, then an endogenouscircannual rhythm, there is also no betweenthe "naturalists"and "physiologists"of the evidencethat decreasingdaylength induces the au- nineteenth century, and then later between "evolu- tumnal eventsof the annual cycle.Although I respect tionary biology" and "functionalbiology." Clearly the intuition of the author, a much sounder example this gap or, more properly, series of gaps, persists could have been selected. today. It is my assessment,however, that Mayr has It is, in a sense, cruel harassment to fret about bothoverly simplified and indeedcaricaturized these omissions in an otherwise masterful compendium. gaps. To characterizefunctional biologistsas con- Nevertheless, unfortunate is the omission of the cernedonly with proximatefactors blurs the picture. emergenceof the conceptof the temporal organiza- An examinationof the pages of Zeitschriftfar ver- tion of life, including endogenousrhythms entrain- gleichendePhysiologie, Journal of ExperimentalBiology, able by temporalcycles in the physicalenvironment. PhysicalZoology, and, morerecently, of theAmerican The inception of this important development is at Journalof Physiology,Journal far Ornithologie,Zool- leastas earlyas the pioneerexperiment of de Mairan ogicheskiiZhurnal, Auk, Condor,and many otherpe- early in the eighteenthcentury. Circadianrhythms, riodicals, revealsa significantnumber of contribu- characteristicof most eukaryotesand entrained by tions that overtly take into account and provide the physical24-h cycleof day and night, provide a information that contributesto an understanding of basis for chronometryand prediction of a type not ultimate factors;in many more the contributionsare included in the multiple aspectsof the term dis- implicit. Comparativerenal studiesof vertebrates, cussedby the author(pp. 56-57). It is indeedunfor- which have their roots in the nineteenth century, tunate that the author fails to include the contribu- have made significant contributions to an under- tions of chronobiologyto the unity of contemporary standing of both proximate and ultimate factors. I biology that he so eloquentlyproclaims. would suggestrather sharplythat, ratherthan a gap, These are times in which the fairness of honest, the difference between evolutionary biology and well-meaning, but modestly informed laymen are functionalbiology has been one of a unidirectional exploitedby insidiousbut cunninglyfabricated pleas valve! It is true that, in contrast with most evolu- of "creation scientists"for "equal time" with biol- tionary biologists,functional biologists are generally ogistsin instructionon the origin and diversity of reductioniststo varying extents.But, unlessit is the life on this planet. Despite recentdecisions in lower overriding goal, as is sometimesthe case,reduction courts, the zeal and adroitness of "creation scien- contributesto the unifying conceptof evolution by tists" will sustain the enthusiasmof some religious- revelation of commonness in structural and func- ly-oriented groups that will recruit the support of tional elementsand of the machineryof inheritance, fair-minded but uninformed laymen. This perilous including the mechanismsof expressionof inherited influence could outlive the youngest readers of the information. What would be the contemporarystatus readersof this review. An especiallydevastating cor- of our knowledgeof evolutionwithout the resultsof ollary of disbelief in evolutionis the increasinglyef- the reductionistefforts of cytogenetics,electron mi- fective effort to suppressthe use of certain species croscopyof chromosomes,and molecularbiology? of animals (but curiously, or perhaps strategically, Becauseof Mayr's expressionof contemporaryunity not yet plants, "lower animals," protistans,and mo- in biology, this paragraphis in no sensea criticism nerans) as experimental subjects.It behooves biol- of his perception of biology as it is today. Rather it ogists,especially those who teachin the schools,col- arguessomewhat concerning the routesby which the leges, and universities, but also those in applied unity has emerged--especiallyduring the past cen- biological professionssuch as health, agriculture, tury. forestry,fisheries, and others,to maximizetheir un- Mayr employsrelatively few examplesof biological derstandingof the historicaland contemporaryratio- functionsin the developmentof his argumentsand nale of evolution as the glue that unifies biology. ideas. Since he is a preeminent ornithologist I am There is clearlyno better way to do this than by a unable to resistchiding him for one of them. In clar- study of this book, long and sometimesponderous ifying the differencebetween proximateand ulti- asit may be. I am certainthat manyof my colleagues mate causeshe askswhy "... a certainwarbler in- will appreciate, as have I, the fresh re-examination dividual . . . starts its southward migration in the of the positive contributions of Lamarck, Linnaeus, night of August 15" and then attributesit to the de- and others to pre-Darwinian evolution; the more rig- crease.of daylength "to a certain threshold." I ac- id analysis of the relationshipsbetween Lyell and tually know of no investigation of the proximate Darwin; the analysisof the seminal contributionsof causesof southwardmigration in the Parulidae.Fur- Aristotleand manyof my "favorites,"Buffon, Hume, thermore, in the speciesin which daylength has the von Baer, Unger, and others, to the developmentof role of a "driver," the autumnal eventsare primarily biological science. "delayed" or "remote" effectsof the long days of Despite my quibbles, some of which may well April 1983] Reviews 509 spring from naiivet•, this is a landmark volume that emplary. I especiallyappreciate the author pointing will not soon, if ever, be superseded.--DoNArVS. out which data are "weak" and which topics/species FARNER. are "well studied" (p. 46). This type of statementis well worth making. Sidney A. Gauthreaux, Jr. provides an excellent Avian biology. Volume VI.--Donald S. Farner, primer in Chapter 2, "The ecologyand evolution of JamesR. King, and Kenneth C. Parkes (Eds.). 1982. avian migration systems"(pp. 93-168). This clear ex- New York, AcademicPress. xxiv + 490pp. $65.00.-- position stressesthe ultimate causesof migration in Volume1 of Avian Biology,the seminalreview series birds, placingthem well in the contextof migration in ornithology,first appeared in 1971.Four more vol- patternsof other animals.The "move, adapt, or die" umes followed in successiveyears. The hiatus since concept is eloquently stated and discussed.Gauth- 1975has now been filled with VolumeVI. The only reaux discussesmovements in responseto environ- major change is elevation of Kenneth C. Parkes to mentalchanges, clearly presenting the ideathat every third editor, from taxonomic editor. This volume organism occupiesa "window" in the physical and containseight diversechapters by nine authorsand biotic environment.Movement patternsin time and continues the earlier excellentquality and impor- space are then discussed, and this excellent section tance.Several of thesechapters are far from my area givesthe readera cleargeneral understanding of the of interest, but I have benefited from a careful read- periodicitiesof avian temporalchanges. I found the ing of the wholebook. I certainlyhave enjoyedpre- presentationof theories of bird migration by time paring these comments. frame (1897-1943,1948-present), in which just the Lewis W. Oring (Avian mating systems,Chapter facts and numerous authors' ideas are presented 1, 92 pp.) providesa clearoutline of specificallyde- without comment,followed by the strongintegration fined, ecologicallyoriented classification of mating of hypotheses,a very usefulmethod of presentinga systems (monogamy, polygyny, polygamy, and difficult evolutionarydevelopment. Then follows a polyandry) in various situations. The use of exam- section on the diversity of patterns in which dis- plesis especiallyeffective and thewhole topic is well persal, partial migration, irruptive and invasive interwoven. The somewhat brief conclusion is ex- movements,short- and long-distancemigration, and cellent.Areas for further researchare clearlypointed site fidelity and nomadismare clearlydefined and out. This review will be especiallyuseful to those illustrated.Future writers on suchsubjects must either who are interestedin mating systemsbut are on the use thesedefinitions or clearlyand competelydis- periphery of the actual research.It should also be cuss why variations are presented.The final over- useful to the active researcher and will serve well for view of strategiesof avianmigration provides a con- studentsjust getting started or teacherswho need to cisesummary of the wholesubject of migration.Along prepare lectureson mating systemsand sociobiolo- with Stephen Emlen's chapter "Migration: orienta- gy. The recentsurge of interestin mating systems tion and navigation" and Peter Berthold's "Migra- and especiallytheir evolution clearly merits a sum- tion: control and metabolic physiology" in Volume mary of ideas and data, and this chaptercertainly V (1975) and Kenneth Able's "Mechanisms of ori- has accomplishedthat purpose,at leastfor me. entation, navigation and homing" in Gauthreaux Definitions are clearly statedwhere needed. It is (Animal orientation, navigation and homing, 1980, somewhat disconcertingto have terms defined (pp. New York, AcademicPress), the topic of migration 3-4) and then not find themused until 58 pageslater, hasbeen thoroughlysummarized. The balancein this and then by initials (OSR = operationalsex ratio). chapterbetween studiesin the New and Old Worlds To those not familiar with the terms or their codes, is excellentand all typesof birds are discussed.I find this requiresretracing to remember.I find it some- somegrammatical constructions difficult: "according what bothersomethat Oring considersreproductive to Gauthreaux 1978" (b. 117). Authors should refer successas accruedat the fledglingstage (p. 2). This to their own work in the first person."Hopefully" is definition is used because we can measure it rela- misusedon page 101;and I believethat "individuals tively easily. I believe the proper measureof repro- ß . . move or facemortality" is improperuse of mor- ductivesuccess, however, is the offspringreturning tality. This chapterprovides a foundationfor all fur- to actually reproduce themselves•something that ther studiesof the origin and ecologicalaspects of probably can rarely be measured.Would that more avian migration. The almost 500 referenceson mi- studiesof birds couldlast long enoughwith enough gration are worth the price of the whole book. markedindividuals so that we couldget reasonably Chapter 3, "Social organizationin the nonrepro- closeto the truth . . . and would that ornithologists ductive season,"by H. Ronald Pulliam and George were not "forced"to publishtheir dataprematurely! C. Millikan (pp. 169-197) is a brief but valuable com- This chapteris heavy on Oring's and his students' panion summary to Oring's chapter. Pulliam and dataand interpretation.That is entirelyappropriate, Millikan succinctlydiscuss how gregariousnessin- and his summaries,integration, and critical evalua- fluencesthe probabilitiesof survivingstarvation and tion of the extensive literature (350+ citations) is ex- predation, and the costs and benefits of territorial 5710 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 aggression,stressing the relationshipbetween social serveas a startingpoint for much fascinatingfurther foraging and the risk of starvation.This chapter con- study. tains considerablespeculation and clearlypoints out "Stomachoils" (Chapter5, pp. 325-340)by Jtirgen not only the difficultyof forming testablemodels but Jacobis a restatementof JohnWarham's 1977 paper the almost complete lack of data concerning what (Proc. N.Z. Ecol. Soc. 24: 84), stressingthe chemical birds do and how they manageduring the nonbreed- composition of the oils. Stomach oils are found ex- ing season. Sectionsare summarized very usefully clusivelyin the proventriculusof the Procellariidae, and models (which even I can understand) are pre- Hydrobatidae, and Diomedeidae but not in the Pel- sented in hopes of stimulating data collection and ecanoididaeof the Procellariiformes.It is interesting analysis.I find the concluding"prospect" a valuable to know what the specificgravity of oil is (0.88g/ml), caution about the validity of cost-benefitmodels to but what is the relationship to other substances?A socialbehavior studies. This chapter seemedto end table summarizesthe known compositionin species before I was satisfied, but I suspectthat was the au- that have been studied. Those people familiar with thors' intent. chemical composition of waxes and oils will find this Chapter 4 begins the secondsection of the book, sectionmost interesting. Jacobbriefly discussesthe which reflects the editors' wide knowledge of and dietary origin of oils and presents effective argu- good relations with our European colleagues,phys- ments for this conclusion. The section on ftmctions iologists and anatomistsin particular. is least satisfactoryto me, partially becausethe most JtirgenJacob and Vincent Ziswiler tell us all the important sentences(p. 336, next to last and last in generalornithologist wants to know about"The uro- paragraphA) are difficult to understand. It is useful pygial gland" (pp. 199-324, Chapter4). A brief his- to have a completesummary of this interestingsub- torical summary of work done to date opens the stance in one place. The paper adds little to War- chapter, providing an excellentupdate of the studies ham's work, however, especiallyconcerning func- by Lucas and Stettenheim (1972, Handbook "Avian tions. Anatomy" Integument) and of Jacob'slate 1970sand Louis D. De Gennaro provides the first summary 1980 papers. The authors thoroughly review the lit- of the "Glycogenbody" (Chapter6, pp. 341-371) to erature and provide data from dissectionsof 150 new have been published.This oval-shapedmass of gly- species, with emphasis on the Psittaciformes.The cogen-filledcells is wedged between the dorsal fu- chapter is divided into major sectionson Structure niculi of the spinal nerve cord in the region of the and Secretions.Many examplesare used to discuss lumbo-sacralplexus. While discussingthe contents the phylogeneticand ecologicalaspects of external of this volume with severalornithologists in Los An- morphology (size, shape, ducts, feathers, vascular geles, their universal responseto this chapter title supply, external musculature, innervation, and was "What's that?" I presumethat this chaptertells embedmentand anchorage),internal and microscop- us all that is known. All ornithologistsshould read ic anatomy, embryologyand posthatchingdevelop- it thoroughly, or at least read the introduction, his- ment, functional considerations(production, trans- torical perspective, and pp. 360-367 on functional port, storage,and extraction of the secretions),and significanceand concludingremarks. Sections on de- phylogeneticand taxonomicconsiderations. All birds velopment, biochemistry and development, and either have a uropygial gland or have secondarilylost structure(morphology and histology,including ex- it. The gland apparently only evolved once in avian cellent illustrations) could be scanned.For some un- phylogeny. definedreason, I found this chapterfascinating. The The section on secretions includes discussions of functional significanceof this "organ" remains un- qualitative compositionof lipids (which vary at or- known, but the speculationprovided by De Gennaro dinal and even family levels),types of lipids, ordinal is useful. We now have a new structure besides differences in chemical composition (a useful taxo- feathers that defines birds. Studies must now be ex- nomic/systematicdiscussion even if you do not know tended to nonchicken birds. anything about the chemicalsinvolved), biosynthe- We are presenteda fascinatinghistory lessonby sis of secretions,histochemical investigations, func- Roland Sossinka in Chapter 7, "Domestication in tions of secretions (complex: feather flexibility, birds" (pp. 373-403). Definitions and the environ- plumage hygiene, vitamin synthesis?,communica- mental and geneticbases of domesticationbegin the tion, but not water repellency),and chemotaxonomic lesson, and they lead to a discussionof the charac- aspectsof secretions.Large amotmtsof data are con- teristicsof birds that make them adaptableto being tained in severaltables. The referenceto Fig. 7 on usedby man. The geneticand environmentaleffects page 200 must be to Fig. 1. All ornithologists,bud- (food supply and rearing conditions)on morpholo- ding and mature, and especially those who write gy, physiology,and behavior are discussed.Many textbooks, must read pp. 253-255 and 305-314 as a examplesare used to point out the variation that oc- minimum. This chapter answers all the questions cursbased on the "nature, heterozygosity,and eco- about this gland that I have andyet posesmany areas logicaladaptability of ancestralwild birds." Sossinka for further research.It is a pleasureto read and will showsthe nonuniformityof the processof producing April 1983] Reviews 511 a domesticbreed by usingthe ZebraFinch (Peophila pages, and is only three times the original price of guttatacastanotis) as a casehistory. Derivativesfrom Volume I in 1971! The price of Volume VI is also less wild stocks are discussed relative to either reduced than the earlier volumes are presentlyselling for. I natural selectionor the appearanceof new, anthrop- encourageall ornithologiststo take advantageof this ically imposed selection.The conclusionssection fo- major publishing event. The breadth of information cuseson the ultimateand proximatecauses of change and level of stimulation in this volume is enor- in characteristicsand is an interestingbut short dis- mOUs.--RALPH W. SCHREIBER. cussionof "is domesticationevolution?". This chapter relies heavily on non-Englishliterature. Word- ings are sometimesawkward and germanic,but this Woodpeckersof the world.--Lester L. Short. 1982. chapter clearly describesthe huge experiment man Greenville, Delaware, Delaware Museum of Natural has carriedout with birds, an experimentthat is crit- History. Monograph Series No. 4. xviii + 676 pp. icalto our present"civilization." Ornithologists could $99.95.--Lester Short has been interested in wood- well pay more attention to the subject. peckersfor over 20 years, studyingthem in 60 coun- The eighth and final chapterof the book is by Peter triesand o31continents except Antarctica. He is known Scheid:"Respiration and controlof breathing"(pp. particularly for his work in elucidatingthe taxonomy 405•453), an update and complementto Lasiewski's and evolution of woodpeckers. One does not have "Respiratoryfunction in birds" (Chapter 5, Volume to be an expert to appreciatethe value of this semi- II, 1972). Clearly defined sectionsare used: "Venti- technical handbook that contains so much useful in- lation of the respiratorytract" is the most lucid de- formation. The Introduction makes sure that the scriptionof the air-sacparabronchial lung air-move- readeris acquaintedwith certainbasic terms. Among ment pattern that I have seen. The significanceof them is the superspecies,defined as a group of two this system is discussed.In this and all areas of or more closelyrelated speciesthat are usually allo- breathing in birds, considerablediscussion occurs patric. The members of a superspeciesare termed between the experts. These differencesof opinion allospecies.As will be seen later, this concept has and techniqueare pointed out factually,with the au- played a prominent role in Short's systemof classi- thor presentinghis own, of course.In "Gas transport fication. properties of blood," Scheid discussesthe chemical Part One, pages 1-56, contains basic information properties of oxygenation. In "Basic concepts for on Plumageand Structure,Behavior, Zoogeography, parabronchialgas exchange,"he discussesconvec- Evolution, and Systematics.Among points covered tion, diffusion, and the structuralarrangement be- are that the primarilyzygodactyl toe arrangement (two tween airflow and blood flow in the systemand pre- toes facing forward, two backward) is so special- sents his model, which is discussedmore fully in ized in somespecies that all four toescan be directed "Cross-current model and the real lung," where anteriorly, while in others, so unimportant is the Scheid tells us he is satisfiedthat his model repre- hallux (first, inner rear) that it has been lost, as in sentsreal life. "Respirationand gasexchange at rest" Picoides.Another adaptation of woodpeckersis their tells about ventilatory, blood gases,and diffusion general "toughness." All those who have skinned capacityof the system,and this leadsto "Respiration woodpeckersknow how thick and tough their skin and gas exchangeat specialized activities," a dis- is, a trait shared with the Indicatoridae (honey- cussionof elevatedmetabolism and heat exchange. guides). The sections on color patterns and sexual The chemical and neural factors involved are eluci- dichromatismI found of particularinterest. The very dated in "Control of breathing."The final, longest complexity of picid plumage patterns, Short has section deals with "Respiration of the avian em- found,makes them useful in determiningphylogeny. bryo," in which Scheiddiscusses the structure(egg The degreeof complexityis oneunlikely to arisefrom shell and membranes),mechanism of gas exchange convergence.Complex patterns, with many varia- acrossthe shell, chorioallantoicgas exchange,me- tions possible,may facilitate individual recognition. tabolismand gasexchange during development, and This is something that I have noted in the field for gas exchangeduring various environmentalcondi- many yearsin Picoidespubescens and P. villosus.Why tions. Having discussedall this, the chapter ends this situation should have arisen in Picoides but not rather abruptly. One of two typosI found in the book in many other generawould be interestingto learn. is that there are not 86,000 speciesof birds (p. 424). A remarkablephenomenon among woodpeckers is The referencesare extensive,and I learned a great that of convergencein appearance,described by C0dy deal from this clearlypresented exposition. (1969,Condor 71: 222),in which membersof genera An index to authors, bird names, and subjects of what he callsthe "ivory-bill" grouphave come to completesthe publication, which is well produced. resemblespecies of a "log-cock"or pileated group An amazing feature of this book, beyond its vast in various parts of the world where they occupythe scientific merit, is the relatively low price. While same habitat. The selection pressure behind this $65.00 is a considerable amount for a book, it is less similarity, in Cody'sview, is to promoteinterspecific than for Volume V, for virtually the samenumber of territoriality.Having studiedtwo "look-alike"species 512 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 that were sympatricin Panama, the Crimson-crested and often relinquish their holes without much resis- (Campephilusmelanoleucos) and the Lineated (Dry- tance;in Europe,Black Woodpeckers (Sielmann, 1958. ocopuslineatus), and found no evidencefor Cody's Das Jahr mit dem Spechten.Ullstein Verlag, Berlin, theory, I was surprisedto find Short seemingto en- p. 41) abandontheir chambersto Jackdawsas meekly dorseit (page9). Yet, on continuingto page33, Short as tropical American woodpeckersof the genus Trip- seems to reverse himself, backing Murray's (1976, surus give theirs up to Tityras." Having watched Condor 88:518)critique of Cody'shypothesis. (The Campephilusmelanoleucos and C. guatemalensisgive citation of Murray is 1977 when it should be 1976.) up freshly excavatedholes to CollaredAracaris (Pter- Short states that he "emphasizes behavior oglossustorquatus) in Central America, I am inclined throughoutthe book." Due to this emphasis,it is to agree with Skutch. worth going over his ideas, as expressedin the sec- Although this section of the book is entitled tion entitled"Aggressiveness and the pair bond" (pp. "Aggressionand the pair bond," Short has little to 23-24). From the start, he regards woodpeckersas say about the latter. "Pair formation activities in being aggressivebirds. "Not only do encountersoc- woodpeckers,"he writes, "are very difficult to dis- cur with considerable frequency within picid tinguish from normal aggressiveinteractions." Here species," he writes, "but interspecific encounters, again views differ. My feeling is that an aim of any especially with other woodpeckers,also are fre- student wanting to understanda speciesshould be quent." What speciesof woodpeckersis he referring to learn to distinguishsignals given in courtshipfrom to and in what timesof year?In 25 yearsof studying thosegiven in aggression.This assuredlytakes time. the woodpeckersof easternNorth America, follow- But here selectionhas moved in the direction of get- ing most of them through the year, ! have encoun- ting rid of ambiguitiesand this, coincidentally,can tered no suchdegrees of aggressiveness.During these aid the observeras well as the bird. Signals,whether times I have always regarded a conflict as a special in courtshipor conflict, must be clear and distinct. event that did not happen very often. Conflictsthat Otherwise how can one bird know what a conspe- I watched occurredmost frequently when territorial cific is about to do?Ambiguity would work against boundarieswere being establishedin early spring, reproductivesuccess. Yet Shortappears to think oth- then fell off markedly.This seemsinevitable because erwise when he statesthat "the display repertoire, mostwoodpeckers are widely spacedterritorially. The including vocalizations,seems unduly large for the only times that I have encounteredanything ap- needsof theseterritorial birds. One wondersif per- proachingShort's descriptionwas for a number of haps the ancestralwoodpecker was a socialor semi- weeks in South Carolina. There numbers of pairs of socialspecies requiring these nuances;hence, part Melanerpeserythrocephalus were crowded into a rel- of what we seein woodpeckersmay be a carry-over atively smallarea, competing for neststubs that were from a socialpast." I find it hard to imagine, let us scarceelsewhere. Their conflictsrepresented what say, congenericspecies giving vocalizationsand dis- Wilson (1975, Sociobiology.Cambridge, Massachu- plays that are vacuousand no longerhave meaning. setts, Harvard Univ. Press) has termed behavioral Would not this curtail mechanismsdesigned to pre- scaling. vent hybridization? Would not selection soon re- Short sees two factors as promoting the aggres- move deleterious signals retained from an ancient sivenessthat, in his view, characterizeswoodpeck- past?"Differences from related species,"wrote Wil- ers. First, he states,"...inter-specific aggressionis lis (1972, Ornithol. Monogr. 10: 73), "will be selected accountedfor to some degree by the specialization for, whether differencesin plumageor displays.Dis- of woodpeckersgenerally, and thus the similar re- plays are probablyeasier to selectfor, sincechanges quirements of different sympatric woodpecker in morphologyinevitably compromiseother adap- species,especially those similar in size." I find this tations, such as thosefor avoiding predatorsor get- statementpuzzling. Gause'sprinciple is that "no two ting food, while displayscan be turned on and off." speciescan coexistin the same locality if they have I have long felt that everythingabout a bird that one identical ecologicalrequirements" (Mayr 1963, Ani- can see or hear is there because it is needed, in some mal speciesand their evolution. Cambridge, Mas- way, for survival and/or reproductive success.On sachusetts,Harvard Univ. Press).Yet in Short'sview, this basis, in my view, if one does not understand as I read his sentence,they do, and this leads to the meaning of a vocalization or other signal, the frequent conflicts.Short goes on to state next that thing to do is to keep on watching until one does. woodpeckershave becomeaggressive because they But othersmay find this view extreme. have to defend roosting and nesting holes. But do One more opinion, before winding down, relates not all territorialspecies have to defendwhat is their to Short'sexperience that "courtshipdisplays, other own? I find it difficult here, again, to see that wood- than a few specialflight and nest demonstrations, peckersare that much differentfrom a host of other are rare." It is strange, again, what different expe- avian species.Skutch (1969, Pacific Coast Avif. No. riences two observerscan have. I have long found 35: 560), indeed, goes so far as to conclude that courtship one of the most attractive features of "woodpeckersare, on the whole, unaggressivebirds woodpeckers.As I have seen them, they do not take April 1983] Reviews 513 their pair bondsfor granted,but maintain them with namebetween the genusand the speciesbeing that exchangesof small notes and displays.With a few, of the superspeciesto which it beJw,•s. The other such as D. pileatus,that are mated the year around, two membersare the Lineated (D. [piIeatus]lineatus) one observessome degree of courtshipin all seasons, and the Black-bodied(D. [pileatus]schultzi). It is sur- especiallyin the first half-hourof a day. At the height prising, in turning to the Table of Contents,to see of the breeding season,woodpeckers have lively how manyof the world'swoodpeckers are groupable courtship displays that are, with many, repeated into superspecies.From having studied D. lineatus many times over. An understandingof courtship is in CentralAmerica and finding it closeto D. pileatus basic to understanding a woodpecker'svocalizations in aspectsof its behavior, the superspeciesconcept and displays. has seemed useful to me. Under Behavior, in the Although I have felt the need of expressingthese accountof D. [pileatus]schultzi, is the comment,"es- divergences of opinion (or, as some readers may sentiallyunknown." What an opportunity!I feel that think, prejudices),I have, paradoxically,found the this is an additional value of Short's book. It reveals author's "Aggressivenessand the pair bond" a stim- speciesthat open almost virgin fields for research. ulating section of his book. Disagreementand con- The BlackWoodpecker (D. martius)of Europe, that I troversy,it has been said, have a positive function, have never found much like the Pileated, is not infor how can one know what he thinks and believes cluded in any superspecies. unless there are others who think and believe dif- In studyingD. lineatusin CentralAmerica, I found ferently? it sympatricwith a woodpeckerof the same approx- Part Two, containingaccounts of the species(198), imate size that, due to convergenceor parallelism, constitutesthe largestpart of the book. Each wood- looksat firstglance surprisingly similar. This was the pecker is dealt with in a uniform manner and has, Crimson-crested(Campephilus [melanoleucos] melan- in Part Three, a color portrayal to go with it. Divi- oIeucos).Much of its breeding behavior seemedclose sions include Range Summary and Diagnostic Fea- to what I have read of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker tures (both brief) and a lengthy Description. After (C. [principalis]principalis), but as can be seen at a Distribution and Habitat come Foraging Habits, glance,the two are not allospecies.A questionin my Voice, Displays, Interspecific Interactions, and mind was how closeare Dryocopusand Campephilus. Breeding.While well-known speciessuch as Picoides It is easy to find in the book that both are members villosusin America and P. major in Europe have 4-6 of the tribe Campephilini. For a discussionof this, pages devoted to their behavior, a large number of or any other tribe, one has to turn back to a section woodpeckersliving in remoterparts of the world have on Relationshipsand Classificationin Part One. Here been so little studied that there is little to say. A Short points out that there is no other New World discussionof taxonomyand a list of referencesfol- group closeto Campephilusexcept Dryocopus. One low each species account. For the much-studied speciesof Dryocopus,D. galeatus,is a perfectinter- Melanerpesformicivorus there are only three refer- mediate between Celeusand Dryocopus,indicating encesand for P. major only two. A few additional the derivation of the Campephilini. Although my ac- referencesare put in the main list at the end of the count may, by this time, seem wandering, turning book. It would have been simpler, I should think, to back and forth through the pagesof this book is the have all of the referencesin one place. Even so, I feel way to run down information. It is hardly a book that the references are too few. Had the author used that one can read straightthrough. two to three times as many, he could have rounded To take another common species,Picoides villosus, out his behavior accountsto advantage.With a gen- it does not belong to any superspecies.It is most eral tightening up, particularlyof the discussionsof closely related to Strickland's (P. stricklandi)and to voice and displays, there might have been room the Three-toed (P. tridactylus),but not to the Downy without use of additional space.References are what (D. pubescens)Woodpecker with which it is broadly many studentsgo to a handbookto find. sympatric.P. villosusbrings us to a considerationof Putting smaller matters aside, it is a great accom- subspecies.D. pileatushas no clearly defined races, plishment to have brought accountsof all of the but P. villosushas a number. These, as in all species world's woodpeckerstogether in one place. I have accounts,are dealt with in an accompanyingsection been studying woodpeckersand writing about them on Taxonomy. Writing purely as one interested in for 25 yearsand, in retrospect,wish that I couldhave behavior in the field, I find the conceptof subspe- had such a book as "Woodpeckersof the world" on cies, like that of superspecies,to be of heuristic val- hand for reference. This is from a conviction that no ue. What first brought this to my attention were en- matterwhat bird one is studying,from whateverpoint counterswith the relatively little-studied southern of view, it is helpful to know what other speciesare Hairy Woodpecker(P. v. audubonii),which, in my most closelyrelated. Comparisonsare a fruitful way experience,differs behaviorally from the northernrace of stimulating ideas. Take, as an example, the Pi- P. v. villosus.Here again, taxonomyis of value in leated Woodpecker, Dryocopuspileatus. In Short's helping to delineate a problem for research. classificationit becomes (D. [pileatus]pileatus), the Short's work, carried out over many years in as- 514 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 sociationwith his colleaguesWalter Bock and Hans from other population ecologytexts: the details of Winkler, has done much to clarify and simplify the mathematicalmodels of population growth, inter- systematicsof woodpeckers.In no placehas this been specificcompetition, and predation are found at the more evident, for an American student, than in com- end of the respectivesection or chapterin which the bining the former genera Tripsurus,Asyndesmus, topic is discussed.By this arrangementthe authors Centurus,and others into the greatly enlargedMe- hope to presenta discussionof the importantaspects lanerpes.This makes sense behaviorally. It is sur- of these conceptsbefore the mathematicaldetails or prising, for example, if one has observedthe two underpinnings. For studentswho are being exposed speciesin the field, to note how similar the breeding to mathematicsfor the first time since introductory behavior of the Red-headed(M. erythrocephalus)is calculus,this may be an advantageousapproach. to that of the Red-bellied(M. carolinus,formerly Cen- The three chaptersin the first sectionare Describ- turus) Woodpecker. Also useful is emphasis on the ing Populations, Intraspecific Competition, and relationof Sphyrapicusto Melanerpes.This is brought Models of Single-speciesPopulations. Chapter 1 in- out by placementof both in the tribe Melanerpini. troduceslife-tables using diagrammatic life-tables that That the four speciesof sapsuckers(S. varius,S. nu- display the life-cyclein the form of a flow chart. The chalis,S. ruber, and S. thyroideus)are derivatives of students in my class found this format especially Melanerpesis shown by their skeletal structure as helpful in understanding life-cycles. "k-values," well as patterns of coloration of adults (e.g.S. thy- which are used in key-factoranalysis in a later chap- roideusand S. ruber with M. formicivorusand eryth- ter, are introducedin the preliminary discussionof rocephalus). the calculations of life-tables. Because American Part Three comprises101 color plates by George ecologistshave had little exposureto this method of Sandstrtm. While these pictures, lacking in all back- assessingthe magnitudeof sourcesof mortality in a groundmaterial, cannotbe ranked with the portray- population, I am glad the authorshave included it als of some other modern bird artists, they are cer- in their presentation.The conceptsof scrambleand tainly adequate.Considering the amountof material, contestcompetition are introducedin detail in Chap- the volume under discussionis lighter in weight than ter 2. Theseterms are used commonlyin British eco- many modern technicalbooks, and the paper, of a logical literature, but rarely in American presenta- dull finish, is pleasinglyfree of glare. One wishes tions of competition. A discussionof these concepts that a little more thought had gone into its appear- as well as devotion of a whole chapterto intraspecific ance. The coversare patterned to resemble wood ve- competition is especially worthwhile for American neer and the title page has "Woodpeckers of the students because of the scant treatment that these World" in letters made to look like sticks, such as topics usually receive in American texts. one might seein a pamphlet on woodcraft.But these The mathematicsof population growth are intro- are minor matters. There is no doubt that this book duced in Chapter 2. In contrastto most population is a must for libraries connectedwith departments ecologytexts, mathematical models using difference where researchand teachingin ornithologyare going equationsrather than differentialequations are used on, whether in museums,universities, or specialin- throughoutmost of the text. Besidesbeing more re- stitutes. As a reference book it should do much to alistic biologicallyin many cases,difference equa- give students a wider orientation. As for private tions seemto enablestudents to translatemore easily ownership, one hundred dollars or close to it will from the ecologicalsituation to the mathematical seem a bit steepto many. It is a nice book to own, equation.Furthermore, difference equations are much nonetheless,and readerswill, I think, agreethat Short easier than differential equations to simulate on a has made a notable contribution.--LAwREhlCE KIL- computer,or even a hand calculator.In their discus- HAM. sion of age-structuredmodels, the authorsinclude a conciseintroduction to matrix multiplication sufficient for an understanding of the Leslie matrix. Populationecology: a unified studyof animalsand Chapterson interspecificcompetition and preda- plants.--Michael Begon and Martin Mortimer. 1981. tion comprise the second section of the book. Com- Oxford, Blackwell Scientific Publications. Distribut- petition is introducedwith a thoroughdiscussion of ed by Sinauer Associates,Sunderland, Massachu- experimental investigations of ant-rodent and ant- setts. vii + 200 pp. $33.00 (cloth), $16.95 (paper).-- ant competition in desert habitats. This is followed This new text in population ecologyby two British by an explanationof the experimentalinvestigation ecologistsis a welcomedaddition that shouldbe well of plant competition, using de Wit replacementdia- received. The book's main asset is its balanced treat- grams and ratio diagrams.Following a rather brief ment of mathematical and empirical-experimental discussionof the niche concept, examplesof com- population ecologyof both plants and animals. It is petitive exclusion in the field, competitive release, organizedlogically into three sections:Single-Species coexistenceand resourcepartitioning, and character Populations,Interspecific Interactions, and Synthe- displacementare presented. These topics are sum- sis. The authorsemploy a novel approachthat differs marized in a discussionof the problems of demon- April 1983] Reviews 515 strating that competition in the past has produced Ecologycourse for advancedundergraduate or grad- the patterns of resource partitioning in a group of uate students. The references are current. The text is coexistingspecies, ending with the caveatthat mere clearly written in a straight-forwardstyle. Figures differencesin coexistingspecies are not sufficient and tables are used extensivelythroughout, which evidence for demonstratinginterspecific competi- enables students to draw their own conclusions from tion. the data and compare their interpretation with that In the discussion of the mathematics of competi- of the authors.The paperbackedition is sturdily con- tion, the Lotka-Volterra competition equations are structedand reasonablypriced.•ARL N. VONENDE. presented, followed by Ayala's modification for modeling Drosophilacompetition. Then the mathematical basis of de Wit diagrams in plant competition is discussed.The only weaknessof this chapter Thomas Bewick's birds (watercolorsand engrav- is the tersenessof the discussionof the relationship ings).-1982. Cambridge,Massachusetts, MIT Press, between niche overlap, competition, and species 58 pp., 52 plates (26 in color). $8.95.--When I opened packingbased on the theoreticalwork of MacArthur, the review copy of this little book a name card from May, and others. Although these topics are not as a Publicity Manager at MIT Press dropped out. A common in the current literature as a decade ago, handwritten statementon it had the following mes- they remain an important aspectof theoreticalpop- sage: ""['hisis the most charming book we've ever ukation ecology of which students should be ap- published.--I hope your readers like it as much as prised. we do." I agree. It is a charming little book. In Chapter 5 Begon and Mortimer follow Holling's Thomas Bewick (1753-1828) is one of the better approachof examiningthe componentsof predator- known early naturalists;best known are his wood- prey interactions.First, these componentsare dis- engravingsof birds and other animalsbut also coun- cussedindividually in light of empirical evidence of try scenes.Not nearly so well known are around 400 their importancein predator-preydynamics. Then, of his watercolors,which long agowere used to pro- in the section on mathematical models, the authors duce his famous engravings by means of a simple examinethe interactionof someof thesecomponents but clever processdescribed in detail by the pub- in difference equation host-parasitoidmodels, in lishers. The engravingswere so popular in his time particularreviewing Hassell'swork that hasbuilt on that evidently they overshadowedthe watercolors. the Nicholson-Baileymodel. In the remainderof the Somehowthe watercolorsremained virtually unnot- chapterthey discussNoy-Meir's grazing model and iced until they appearedrecently in lain Bain's "The the dynamicsof harvestedpopulations. Optimal for- watercolorsand drawings of Thomas Bewick and his aging is discussedin this chapter,but the treatment workshop apprentices,"which is the parent of this is insufficient.Considering the amountof work being book and published first in 1981by The Gordon Fra- done in this area, the theoretical models and the em- ser Gallery Ltd., London and Bedford. pirical evidencedeserve a more thoroughdiscussion. "Thomas Bewick's birds" contains a selection of I particularlylike this book becausethe sequence watercolorsand engravingsfrom Iain Bain's compi- of presentationof topicsis logical.In the last section, lation. Nearly all of the 52 selectionswere made by Synthesis, are chapters on Life-history Strategies, Bewick, exceptfor a few producedby his appren- Population Regulation, and Community Structure. tices.One by his son,Robert, depictsBewick's Swan Having discussedindividually the major population (p. 16)--a bird named in honor of his father. The processes(population growth and intraspecificcom- speciesportrayed are mostly of commonBritish birds petition, interspecific competition, and predation), of garden,field, and woodlot,but the readerwill find the authors then discussthose topics in which more among them suchvagrants as the American Redstart than one of the aboveprocesses may be operatingor (p. 9), which evidently has only been recordedtwice may have been an important selectiveforce, as in the in the British Isles. Also hardly commonin Britain evolution of life cycles in the case of Life-history thesedays is the Great Bustard(p. 51). Bewick'sen- Strategies.In Life-historyStrategies (Chapter 6), em- graving of this bird has long been a favorite of mine, pirical differences in life-histories are reviewed, fol- but it is also nice to learn that an attempt is now lowed by an extensivediscussion of r- and K-selec- being made to reintroducethe speciesin the United tion. I would have preferred a shortening of the Kingdom after a 150-yr absence.Too late to rein- discussionof the latter, in lieu of a presentation of troduce the Great Auk (p. 22) anywhere, but the some of the other models of life-history evolution. reader will delight in seeing the head colorsof this In Population Regulation, the historical controversy long-extinct bird marvelously preserved by the of this topic is reviewed and k-factor analysis pre- bt'ushesand paints of the Master. All illustrations sented. Finally, the importance of competition, pre- have 1-3 written paragraphsthat succinctlybut ap- dation and disturbance in structuring communities propriatelydescribe each species' current status, be- is discussedin the concludingchapter. haviors, habitats, or distinctive characters. Because I recommend this book as a text in a Population the birds were not drawn to life size and the plates 516 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 all reproducedin their originalsmall sizes, the length From my perspective,the book would be more en- (in inches) is also given for each species. joyablewith detailedmaps of the Capeand the places One can easilyread this book in an hour's time. Finchdescribes. It is not possiblefor a casualvisitor One will, however, pick this book up many times to the Cape to locatethe placesthat Finch describes. simply to muse over the illustrations,not only be- This seriesof essayswould be particularlyenjoyable cause of artistic or aesthetic reasons, but also because for anyonewho has spent any time alongthe coast the connection between Bewick's watercolors and and is familiar with marine and estuarineorganisms. engravingsis so intriguing. It's a smallbook (5 x 7 But I suspectit would also be useful for any natu- inches)and bargain priced. A perfectgift to slip into ralist. It is well written and easyto understand,and a friend's Christmasstocking.--DAvIr) F. PARMELEE. is thus suitablefor any age group. It is not written for professionalornithologists, but for naturalists.I found it fun to comparemy impressionswith his. Common ground, a naturalist's Cape Cod.--R. Thus I would recommendit as pleasantreading for Finch. 1981. Boston, David R. Godine Publishers. cold, winter evenings.--J. BURGER. xi + 142 pp. $12.95.--This series of essays de- scribesscenes, experiences, and images of plantsand animalsencountered on Cape Cod. They representa Yellowlegs.--John Janovy,Jr. 1980.New York, St. personalview of the dynamicaspect of natureon the Martin's Press. 192 pp. $9.95.--Don't be misled into Cape. The 32 essayscover such diversecreatures as expectinga treatiseon yellowlegs,Tringa fiavipes, of cormorants,juncos, owls, gannets,whales, moths, this book. It is not. What it is is a rambling account and foxes,and describethe typicalhabitats such as of Janovy'spersonal odyssey to becomean "ecolo- marshes,woods, and the open beaches. gist." The yellowlegsserves primarily as a vehicle Scientifically,the facts are generallycorrect. But for Janovy'smusings about himself, the GreatPlains more importantly,his inferencesand musingsac- states and their societies, old Fords, the wonders of curatelyreflect nature. Descriptions of the plumage parasitology,the life of an academicand professional patternsof birds, the behaviorof owlsdisturbed by scientist, and the prairies. Throughout the book, humans, and the life cyclesof variousanimals are Janovyagain and again turns his thoughtsto the correct.His knowledgeis far-ranging,from refer- generally inelegant machinesproduced by human encesto loon fossilsto descriptionsof the population technologyand their contrastswith natural "ma- cyclesof lemmingsin the far north. In describing chines" such as the biosphereor, for that matter, the plants, animals, and the environment,he discusses individual yellowlegs.Sometimes his commentsare severalrather sophisticatedconcepts, such as pop- thought-provoking,but often they are rambling and ulationdynamics, relationships of predatorsand prey, obtuse. In fact, the entire book is a mixture of really effectsof man on population numbers, tide cycles, eloquentand moving passages,such as his portrayal erosion,and shore-linedynamics. He handlessuch of the feeling one gets for the open spacesof the topicswell, mixing fact with impressionsto make prairiesor his soliloquyon the scientistas a roman- thesetopics understandable and interesting.The au- tic, and obscureprose riddied with strained imagery. thor usually avoids being anthropomorphic,al- I liked someof the book, partly becauseit dealt with though his descriptionof ants seekinga solutionto placesand people and feelings familiar to me, but it their plight of being caughUona burning log in his left me with a confusedfeeling: Was Janovytrying fireplace(pp. 89-90) is both anthropomorphicand a to tell me abouthis own personalgrowth, about some bit sadistic (or, at the least, too realistic). naturalphilosophy, about the biologyof the yellow- Severalspecies and themes run throughoutthe legs, about technologyversus Nature in the Great book. Gulls and terns recur in several essays, al- Plains, or somethingelse? The book is rambling and thoughthey arenot the main topicof any one essay. disorganized,so in the end one isn't surewhat the Man's significanteffect on specificorganisms and take-homemessage (if any) is. man'sinsignificant effect on the natureof the Cape Overall, Janovy'sbook bears a closeresemblance itselfare frequentlyintermingled in the sameessay. to Peter Matthiessen's "The Snow Leopard," but it In his essayon foxespreying on terns, Finch dis- is not so deep and profound or as elegantlywritten, cussesthe value of both animals, stressingthe plea- and is not in the same class. Just as a mammalogist suresof seeinga family of foxesamong the dunes. would not read Matthiessen's book to find out about He asksthe question,How many ternsis it worth to thebiology of the snowleopard, Janovy's book should see a family of foxes?T's is a question managers not be regardedas a sourceof information about frequently ask, and on• chatrequires an answer. yellowlegs.Such was not the intentionof either au- Throughoutthe bookFinch clearly describes his own thor, of course. But where Matthiessen succeeds in sense of insignificanceagainst the cold, wind, and conveyinga spiritualfeeling for life throughhis per- starknessof the Cape. Someessays seem to confirm sonal odyssey,Janovy hits the mark only occasion- the universalityof our feelingstoward the unrelent- ally, and much of the book servesonly to obscure ing natureof Cape Cod. the few reallymoving accounts. Janovy has much to April 1983] Reviews 517

tell us, I think, but he hasyet to write the book that giving status, distribution, habitat preferences,so- does it successfully.--Jo• A. W•E•s. cial organization(where relevant),and breeding data. The information might have been more easily assim- ilable with more in-text italicized subheadingslike The birds of Nigeria.--J. H. Elgood. 1982. B.O.U. Status, Habitat, and Distribution.At present only Check-list No. 4, British Ornithologists' Union, Breedingis subheaded.English names are those of London. 246 pp. œ14(œ10 to B.O.U. members).--The Mackworth-Praed and Grant (1970, 1973), which is B.O.U. Check-listsare becominga welcomefeature of sometimesan unhappy choice, since some of their the ornithologicalliterature, especially so in Africa. names are clumsy(e. g. Red-tailed LavenderWaxbill, Elgood's"The birds of Nigeria" followsa fairly stan- Dybowski'sDusky Twinspot), while othersreflect an dard pattern in its soft covers,with an editor's fore- outdated British tendency to name some familiar word and an author'spreface followed by a detailed specieswithout an adjective(e.g. Finfoot, Coot, Pra- 40-page introduction, the SystematicList (which tincole, Oyster-catcher,Waxbill) as if they were the forms the bulk of the book), appendices,a gazetteer, solerepresentatives of their taxon.The old-fashioned references, and indices. The introduction includes spellingsof Oyster-catcher,Sand-plover and Guinea- maps showing places,vegetation zones, climate and Fowl and the inconsistentuse of capital letters add so on; most are useful, but would have been more little to the appeal of the English bird names. The so if they had been given a scale.The map of place name "lapwing" for the vanelline plovers is incon- names(Fig. 2) is fairly hopelessbecause it showsfar sistentlyapplied. The use of the English"Fernando too few placesand is badly drawn. The sectionson Po Swift" for the widespread AfrotropicalApus bar- climateand vegetationare well done; photographs batus(elsewhere known as the BlackSwift) is absurd; of habitats would have added considerably to the "Black Swift" on the other hand is inappropriate- valueof thelatter. Migration is lesswell treated,which ly applied toApusbatesi, otherwise known as Bates's is a pity, sinceNigeria is an idealstudy area for both Swift. These irritations could have been eliminated Palaearcticand intra-Africanmigrants. The diagram by judicious amendment, selection,and application of numbers of different types of migrants (Fig. 6) is where necessary,and would have gone a long way confusing,since no scale of numbers is given and toward standardizingthe confusingarray of English the shape of the kite diagramsdoes not accordex- names for African birds. Other English usage is actly with the vegetationzones on the map. sometimesstrange, like "stationary" instead of the The sectionon breeding,as well as the subheading more usualsedentary, or even incorrect,like the con- dealingwith breedingin the speciesaccounts in the sistent use of the word "data" in the singular. SystematicList, showsclearly how little is knownof Some identification problems are raised in con- breeding in Nigerian birds--far less,it would seem, nection with possible confusion of sight records in than in birds of several other West African countries the field, notably between the three thickneesBu- like Senegal,Cameroun, and The Gambia. Why this rhinus oedicnernus,B. senegalensis,and B. verrnicula- should be is not clear. About 650 speciesof birds tus, and between the three swifts Apus horus,A. cal- breed in Nigeria, yet the breeding of even quite ler, and A. affinis, yet in fact these speciesshould commonresident species is poorlydocumented. What not be confusedby competentfield observers.Of have all the expatriateornithologists and birdwatch- coursethe lack of a good field guide for West Africa ers been doing in Nigeria all theseyears? is an aggravatingfactor, since even the one by Serle, The orderof major taxain the SystematicList fol- Morel and Hartwig (1977) has its shortcomings,not lows that of the Peterschecklists, augmented where the least of which is the absenceof many species necessaryby that of Morony,Bock and Farrand (1975). from the plates. The scientific nomenclature is that of White's check- Errors are generally few. One that particularly lists (1960-1965), which makes it rather dated. No caughtmy eye was the inconsistentspelling of Ma- cognizanceis takenof more recentsystematic work lamfatore in the text and Mallam Fatori in the map in Africa (especiallysouthern Africa) or elsewhere, in Fig. 2. Another unfortunate one was calling the but the arrangementof subfamiliesand tribes is sat- BagaPeninsula of Lake Chad a "sand pit" instead of isfactorily up-to-date. It is unfortunate to see in a a sand spit. More seriousis the omissionof the Grey- systematicwork of the 1980sgenera like Podiceps(= headedGull (Laruscirrocephalus) from the Systematic Tachybaptus) ruficollis, Ibis (= Mycteria) ibis, and Re- List, yet it is referred to in the accountfor Larus rniz (= Anthoscopus)which have been disused for ridibundusand in the introductory sectionon Aquatic years.A number of speciescurrently considered sep- Environments on p. 30. arateare regardedas subspecies,like Gypsbengalen- For all these shortcomings(most of which are in- sis africanus,Cuculus canorus gularis, and Motacilla dividually small),"Thebirds of Nigeria" is a neces- albaaguirnp, although Elgood recognizes their distinct- sary addition to every Afrotropicalornithological li- ness and merely follows White for consistency,per- brary becauseit coversa largecountry in an important haps not altogetherwisely. part of the African continent, with over 800 bird The speciesaccounts follow a standardconcise form species.The text reflectsthe author'slong association 57[8 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 with Nigeria and is especiallytimely becauseof the hearing about a specimenbeing collectedand in- country's rapid growth and the consequentloss and censedif directedto procurea specimen,and then degradationof importanthabitats, especially the for- to seethat sameperson sit by unalarmedwhen a land ests. The British Ornithologists'Union is to be com- management agency threatens to desecratea parcel mendedon its far-sightedchecklist project, of which of invaluable riparian habitat or allows severe over- this book is a worthy part, and not too highly grazingof a riparianhabitat to the point where there priced.-•3ol•l•ON L. MACLEAN. is no longerany regenerationby woodyspecies. The same double standardoperates in the bird watcher who attempts to block scientific collection but im- Birds in southeastern Arizona.--William A. Davis mediately grabs an annotatedchecklist or book for and Stephen M. Russell. 1979. Tucson, Tucson Au- informationon avian distribution,period of occur- dubon Society.vii + 126 pp. 33 black-and-whitefig- rence, or racial affinities. If a treatise is to be factual, ures. Annotated checklist of the birds of Arizona.- it must be based on fact, and if informative, it must Gale Monson and Allan R. Phillips. 1981. Second contain creditable information. Edition/Revisedand Expanded.Tucson, University of Life zonesare briefly coveredin the Introduction Arizona Press.xxxi + 230 pp. + index. $5.95.--"Birds and will help the naive biologist to appreciate the in southeasternArizona" is a three-partpaperback, vertical complexity of the vegetation and types of with about 10 pages of climate and avian habitats, avian habitats presentin Arizona. A short but spe- about 65 pagesof an annotatedlist of the birds in cial sectionon riparian habitats, their importanceto the area including tables of relative abundancesfor birds, their demise to the present, and their threat- the annual cycle,and about 30 pagesdealing with ened future should induce a posture of "We cannot how to get to thoseareas having the greatestprob- afford to loseany more" amongbird studentsin Ar- ability of finding birds onemight want to see.With izona and in the West as a whole. the very abbreviatedannotated section on birds, this Taxonomic nomenclature deviates from that of the book provides little for the seriousstudent of orni- A.O.U. checklist,so onehas to be carefulwith regard thology, as comparedto the secondbook in this re- to this problem. This minor distractiondoes not review, but it would be a very worthwhile investment duce the value of the tome and can be instructive. for thosewishing to play "aviangolf" in southeast- The annotatedchecklist is repletewith information ern Arizona or for those wishing to see selected regarding the present statusof the birds of Arizona. speciesof birds. Other books provide similar infor- Few can appreciatethe effort required to compile mation, but Davis and Russellhave put togethera such a detailed treatise of records for our use. I did helpful edition that clearly guides interestedbird find one glaringerror as I perusedmy favoritespecies watchersto themost productive areas for seeingsome in the checklist.With referenceto the Cassin'sSpar- of theselocalized species. They admonishthe user row (Aimophilacassinii), they state"nesting . . . not on the ethics of bird watching, the need to respect confirmedby specimenor photo," which is incor- land ownership,and the importanceof not destroy- rect, since I collecteda fledged specimenof a few ing the fragile habitat in the processof "noncon- days and the skin residesin the University of Ari- sumptive use." The book will prove invaluable to zona collection.These types of errorsare almostim- thoseinterested in comingto Arizonato bird watch, possibleto avoid and only with constantattention by aiding them in planning trip datesand then in to detail can they be eliminated. This shouldnot de- actuallygetting to the best localitiesso that their time tract from the value of the book as a reference be- is spentmost efficiently. causeit is by far one of the best annotatedchecklists Monson and Phillips have produceda secondedi- available. It is a must for those pursuing Arizona tion of an annotated checklist of Arizona birds that bird studies,biogeographers, and anyoneelse inter- has been revised and expandedfrom their 1964 pub- ested in westernbird distribution and migration.- licationsdealing with "The birds of Arizona" (with ROBERT D. OHMART. J. T. Marshall) and an annotated checklist. Much new information has been added since their earlier work in 1964, and Gale Monson has religiouslyamalgam- De danskeynglefugles utbredelse.--Tommy Dyb- ated recordsand judiciously separatedbird sightings bro. 1976. Copenhagen,Dansk Ornithologisk For- relative to fact versus fiction. Phillips has continued ening. 293 pp. 111.30 Danish kronor. Bird distribu- to examinemuseum specimensin his quest to bring tion in New Zealand. A provisional atlas 1969- more organizationand understandinginto the dis- 1976.--P. C. Bull, P. D. Gaze, and C. J. R. Robertson. tribution and racial affinities of Arizona birds. 1978. Wellington, Ornithological Society of New The sectionin the Introduction (pp. xv-xxiii) deal- Zealand. 263 pp. No price given. Atlas van de ned- ing with the need to collectspecimens is classicand erlandschebroedvogels.--'s-Graveland, Vereniging should be assignedreading to all developingstu- tot Behoud van Natuurmonumenten in Nederland. dents in ornithology.It is a paradoxto me to see an 431 pp. No price given. Arbeitsatlasder Brutv6gel "avian biologist" becomeupset from witnessing or Bayerns.--E. Bezzel, F. Lechner,and H. Ranftl. 1980. April 1983] Reviews 519

Greven, Kilda Vg. 200pp. No pricegiven.--The Brit- in the Danish atlas), then its distributional history ish FloralSurvey (1950-1954), which resultedin the in the country, population fluctuations, and the "Atlas of the British flora" (1962), prompted a series present situation during the atlas years are de- of atlas projectsemanating from the British Isles scribed.The distribution map that accompanieseach (Sharrock1976, The Atlas of the breedingbirds in speciesis more detailed in the Dutch than in the Britain and Ireland) and Belgium (the EuropeanIn- Danish work, but the line drawings of birds are vertebrate Survey). Following publication of the equallygood in both.Literature references follow each French, Swiss, and Natal atlases (reviewed in pre- speciesaccount. The Dutch book givessoil and vege- vious issues of The Auk) we have now the above tation maps that are useful when comparingdistri- four atlases available. butionsof birds by habitat. Altogether,both of these The Danish (1971-1974) and Dutch (1973-1977) booksare exemplaryin their methods,organization, projectsfollowed quite closelythe patternof the Brit- and treatment of the material. It is a pity for us that ish bird atlas. Because of the small size of these coun- they are written in the national language(although tries and the large number of collaborators,both the Dutch atlashas a i/z-pageEnglish summary), be- projectsworked on the 5-kin2 grid: Denmarkhaving causethe atlasprojects that recentlyhave developed 2,160 such squares,the Netherlands,1,671 squares. in North America could learn a lot from their Danish The Danessent about 400 field workersto the squares and Dutch colleagues. yearly; the Dutch atlasdoes not give numbers,but The New Zealandand Bavariaatlases are both pro- lists all the many hundreds of participants. The visional works. Leclercq (1967) emphasized that no breedingavifaunas were the subjectof the surveys; matter how spotty the data, a provisional atlas puts these avifaunas are closelyrelated in these two al- the statusquo on record,and immediatelyspurs fur- most-neighboringcountries (the atlas projectfound ther atlaswork, aimed at completingthe picture that 189 breeding species in Denmark and 195 in the the provisionalwork presentedto the workersin the Netherlands). field, who generally were not aware of how much Both booksbegin with very detaileddescriptions was alreadyknown. Therefore,it is laudablethat the of the survey methods, correction factors, square New Zealandersprinted the results of 8 years of coverage,and the completehistory of the field un- fieldwork and all previously available information in dertakings.Beyond documenting the breeding dis- the form of a pocket-sized,spiral-backed, handy at- tribution of the avifauna, both surveys yielded las. There is no text, but only a map of the North quantitativeresults. This applies,first of all, to the and South islands for each specieswith only one rare breeders, for their numbers were directly reg- kind of symbol used to denote documented occur- istered by the atlas observers.Thus, Dybbro esti- rence (irrespectiveof breeding status).The basis of matesthe breedingBuzzard population of Denmark the atlas work consistsof 3,675 squares,each 100 to be 1,900-2,400 pairs (after having applied certain km•. The 10-km2 grid that coversNew Zealand is correctionfactors), that of the Goshawk,150-200 pairs. akin to the UTM ("military") grid that the various Correspondingestimates in Holland are 1,650 pairs European atlas and other faunal surveysuse; it is of Buteobuteo and a minimum of 320 pairs of Accip- fitted to the islands without the needs of distorted iter gentills.It is worth noting that the distribution squares(owing to the curvature of the earth), since map of the Goshawkin both atlases,and of the Buz- the islandsare roughly NW-SE and SW-NE orient- zard in the Dutch work, does not show the true lo- ed. By 1976, only 85% of the squareswere covered; cationof the squareswith nestsof thesevulnerable thus the provisional nature of this atlas. The avifauna raptors, in order to prevent abuse by recklessnest- (236 speciescensused) is about the same size as in plunderers. the Danish and Dutch atlas areas, but the area of Another indirect way to arrive at population esti- New Zealand is almost seven times greater, while mates concernsthe commonestbird species:per- the population (and thus the magnitude of the cen- centageoccurrence in the squaressurveyed gives an suseffort) is muchsmaller. As the habitatmaps show, index of relative abundance. The Danish atlas deals there is much rugged, inhospitablealpine country, with these indices in a separatechapter. The Dutch especiallyon the SouthIsland. Yet the New Zealand workerswere askedto give an estimateof the breed- ornithologists,backed by theEcology Division of their ing pairs in their squareson a simple, logarithmic national researchbureau (DSIR) and the Wildlife Ser- scale(1-10, 11-100, 101-1,000, etc.), but many were vice, hoped to completethe coverageby 1980. able to censusthe entire populationof many species Bavaria is the southernmost,mountainous prov- in their squares. These data were sifted and com- ince of western Germany. It is coveredby about 700 piled by Texeira and his numerousco-workers, and squaresof the internationalUTM grid, but only about the resultsare discussedin the speciesaccounts. 330 of these had completecoverage. The data-pool The format of the speciesaccounts follows the gen- comprisesthe resultsof the program"census of birds eral pattern used in Sharrock'sBritish atlas. Each in agriculturalland," of censusesin other habitats, species'general distribution and habitat preference and other recent material. The aim is to show the are described (much more detailed in the Dutch than weakestpoints in coverage,where additional inten- 520 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 sifted field research is needed. It also furnishes data, loquus(4). Birderswill enjoy studyingthe different where the squaresare completelycovered, for the song dialectsin these and other species,such as the Europe-wide censusundertaking. This small-sized Warbling Vireo (V. gilvus),and beyond simple en- (21 x 4.5 cm) paperbackatlas does not have any il- joyment, questionswill be raised about vocal limits lustrations;it treats two speciesper page, giving the of species.The harsh chatter that appearsto consti- percentageof coverage,the estimated number of tute the song of V. crassirostrisapproximans on Old breeding pairs in Bavaria, the geographicaldistri- ProvidenceIsland is so differentfrom the White-eyed bution and distributionalhistory (mostlyof this cen- Vireo-typesong of the nominaterace on Grand Cay- tury), and conservationneeds (when it concernsa man and elsewhere that one wonders if it can come rare species).The symbolsof the distribution map from the same species. showfor eachsquare one of sevensymbols, detailing This record doesn'thave the sameaesthetic appeal the breedingoccurrence during the censusyears 1968- as Hardy's one on the Wrens (ARA #2), which would 1973, and 1974 to 1980. The authors of this under- be hard to top, nor is that its purpose. Vireos as a taking give special recommendationsfor a future, group have rather dull, monotonousvoices, although systematicallyorganized, breeding bird atlas,as fol- there are some surprises. The first time I heard the lows. Instead of few workers over a longer time pe- Green Shrike-Vireo(Vireolanius pulchellus) in the Ca- riod, they recommendintensive fieldwork during 3 nal Zone, I wondered if I had the first record of Tuft- years(but not more than 5 years)with a smallergrid ed Titmouse (Parus bicolor)for Panama. Bell's Vireo size than 10 'krn2. Evaluation of results should occur (V. bellii) has a squeakylittle jingle unique in the as soon as possible, and not at the end of the field- family, which may remind Europeansof warblers in work. This way gaps that becomeapparent could the genusSylvia; and the WarblingVireo soundsmore quickly be filled. A short-term project would also like a House Finch (Carpodacusmexicanus) than a Red- securemore steadyworkers. The preparationof the eyedVireo (V. olivaceus).By and large,though, they're final atlas shouldbe accomplishedvery soonafter the a pretty dull lot, but that's hardly Barlow'sfault. His fieldwork for the results to be used in conservation object is to compile and instruct, and he has suc- and managementarenas. ceededat both. He is especiallyto be congratulated The Bavarian undertaking comes from an "Insti- as a compiler. To have brought together in one al- tute for Ornithology" as part of the statelaboratories bum the songsof nearly all members of so wide- for soil scienceand agriculture--an indication that spread a family is a great achievement(only four ornithologythere, as in many othercountries of Eu- local Hylophilusspp. are missing). I particularlyap- rope, long ago becamean importantapplied science preciatedthe coverageof Hylophilus.Many of these based on the beneficial role of birds in agriculture cause problems for birders in the Neotropics. The and horticulture.The censusand atlasprojects of the common Scrub Greenlet (H. fiavipes),which forages last few years (especiallysince the last recent over- at low and middle levels, is easy, but many others view of atlas projects,Udvardy 1981,Studies in Avi- arecanopy feeders, providing an underside-only view an BiologyNo. 6: 103) tend to be supportedby re- which, combined with small size, often renders them sponsible state departments of agriculture, unidentifiable.They are persistentsingers, however, environment, or wildlife, be it in any political system and I have oftenlonged for a tape to identify the tiny (e.g. Polish, Estonian, Dutch, Ontario, British Co- mite singing 40 m above me. lumbia, New York, Coloradoatlas or censusprojects) Barlow is not just a museum (or laboratory)com- or political entity. Atlasing of the 1980s is neither piler. He recordedover half the specieshimself, which purely a birdwatcher's pastime nor a zoogeogra- involved a lot of travel. Of the numerous other con- pher's academic pursuit, but a taxpayer-supported, tributing recordists,the most prolific is RossD. James, legitimate public effort to createa data baseon which who accompaniedBarlow on some of his trips. The the fate and managementof our preciousavifaunas recordings in general are of high quality, and if a and their avian habitats depend.--M•KLOS D. F. few are what the late Myles North usedto call "IPO" UDVARDY. (identificationpurposes only), meaning not of disc quality, no matter, they are clear enough for identification. Specialcredit is also due to J. W. Hardy, Songsof the vireos and their allies. Family Vir- who did a fine job of production. eonidae: vireos, peppershrikes, shrike-vireos, and The printed matter accompanyingthese records is greenlets.--JonC. Barlow. 1981.Gainesville, Florida, all squeezedonto the back of the jacket. While this ARA Records#7, 2 recordsin 1 jacket. No price giv- makesfor convenience,the print is so smallyou can en.--These records contain "'known or presumed get eyestrain reading it. A detailed commentary is primary songs"of 39 of the 43 speciesin the family provided for the recordings,a standard feature of Vireonidae. For polytypic species,songs of different most records, but with a new twist--representative races are also illustrated. There is particularly good weights have been provided for each species. The coverageof Cyclarhisgujanensis (4 races),Vireo hut- stated purpose of this is "as a measure of size," but toni (5), V. solitarius (6), V. olivaceus(5), and V. alti- since there is no attempt to correlate weight with April 1983] Reviews 521 vocalization, one wonders what the point was. (As should not overlook the peripheral talent that con- a sourcefor weights, which are often hard to come tributesto the guide'ssuccess. Users will feel com- by, it is excellent!)Nearly half the printed matter is fortable with the guide's reliability and credibility, a detailed table of contents. For each of the 68 cuts, for the author neglectsno detail in striving for color Englishand scientificnames, date and locality of re- perfection. According to the publishers, each color cording,and name of recordistare given. Fine ex- was measuredspectrophotometrically before and af- cept that this sameinformation is repeatedverbatim ter deposition; each was deposited in a long-lasting on the recordsthemselves. Certainly each cut needs lacquer. to be identified, but since they are numbered, it The additions most apparent in Part II1 are the nine would only have been necessaryto announce"Cut new color charts with 96 new swatches. I find these 49: Vireo olivaceusfiavoviridis," not the whole thing. additions a great help, mostly becausethey include I calculatedthat ca. 10 min of listening time was colorsmissing in Part I that are indispensable.Buff, wasted in this way, time in which additional record- for example, is a color that I frequently use. What a ings couldhave been presented.The announcements shockit wasto suddenly discover that the Buf• (Color produce in the listener a senseof boredom, relieved 24) in Part I of Smithe was strikingly different from only by the mispronunciations(BOW•ivar for Boli- the one ! had visualized and used for years. And var; HuanOOco for Hufinuco). what a relief to see my specialkind of Buff (Color Overall, this is an excellentwork, and a major con- 124)as part of the new addition in Part III. This color tribution to our knowledgeof the vocalizationsof the and others! no longer find disturbing, but usersof Vireonidae. With the productions put out by his the guide for the first time will do well to review its company, ARA Records,Hardy is providing a major introductionsand guidelines. serviceto the ornithologicalcommunity. I strongly '"Thenaturalist's color guide" is noteasy reading. urge him to continuethe good work, and look for- Although one's eyes flow smoothlyover the many ward to record #8, whatever it may be.--STvART color swatches,one is forced to study, not merely KEITH. read, the text in order to comprehendthe methods employedby the author--unlessyou are among those familiar with chromatics,spectrophotometers, tri- Naturalist's colorguide part III.--Frank B. Smithe. stimulus values, etc. Munsell notations are espe- 1981.American Museum of Natural History. 37 pp., cially important ingredientsof the guide. Although 9 color charts. $8.00.--Part III of the "Naturalist's each swatch is identified by a color number and a color guide" is an important addition and improve- colorname, often in agreementwith namesused by ment of Frank Smithe's 1975 work, which was pub- Ridgway, each color is also identified by a Munsell lished in two parts. Part I, the "Color guide," con- notationdefined by the author in termsof its hue, tained 86 colorswatches, and Part II, the "Color guide value, and chroma.Smithe gives a simplifiedexpla- supplement," described these colors in detail. Part nation of the Munsell systemof colornotations. Se- III is used in conjunction with Parts I and 11 (total rious usersof the guide will agreethat the systemis cost $17.50). Evidently, when writing his book on a very useful tool. "The birds of Tikal," Smithe undertook an exhaus- Much of the writing in PartsII and III of the color tive study of Robert Ridgway's classiccolor guides guide is devoted to descriptionsand historical cita- published in 1886 and 1912. The latter, called "Color tions for the many colors.These accountsare inter- standardsand color nomenclature," was, according esting, useful references.For example,the color Ol- to Smithe, an ambitious compendium of colors; it ive, accordingto Smithe, is the ornithologist'smost containedfar too many colorswatches and names for important, most used, and perhaps most abused col- efficientusage by field workers.A simplified field or. One finds several dozen "olivaceous" colors in guide was needed.He set out to make one, and nat- Ridgway's "Color standards," but Smithe reduces urally he used Ridgway as a standard. them substantiallyin his guide, explaininghis choice Smithe not only explored the methods and tech- and notation for Olive and listing no less than 54 niques used by Ridgway, but he also carefullyex- citations.Many of the citationsrefer to flycatchers, amined series of bird speciesthat had been used but one (Ridgway,Bull. 50, Vol. 1, p. 39) that caught previously as models. Only then did he make his my attention statedthat the "olive" on male Evening final selectionof colors,86 in all, which was a notable Grosbeaks (Hesperiphonav. vespertina)is limited to reductionfrom the Ridgwayarray of colorsand names the nape and back. SinceI had never associatedmy that numbered well over a thousand.The cut proved brand of olive with this species,I dashedoff to test too drastic: Parts I and II came under criticism by a grosbeakspecimen with Smithe'sguide in hand. the professionals,among them his closestassociates. According to the Smithe guide, the color is more Part Ill deals openly and frankly with these criti- brownish than olive, coming closeto Olive Brown cisms. The organizationalskill of Smithe becomes (Color 28), perhapsclosest to Dark Olive Brown (Col- apparent when one realizes that he put his critics to or 129). In its purest appearance it is best seen on work in improving the guide. The reader, therefore, the cheeksof the grosbeaks;on the nape and back 522 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 the feathersare more or less yellowish at the base mental laws were passedand administrativeagencies tipped with Dark Olive Brown, producing a slightly beganissuing regulations designed to implementthe mottled effect difficult to assignto any one color. new laws. Of coursegovernment, environmental in- Only through usage can one appreciatethe fine terestgroups, and industry all had differing opinions attributesof any guide. Smithe'sguide may be used regarding the implementation of the environmental in variousways for both profit and fun. It works well laws, and their arguments were brought into the in quickly identifying a bird's soft or fleshy colors courtsfor interpretation.How the Federalcourts have that fade rapidly after death. It worksequally well in interpreted environmental law during the 1970s is diagnosingthe colorsof intricatebird nestsand as- the subjectof Lettie M. Wenner's book, "The envi- sociatedvegetative structuresas well as the birds ronmental decade in court." It is an examination of themselves. The guide's title, "Naturalist's color how the Federal courts respondedto the arguments guide," is highly appropriate becauseit clearly sug- of government,environmentalists, and industry in gestsbroad usage.Field workersin many disciplines the new era of environmental regulation. will put the guide to good use. The subjectmatter is surprisinglyreadable, even Every guide has its shortcomings,and although for those of us not schooled in the field of law. There this one in its completedpackage has few, it is only is little, if any, legal jargon used in the book, except fair to point out that with the addition of 96 new for those terms used in the profession that are part colorsto the original 86, the numbering systemand of everyday language now. The organization of the swatcharrangements have becomea bit confusing. text alsois easy to follow. The first two chaptersset One might ask why a completerevision was not un- the stagefor the remainderof the bookby discussing dertaken to avoid this problem. To have done so the development of environmental policy and the would have put an unnecessaryfinancial burden on numerous environmental laws. The next five chap- those who purchased Parts ! and I! before Part III ters examine, by various methods, how different in- was available. The 182 color swatches of Parts I and terest groups used environmentallaws in the courts III clip into a handy sized (51/2x 81/2"),light, flexi- and how the courts responded. The final chapter ble, very durable six-ringedbinder with its equally questions whether or not the courts influenced en- durable loose-leaf color charts. So suitable for the vironmental policy. field is this arrangementthat one wonderswhy the As pointed out by the author (and rightfully so), publishersfell short of these high standardswhen it is difficult to describe environmental cases as hav- producingan accompanyingflimsy paper mask to be ing only environmentalissues in them, even though used frequentlyin blockingout all but one swatch a casemay have been brought to the courts because on a color chart in order to minimize visual confu- of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, the NEPA, or sion. some other environmentallaw. Many cases,while All in all, Smithe and his publishers have pro- being environmentalcases, also involved issuessuch duceda very fine, practical,and modestlypriced col- as states' rights, civil rights, interstate commerce, or guide that will prove a boon to field-orientedin- constitutionality,and others. Consequently,a court's dividuals.--D^v•v F. PARMELEE. position on an environmental case was often indis- tinguishablefrom a court's position on other important policy issuesof the 1970s.Decisions were often The environmental decade in court.--Lettie M. made in favor of another issue and not necessarily Wenner. 1982. Bloomington, Indiana, Indiana Uni- againstthe environment.Another complicatingfac- versity Press. 211 pp. No price given.--It is widely tor was that many casesinvolved more than one en- recognizedthat the passageof the National Environ- vironmental law. To minimize problems with de- mental Policy Act (NEPA) on 1 January1970 ushered scribingand analyzing the 1,900environmental cases in a new era for the United States. The law was formal researchedfor the book, the author developeda cod- recognitionthat man is as much dependentupon his ing systemand subjectedthe data to statisticaltest- physical and biological environment as any other ing. This method of analyzing such a large amount speciesis; that the environment upon which our ex- of information proved quite successful,and the re- istencedepends is finite; and that we have a respon- suit is the discoveryof severalinteresting trends in sibility to protectthe environmentfor future gener- the Federal courts in the 1970s. ations. The law declares in concise terms that it is Severalchapters are devotedto an analysisof who the policy of the Federal government to create and brought casesto the courts, what kind of caseswere maintain conditions under which man and nature brought, who won, and why they won. It is revealed can exist in productive harmony. The NEPA began that in the early years of the environmentalera, most what is often considered the environmental decade. caseswere brought to the courtsby environmental With the passageof the NEPA, environmentalists interestgroups. The latteryears saw more cases being were able to switch their focus from that of estab- brought to the courtsby governmentand industry, lishing policy to that of implementing policy. Fol- the former enforcing compliance with air and water lowing the NEPA many new and revised environ- standardsand the latter arguing that the standards April 1983] Reviews 523 were too strict.By far the mostcommon cases brought perspectives,historical and functional. To my way beforethe courtswere broughtby environmentalin- of thinking both must be included and done well if terest groupsagainst the government.The interest a course(or book) on comparativeanatomy is to be groups argued that governmentdid not sufficiently successful.Hildebrand's approachemphasizes both, administer environmental laws or the government but he tends to favor the functionalas being more itself degradedthe environmentby the construction in line with researchtrends. Unfortunately, the dis- of public works projects.The latter is evidencedby cussionof the role of comparativeanatomy in deci- the fact that, out of a total of 1,900 environmental phering life's history and our currentknowledge of casesstudied for the years1970 through 1979, a pre- that history is so outdated and frequently patently ponderance(759) of caseswere broughtto the courts incorrect that the book would be difficult to adopt using the NEPA as the primary law. Another anal- for any coursethat has a historical thrust to it. Dis- ysis revealsthat Federaldistrict and appellatecourts' cussion of how we use comparison to reconstruct decisions in the southern and western circuits were history is nonexistent. No effort is made to incor- generallyless favorable for the environmentthan de- porate any advancesin our understanding of chor- cisions made in the northcentral and northeastern date relationships over the last 15 years--and they circuits. Appellate courts tended to have a moder- have been major. We are left insteadwith an archaic ating effecton districtcourts, meaning an exception- Romerian parade through the vertebrates,in which ally pro-environmental district court often had its nonexistenttaxa suchas the "Agnatha" or "Reptilia" decisionsoverturned by the appellate court and ex- are treatedas if they had someontological status rather ceptionally anti-environmental district courts had than as the artifacts of man's mind that they are. decisionsreversed as well. The Supreme Court tend- Hildebrand asksof the "Reptilia" (p. 60): "Why, one ed to support the environmentless than any other may ask, doesthis classhave so few distinctive char- Federal court. Overall, however, the environment acters?"The answer is simple: one cannot expect seems to have won as often as it lost in the courts much congruencein characterdistribution when the during the environmental decade. taxon one is examiningis artificial and not real. Althoughthe book is an examinationof environ- Becausethe book lacks a good introduction to the mental law in the Federal courts during the 1970s, principles of comparison and an up-to-date assess- and is therefore aimed more toward students of en- ment of chordaterelationships, the secondsection of vironmentallaw than anyoneelse, the subjectshould the book•"The phylogeny of structure"--cannot prove interesting to almost everyone interested in hope to succeed.This sectionpurports to review the environmentalprotection, regardlessof discipline. structuralevidence for vertebrate interrelationships, For studentsof environmentallaw aswell asnonlegal but its main concern seemsto be to interpret char- environmental professionals, knowing what acter transformations within a "scala naturae" of the trends there have been in environmentallitigation is vertebrate "classes."This is not to say that anatom- invaluable information. The author has succeeded in ical detail is lacking, only that its evolutionaryin- reducing a large amount of environmentalcase his- terpretation is simplistic at best. tory into a useful and useableformat. In the present The final section--"Structuraladaptation"--is in atmosphereof deregulationand budgetcutting, there many ways the strengthof the book. Nevertheless,I will be lessgovernment control over and supportfor would have preferredto see functionpresented just environmental protection and preservation of our as that--how animalswork--rather than as examples natural resources,leaving theseefforts to individuals of "adaptations," which, as Hildebrand uses the and environmentalgroups. Many disputes will be concept, is purely axiomatic and not susceptibleto brought before the courts, and knowing how the rigorous scientificinvestigation.--JoEL CRACRAFT. courts have treated environmental issues is important knowledge. Wenner's "The environmentalde- cade in court" has provided this information, and it The birds of BrevardCounty, Florida.--Allan D. shouldbecome an increasinglyimportant reference Cruickshank; with added records (1974-1978) by as the environmentalera passesthrough its second Robert D. Barber. Edited by Helen G. Cruickshank. decade.--JAMESP. HOOPER. 1980. Orlando, Florida, Florida Press, Inc. xv + 200 pp. $12.00. (Available from Indian River Audubon Society,911 Bali Road, CocoaBeach, Florida 32932.)-- Analysis of vertebrate structure.--Milton Hilde- In 1953Allan Cruickshankmoved to Rockledge,Bre- brand. 1982(Second edition). New York, JohnWiley vard County, on Florida'sAtlantic coastmidway be- & Sons. xvi + 654 pp. Price not given.--This is the tween Jacksonville and Miami, and for the next 21 secondedition of a well-known university textbook years of his life he kept closetabs on the occurrence on comparativeanatomy. Although some new ma- and distribution of birds in Brevard County. Allan terial has been added, the outline and contentare es- was afield when the human population of Brevard sentiallythe sameas in the first edition. County increasedrapidly due to the developmentof One can approachcomparative anatomy from two the U.S. spaceexploration program at Cape Canav- 524 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 eral and he recorded the effects of all this on the expenditure varies little. Fat reserves permit tem- county'sbirdlife. Despite his untimelydeath, we still porarily high rates. Day length is the primary infor- can reap the benefit of his work due to the major mation sourceto the control system.How nonpho- effort of his wife, Helen, in editing Allan's records, toperiodic environmental information alters the basic and, along with the addition of Robert D. Barber's pattern of endocrine control remains a mystery. records(1974-1978), in publishingthis valuablebook. Lorenzpays tribute to OskarHeinroth, "the father The work treats 395 species,including 104 breed- of ethology," in his presentation, which is printed ers, and each species' accountmay include infor- in German. Limited knowledgeof this languagepre- mation on period of occurrence,abundance, habitat vents me from making extensive comment, but the preference,status, and eggdates. The bookincludes essenceof the presentation is that Heinroth estab- a map of BrevardCounty, a usefulintroduction by lished the field of ethology based on an extremely Helen'Cruickshankthat gives the genesis of the book extensiveknowledge of zoo animals. The contribu- and a historyof Christmasbird countsin the county tions of numerous of his contemporaries and stu- includingthe world-famousCocoa count, and a bi- dents are given perspectiveby Lorenz. ographicalsketch of Allan. After acknowledgingthe numerous contributions Thisis essentiallyan annotatedlist with no overall to avian classificationmade by Erwin Stresemann, tabulationor analysis.Nevertheless, students of the Mayr reviews currentactivities pertaining to species distribution of birds in southeastern United States categories,microtaxonomy, and higher categories, will find this book an important sourceof informa- macrotaxonomy.A quiet revolution has occurred tion because it contains the detailed record of an avi- within microtaxonomythrough the applicationof the fauna situated in the transition area between the superspeciesconcept. The arrangementsof species temperate and subtropicalzones.--FREr• E. LOHRER. that result from using this conceptare especiallyuseful to biogeographers. Most of Mayr's presentation pertainsto the currentstatus of the problemof avian Acta XVII CongressusInternationalis Ornitholo- classification. He discusses characters (fossils, be- gici.--R61fNohring (Ed.). 1980.Berlin Deutsche Or- havior, morphology,macromolecules) and philoso- nithologen-Gesellschaft.2 volumes, 1,463 pp., 289.60 phies (phenetics,cladistics, divergence). Mayr is op- D.M.--These two volumes contain the proceedings timistic that in the near future importantinsight will of the 1978 I.O.C., held in West Berlin. Volume 1 be gained into the relationshipsof bird families and includes 68 pages devoted to information on con- orders. gress business, the International Ornithological Jtirgen Aschoff delivered "Biological clocks in Committee's decisions, members' list and statutes, birds," in which he presentsevidence for circannual and reports of the standing committeeson nomen- as well as circadian selfsustaining oscillations. The clature and seabird research.The next 100 pages are existenceof freerunning rhythms, which when ex- devotedto the six major lecturesthat were given by posed to a periodicallychanging environment give D. S. Farner, K. Lorenz, E. Mayr, J. Aschoff, W. T. evidence of entrainment, supportsthe proposed ex- Keeton, and C. M. Perrins. The bulk of both volumes istence of circannual clocks. Through evolution, consistsof 183 short papers (4-8 pp.) grouped into proximate factorsof an endogenousrhythm and en- 36 symposiathat covera wide rangeof topics.The training zeitgebers sometimeshave replaced ulti- volumesconclude with abstractsof 19 specialinterest mate causes. group discussions,the 137 posterand 76 film pre- William T. Keeton, another superb lecturer, presentations,the program outline, and indices to au- sented "Avian orientation and navigation: new de- thors and bird generaand speciesmentioned. velopmentsin an old mystery," and, indeed, much The 320-plus presentationsat Berlin constitutea new is known about the subject. First Keeton re- 50% increase over the preceding two Congresses. views celestialcues. Although the ways in which Poster sessionsallowed for this. I heartily endorse they are usedare fundamentallydifferent, apparent- their use, providedthey are given proper facilities ly the sun and the stars function only as a simple and someprime time. I alsosupport the organization compass,and a compassalone cannot determine a of all verbal presentations into invited symposia. bird's positionor the directionit shouldfly to reach Persons given the honor of organizing Congress its destination. Other cues must exist. Use of familiar symposiaalso have the responsibilityof obtaining in- visual landmarksseems of only minor importance, ternational representationamong the speakersand and no evidencesupports the existenceof an inertial of avoiding the pettiness, cronyism,and nepotism guidance system.However, recent experimentsdo that I experiencedand witnessedat this and the most supportthe ability of certain birds to find their way recent Congress. by using the earth's magneticfield, gravity, baro- The plenaristswere an excellentlot. Farner sum- metric pressure,infrasound, polarized light, ultra- marized currentknowledge of regulationof the an- violet light, and (questionably)olfaction. The evi- nual cycleinZonotrichia. Ergonically expensive func- dence for each is briefly and nicely summarized.It tions are temporally separatedso that daily energy appearsthat birds can use many different orienta- April 1983] Reviews 525 tional cues, some of which are redundant. Hence, management."It is written in a style that will enter- currentresearch is attemptingto learn how different tain any reader and inform and challengenaturalists cues are integrated. Manipulating the environment of every background. during a bird's developmentis a major approach. The mountains of the borderlands often rise as is- Altering physiologicalcondition is another.It is easy lands in a seaof arid landscapes.The mountainsvary to agreewith the late Bill Keeton'sstatement that this in size and elevation and form and latitude. The des- field is an extremelyactive facet of ornithology. erts are vast and often uniform in appearanceto the C. M. Perrins presented an information-packed eye of the non-naturalist.In 15 chapters,Gehlbach lectureentitled "Survival of young Great Tits, Parus treats features of the area in an effort to understand major," in which he emphasizesfactors affecting the forces responsiblefor their present-day attri- population size. The proportion of young that sur- butes. Coveragebegins at the Gulf of Mexico and vive to autumn, which varies greatly through un- proceedswestward to the deserts of the Colorado known causes, is the most important factor influ- River valley. Birds are not the only subject,but the encing population change. High juvenile survival natural and unnatural (as Gehlbach often refers to leads to dense breeding populations in small terri- the effects of man) forces that have influenced other tories. Territoriality excludessome tits from breed- forms of life also have affected birds. The book will ing, but the proportion excludedand under what thus be of interest to ornithologistsand bird observ- conditions remains unknown. At different times in ers. There are lots of factspresented in the book, but the annual cycle, large or small body sizes confer often only as a means of introducing a subject for advantageson individuals.This long-termstudy (over discussion;Gehlbach has sought "explanationsof 30 yr) demonstratesthe value of basing population repeatedpatterns" and has found many. predictionson a broad base of data. I urge the arm- The initial chapter is an excellentoverview of the chair population modellersto make modelsbased on topography and vegetational communities of the some of the information availablefrom the 30-plus- boundaryarea. The author defineshis termsand de- year study of the Great Tit, and then checktheir re- scribesprobable dimatic and geologicevents of the sults against the additional information. This ap- last few million years. Referencesare cited in an- proach should point to the assumptions(usually notated footnotes and there is no final "Literature wrong) that havebeen madein producingthe model, Cited" section---effective and instructive for the reader which in turn should allow for an assessment of their but an inconveniencefor one who seeksa single list overall value. of references.Footnotes are often used to present sta- It is unfortunate that these proceedingsdid not tisticalresults and generallygreatly enhance the text. appear until 3 yr after the Congresswas held (1978). "Valley Jungles"is typical of other chaptersin its Becauseof the greatvariety of topicscovered and the provocative choice of topics. In it, Gehlbach de- quality of the information, however, I considerthem scribesthe LowerRio Grandevalley as it now is and important referencesthat shouldbe in large insti- as it was before man's interference. He considers not tutional and private libraries. In addition to contain- only the demiseof palmsas native treesbut alsothe ing informationpertinent to specificprojects, these significanceof their frondsto variousorganisms. He volumes give a good overview of the statusof orni- presents evidence that the decline of Hooded and thology in the 1970S.•LEN E. WOOLFENDEN. Black-headed orioles is due to an increase of Alta Mira Orioles and not to an increase in the number of cowbirds. His analysisof the speciescomposition Mountain islands and desert seas---A natural his- of the birds in the valley indicatesthat 14 speciesat tory of the U.S.-Mexicanborderlands.--Frederick R. the northern edge of their range show great vari- Gehlbach. 1981. CollegeStation, Texas,Texas A&M ability in populationnumbers over a period of years. University Press.298 pp. + 65 color photographs,3 He teststhe conceptthat the valley is subtropicaland maps, 36 black-and-white illustrations. $19.95.--The concludes it is "in and of the temperate zone." secondhalf of the 19th centurywas a time of descrip- Everyonewho has speculatedabout the dollar value tion for the U.S.-Mexicanboundary area. Govern- of birds will be intrigued by his analysisof the value ment surveys, some extending over several years, of the valley's Hook-billed Kites; park and refuge were well documentedby J. R. Bartlett, W. H. Emo- managersshould be especiallyattentive. The house ry, E. A. Mearns, and others. Now, FrederickGehl- mousedid not survive the flooding of the 1971hur- bachreports upon impressionsregistered during his ricane, whereas native species did. Gehlbach pro- field studiesalong the border. He studiedthe early posesthat flood controlbeginning with the Falcon references,revisited many of the same sites, con- Dam in 1953led to the downfall of native floodplain ducted his own research,and has produced a mod- woodlands and the sharp increasein house mouse em synthesisof the featurescharacterizing the area's populations.He proposesmanaged flooding to pre- natural history. The book is written for "serious serve the riparian community. His curiosity about amateurnaturalists as well as professionalsin many all of the areas'screatures led him to a trap, mark, areas of biology, especiallyecology and resource and recapturestudy of lessersirens, a nearly legless 526 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 aquatic burrowing salamander.The author presents tion of the black-and-white substrates of New Mex- the argument that flood control effectsof the Falcon ico's TularosaValley are thoroughlydiscussed, as is Dam led to the reduction in bald cypressbut may the problem of desert pupfish existenceand extinc- also have led to the increasein Ringed Kingfishers. tion. And he relatesthe northward spread of the armadillo In Chapter 8, Gehlbach reflectson the presenceof to man's disturbanceof the native landscape. 19 speciesof bats in the high mountainsof south- Each of the following 12 chapterscontains similar western New Mexico and how they may divide up thought-provokingdescriptions and analyses.All is their resources.Some considerationsof humming- easy reading, but most serious readers will move bird energeticsare treated here--not original mate- slowly through the book, pausing to digest, ques- rials, but food for thought. The author analyzesdis- tion, and apply Gehlbach'sconclusions. persal recordsof severalbird speciesthat have moved A chapter titled "Poison, Poison" describes the northward in recent years through the borderlands distribution of pesticidesthrough the Presidio area; and finds an average northward spread of 6 mi/yr even lizards 9 mi from use areas were contaminated. that is positively correlatedwith averagesize of the Even more startlingwas the finding of high pesticide species.He presentsoriginal data to supportthe claim levels in remote campgroundsand the explanation that Great-tailedGrackles have evolvedgreater size of their sourcein campers'spray cans. The way that (+5 g) and dimensions(bill and tarsuslength) since natural wet-dry precipitation cyclesalter lizard com- the 1950's. In a brief discussion, the author considers munity compositionis explored. Trampling by peo- urban bird diversity and finds that it parallels si- ple and horses is treated as a poison in its effects multaneouschanges in plant-speciesdiversity. He upon trailside vegetation. Even trogon watchers in notesthat as urban speciesdiversity increasesthere the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona contribute to is a decreaseddensity of introduced and edificial the reduction of or disappearance of certain plant species.Gehlbach concludes that culturally defined speciesalong well-used trails. Gehlbachponders the succession follows the rules of natural succession, as problemsof the carryingcapacity of humansin nat- opposed to something that might be called "man's ural areas and the challenge in man's management rules." of man. Gehlbach devotesa chapter ("LandscapeMaze") Chapter4 dealsmostly with fish distributionsand to a consideration of plant and animal distributions probes their diversity, species-segregatingfactors, on either side of the continentaldivide. Whiptail liz- and man's role in re-establishingsome species.The ards and other grasslanddwellers have their story author digressesto discussmud turtles and screech told. If one is interested in a summary of dispersal owls, and presents his evidence for the occurrence routes and degree of subspecificevolution, this is an of two rarely interbreeding owl speciesin the Big intriguing chapter.The author indicatesthat Apache Bend region. squirrels and black-eared mice in the Chiricahua The chapter "The Arch Predator" explores man's Mountains are lessvariable in body size than pop- role as a predator on such large animals as bears, ulations farther south, and he relates this to reduced coyotes,wolves, jaguars, and the extinctgiant bison. genetic diversity. This is a particularlygood chapter He describeshow man may be selectingfor intelli- for bird students, who will be interested in the anal- gence in coyotes,delves into jaguar population dy- ysis of flycatchercompetition in riparian communi- namics, and wonders if black bears will fill grizzly ties and a comparison of data from pine-oak wood- bear habitat. lands (Marshall 1957. Pacific Coast Avifauna 32) with The Guadalupe Mountains, the highest range in the author's findings at the same sites 20 yr later. Texas, provide the setting for an essayon bighorn Therewere few changes;the 10 mostabundant species sheep extirpation, a discussionof lizard community were still the same. ecology(especially its usefulnessin keying wood- "Mountain Islands"deals specifically with the high land types), and speculationon the evolution of ring- mountains of the Southwest. Gehlbach looks first at necked snakes. Bird speciesdiversity in the isolated distribution patternsalong their canyons.He finds rangessupporting coniferous forests is summarized, 5,000 ft to be the altitudinal gradient on the moun- but further explanationsare still needed. tain slopesdividing plant and bird communities.The The demiseof grasslandsis the main topic consid- bird communitiesare more diversein the higher gra- ered in Chapter 7. Cattle were first brought to New dient but have twice the biomass in the lower one. Mexico from Chihuahua in 1598, but the range did Gehlbach wonders if lowland riparian bird associa- not deteriorate until late in the 19th century, pri- tions are the consequenceof periodicsevere flooding marily due to overgrazing, accordingto Gehlbach. with its resultant unstable and immature commu- He then considersthe adaptationsof birds to deserts nities. He notesthat lower temperaturesat the higher and speciesdiversity in different deserthabitats. Ar- elevationsmay favor larger birds (they are 1.3 times gumentsthat interspecificterritoriality may causea as large)but suggeststhat correspondinglylarger ter- reduction in territory size in a desert bird commu- ritoriesmean fewer individuals. The author analyzes nity are not convincing. Rodent and lizard occupa- Marshall's data from different mountain ranges to April1983] Reviews 527 test the idea that more southerlyranges should have their extinctions. Fish common names are not es- more bird species(because there are more speciesin pecially well known to most readers and scientific the tropics).He finds that latitude has little bearing namesare not providedin the text, but one can get on bird diversity; variation is due to plant-species the scientificnames from the entry for the common richness. Plant-speciesdiversity is, in turn, related name in the index. The fish story is thorough,but to the extent of the woodland area, mean distance the readerwill work in followingit. A comparison from other mountains, latitude, and other factors. is made of the avifaunas of lowland riparian com- The chapterincludes some excellentnatural history munities, and the conclusion is reached that avifau- of the coati and ElegantTrogon at the northern edge nasof easternand westernUnited Statesare basically of their ranges.Coatis, he suggests,may be limited similar and have fewer speciesand lower densities northward by cold and by a declinein the number in their northern areas. of prey species.His analysisof the diversity of small In "A Walk in Time," Gehlbachcompares photo- terrestrial vertebrates indicates that, unlike birds, graphshe made of border monumentswith photo- most of their mountain-to-mountainchange in di- graphsof 1892-94.He found that the westernbor- versity is explained by latitude. Woodlandsnorth of derlandshad becomemuch brushier,with mesquite the border have been protectedfrom fires to a much making a major contribution.The author suggests greaterextent than thosein Mexico,resulting in their that man's influence and climate have been major "degeneration," as described by Gehlbach. After forceson the changingaspect of thevegetation. Man's analysis, however, he concludesthat fire is "neither effectshave been generallyunidirectional. Deserti- beneficial nor harmful to avifaunal richness." fication may be self perpetuating;once the ground Naturalistsmay pick and choosewhat they wish has becomecompacted and there is more runoff from to write about. In "And Canyon Trails," Gehlbach the soil, there are fewer plants, lower humidity, and wondersabout the changesin colorationand pat- less rain. More drought-resistantplants grow, re- terningin certainsnakes as they mature. He suggests suiting in lower humidity and even lessrain, again that Mojaverattlesnakes are invadingareas formerly influencingclimate. occupiedby diamondbackrattlesnakes as desertifi- "El Gran Desierto" is descriptiveof the most arid cation increases.He writes much on tree-speciesdi- portionsof the boundaryregion. There is muchabout versity in canyons and finds variation in structural the communityecology of heteromyidrodent assem- diversity primarily attributableto conifers.He com- blagesand competingcricetid strategies. An analysis pares incidence of ground-, foliage-, and cavity- of nine speciesof lizards for their activity times, body nestingbirds in variouscanyons and finds changes temperature,and group affiliation identifies patterns with elevationrelated mainly to distributionof broad- in their use of energy. Gehlbach speculateson the leaf evergreens(mostly oaks) that providelong-last- evolutionof tail waving and colormimicry in snakes ing cavities.Gehlbach is one of few personswho has and the successof spadefoottoads in the desert. noted the similarity of the pacedprimary songsof The final chapter is titled "The Lessons." In it, the Whiskered and Western screech owls. He won- Gehlbach concludes that water is the ultimate lim- ders if this may "enhance their division of re- iting resourceof the borderlandsregion. Most of the sources." He finds the niche of the Whiskered to be book hasbeen a considerationof the ways that plants 1.2 times broader than that of the Screech Owl and and animals have responded to limited water. Man's suggeststhat the ScreechOwl may be displaced influencehas greatly complicated an alreadydelicate downwardin elevationthrough competition with the balance.Gehlbach advocates large natural reserves smallerWhiskered Owl. Other topicsinclude reflec- connectedto each other by wild corridors in order tions on the eye contactmade by many snakeswith to preservethe geneticdiversity necessaryto provide humansand the finding of Ditmar'sHorned Lizard. stock for future evolution. He developsa model to He uses principal componentsanalysis to compare predict the size of such preserves,and proceedsto the reproductive characteristicsof lizards and birds comparethe model's figures with the extent of re- and finds that both clusterinto three main groups maining undeveloped areas. He then establishesa bearing a similar relation to eachother; he concludes priority scale for the various natural communities, that their reproductive modes are similar. There is with woodlands, forests,and plains grasslandbeing much thought-provokingmaterial here. Statements most in need of representation.Much of the chapter are frequentlysupported by statistics(multiple step- is devoted to specificsof the location and extent of wise regressionsare his basic analysis)in footnotes the preserves he recommends, without the con- but the nonstatisticallyoriented reader will have no straints of political and economicrealities. Only this trouble with the text. final chapterstrays from good solid natural history, Gehlbach'sdescription of eventsduring the sum- but in it the author presents what he visualizes as mer rainy seasonin the grasslandsof southeastern essential action. Arizonais especiallyvivid. He reflectson the grazing This book is well documented, thoughtfully pre- of cattle in the area and moves on to an elaborate pared, and relativelyfree of typographicalerrors. The description of the distribution of native fishes and black-and-white historicalsketches add substantially 528 Reviews [Auk,Vol. 100 to the book's content, as does the selection of color of the whole Palaearctic showing the individual photographsby the author. Maps are adequate,but breedingarea of up to eight congenericspecies. These not every localityin the text appearson them. I found maps could become fertile testing grounds for the the methodof citing referencesin footnotesto be an hotly debateddispersal and vicariancehypotheses in annoying aspectof the book only becauseit is dif- evolutionary biology. ficult to find the first appearanceof an often-cited After a general introduction, the atlas follows a work. standard format: 40-150 words of text per species MountainIslands and Desert Seas should be in every (resident or migrant bird, occurrencein vegetation institutionallibrary having a selectionof natural his- formationsthroughout the area, habitat description, tory writings. The book has much to offer anyone and how it differs in these characteristics from re- with an interest in ecologyand natural history. Most lated forms); a 6 x 6 cm map of the Western Pa- important, readers will think of their own experi- laearcticwith the annual dispersionpattern (in brown, encesand observationsand searchfor explanations. orange,and blue colorfor year-round,breeding, and Studentsof birds, especiallythose with an interest nonbreeding seasonarea; hatchedblue for addition- in the U.S.-Mexico border area, will find the book al geographicspace covered during migration); and, stimulating but wish that it contained more about finally, a little sketchat the bottomof the page. All birds. I think the book is among the best of natural families, many genera, and certain species groups history aCCOUnts.--STEPHEUM. RVSSELL. receivea succinctzoogeographical interpretation that placesthe WesternPalaearctic species in a compar- ative settingincluding all Palaearctic(sometimes even An atlas of the birds of the Western Palaearctic.-- Nearctic and tropical) relatives. This instructive, Colin Harrison. 1982.Princeton, New Jersey,Prince- though at times tentative and speculative,approach ton UniversityPress. 322 pp., 810 drawings,693 maps. is accompaniedby compositemaps (in black and red) $25.00.--Very few atlas works have been published with the area overlays of between two and eight in the past 25 years. Are they outdated in today's species.The map projection used is Mercator's: be- omithology?Practically all modem field guides and ware of distancecomparisons at different latitudes! regionalhandbooks contain reasonably accurate and All in all you get much more than Voous' classic interpretable maps of all or more species.The large Atlas of EuropeanBirds in this volume. The atlas con- urban and regionalnetworks of record-keepingbird- tains 639 full speciesaccounts and additional text and watchers are aware of any out-of-the-ordinary oc- map information on another 139 so-called"extralim- currence and breeding of our North American and ital" species.Colin Harrison is the text author, Cris- European bird species.So, why a new bird atlas of pin Fisher was responsiblefor designand cartogra- the Western Palaearctic,a region that enjoys a veri- phy, and nine artists added more than 800 table library of guides to birds and their seasonal monochrome black-and-white bird sketches. Some whereabouts? of the drawings are not larger than the averagepost- Harrison provides two answers for us in his brief age stamp;they are attractiveand usefulnevertheless introduction. First, he wishes to update the infor- becausethey acquaint or remind the reader of the mation existing in the major field guides. In my generalappearance of eachspecies. Compared to most opinion this is not a valid reason, because some of zoogeographicatlas works this one is small, light, the best-sellingfield guidesof Europehave been up- and downright cheapby today'scollege book stan- dated every 5 yr or so with respectto text and map dards. information content. Secondly,Harrison is intrigued Now, moving from the format to the substance: by both the existenceof European endemicsas well The generalintroduction deals with mapping prob- as by the many specieswith wide Palaearcticand lems and with the age-old questionof drawing the Holarctic distributions. He wants to know whether boundary line for the Western Palaearctic.I was sur- there are "ecologicalcounterparts" in other parts of prised to read: "If there is any real boundary to the Eurasia, and to what extent congeneric relatives western region of the Palaearcticit has becomeap- complementeach other in their respectivedistribu- parent from these maps that for birds it would lie tions. This is a good reason, because most bird- somewhereto the eastof the center,through the re- watchers develop a similar curiosity and do not region of the Altai or Lake Baikal, Sinkiang, and the ceive any answersfrom their standardfield guides. central Himalayas." Yet, this atlas' species distri- For the seriousbird student, a better justification for bution maps show an eastern boundary line that is this atlaslies, however, in its potential as a data base placedat the 68øElongitude, between 1,500and 2,500 for historicalbiogeography. How many of us really km to the west of Harrison's "real" boundary. This know something about the Siberian and Tibetan means that the atlas places more emphasis on the speciesthat are so closelyrelated to someof our most typical Europeanspecies that breed west of 68øElon- familiar Nearctic or European woodpeckers, chicka- gitude and north of 20øNlatitude. The more easterly dees,finches, or flycatchers?This atlascontains case breeding speciesreceive only cursoryattention. study after casestudy of 13 x 6 cm compositemaps After a brief and fairly meaninglessdescription of April 1983] Reviews 529 climatic, altitudinal, and vegetation zones we come Populationecology of the Chaffinch(Fringilla coe- to the most interesting portion of the general part, lebs).--V. R. Dolnik. 1982. Proc. of the Zoological "Distribution and the Effects of Time." This is a use- Institute, Vol. 90, Leningrad,USSR. 301 pp. No price ful summaryof our currentknowledge of the effects given.--This book summarizes,in chaptersby dif- of at leastsix Pleistoceneglaciation events in Eurasia ferentauthors, the resultsof long-termstudies on the on climateand vegetation,followed by the presen- Chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs.Beginning in 1958, the tation of refuge and dispersalcenter models for the work was conductedby a successionof researchers Palaearctic avifauna. based at the biological station on the Kurische Neh- Loss of suitable habitat and extensive ice barriers rung, a sand spit on the southeastedge of the Baltic between refuge-like lowland habitats are presumed Sea. Chaffinchesbreed commonlyin the local wood- to have causedmany of the observeddisjunct area lands but, more importantly, thousandsof individ- patterns.Harrison detectsdistributions that are either uals passthrough on migration eachyear, together pair, trio, or quadruple patterns. The pair pattern is with other birds. During the course of this work, most common in the Palaearctic,followed by a trio some317,000 Chaffinches were trapped and banded, in which glacial advance appears to have created a 5,300 were retrapped locally, and 1,200 were re- western, an eastern (Manchuria), and a southern covered elsewhere. Physiologicalparameters were (Himalayas-India) population refuge. Examplesfor examined in more than 100,000 individuals, and sucha vicarlanceevent are pond herons,small spar- nearly 2,300 nestswere monitored in the local pop- rowhawks, quails, partridges,rock doves, cuckoos, ulation. The resultingbook dealswith most aspects great reed warblers, treecreepers,greenfinches, and of Chaffinch biology, including population dynam- orioles. A quadruple pattern is seenin little bitterns, ics, ecology,and behavior, but is particularlystrong shrikes, rock thrushes,and starlings;in these cases on physiologicalaspects, including energybudgets, the Chinese refuge appearsto have been split into a body composition,and fat cycles.As expectedfrom northern and southernone during an earlier cold pe- a multiauthor volume, it covers a broader field than riod. Four woodpeckergroups are used to develop one would normally expectto find in a book devoted even more complexrefuge and speciationpatterns in to a single species. Unlike the usual monograph, the topographicallydiverse Himalayanregion. however, it gives little information on geographical For the entire Palaearctic,Harrison maps out more variation, geographicalrange, and taxonomy. Nor than 20 southern and northern "potential" refuge does it quote at length from work in other regions, areasduring periods of glacialadvance. Most of these although this is referred to. The bibliography has coincidewith the refugia describedby the German eight pagesof Sovietreferences and four of Western zoogeographerDe Lattin for mammalsand butter- ones. The text of the book is in Russian, but each flies. Pollen analysisthroughout the region is strong- chapter has a full abstractin English, as do the cap- ly supportiveof the presenceof well-defined vege- tions to the many figures, tables, and photographs tation formation islands in certain southern lowland (althoughin a few casesthese capt:ons are not ade- areas of the Palaearctic; Harrison uses this evidence quate to explain the contentsof a table). The indi- to support his refuge and dispersalcenter concept. vidual contributionsfit togetherwell under the able Becausethe taxonomyof Palaearcticbirds is possibly editorshipof Victor Dolnik, well known for his re- the best known of all animals, historicalbiogeogra- searchon avian physiology. phers are advised to study the strong evidencefor The ecologyand behavior of the Chaffinchhad al- both repeated dispersaland vicarlanceevents in the ready been well studied in western Europe, and to recent geologicalpast of the Palaearctic.There are some extent the Russianwork on these aspectsdu- dozensof simpleand complexareographic patterns plicatesprevious findings, althoughin many casesit that will test the talent and experienceof profession- gives greater detail. Most of the physiologicalfind- als and amateurs alike. ings are quite new, however, at leastfor this species, The American edition of this atlas contains few and includesome new approaches.Some of the work typographicalerrors (Phylloscopus collybita is calleda has been publishedin paperspreviously, but these "Chiffchiff"), and the maps appear to be quite ac- are not readily availableto the averageWestern read- curate, at least regardingEurope, North Africa, and er. the Middle East. A distinct disadvantageis the use Perhapsthe best way to illustratethe kind of in- of British names (divers, skuas, etc.) throughout the formation given is to quote some examples, culled atlas.The bibliographyis extremelyskimpy (only 17 from the abstractsof individual chapters.Thus, as books listed on Palaearctic birds). I would also have well as a detailedreview of the diet throughthe year, liked to seea map of the globalrange of eachspecies, the study of feeding behavior includesassessment but I realize that such a feature would have required of the availability of different food items in the en- much additional space.In sum, this is a most useful vironment, of food intake, of the duration of diges- and stimulating book.--HARTMVTWALTER. tion, and of the digestiveefficiency of different foods. There are data from killed individuals showing that 530 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 the intestine mass changesduring the courseof the latter is estimated at 68-74% during the first year of day but follows different patterns at different sea- life, at 55.5% during the secondyear, and in later sons, reflectingdifferent seasonalfeeding routines, life at 48.9% in males and 51.7% in females. Sur- and that daily feeding rhythms are modified by am- prisingly, the annual mortality was higher in birds bient temperature. born in early broods and in seasonswith early re- The energycosts of variousactivities are calculated productionthan in birds born in late broodsand in in detail. The basal metabolic rate (BMR) is estimated seasonswith late reproduction.The mean density of to vary seasonallybetween 9.9 kcal per day in the the breedingpopulation was 218 pairsper km•, and molting period to 7.7 kcal in the premolfing period. the mean size of individual territories was 1,350 m s. The standard metabolic rate varies from 15.3 kcal per The activities of a pair during breeding are de- day (postmoltingperiod) to 21.1 kcal (molting peri- scribed in detail, and from this the costs of various od). The energy cost of hopping and walking is es- activities are calculated.We are told that the average timated at 1.5 timesthe BMR and of flying at 12 BMR. pair uses28% of total productiveenergy for territory Diagrams show seasonalvariation in the energy me- defense, 29% for sexual behavior, 25% for feeding tabolism of the speciesunder different temperatures nestlings, and 18% for nest building, egg formation, and photoperiods. The energy cost of nest-building and incubation. After leaving the nest, young birds activities is calculatedat 0.72 kcal per day, or 11.6 move equally in northern and southerndirections, kcal per completednest. The nest volume decreases but later they mostly move in a southern direction, during the season, however, as ambient tempera- as they begin migration. The young Chaffinch im- tures rise. The energy cost of forming each egg is prints on the area of future nesting before the be- estimatedat 3.34 kcal and the energycontent of each ginningof postfledgingmovement, aged 30-40 days. egg at 2.24 kcal. The cost of incubation is 2.6 kcal per The book ends with an assessmentof energy flow day (calculatedby Kendeigh's method). The average through the population as a whole, in the style of migratory fat deposition costs4.14 kcal per day, and IBP studies. the Chaffinch uses 0.0744 kcal of energy per kilo- From what is given in English, it is hard to assess meter of migration. The annual weight cycle of the the validity of all the findings,yet all seememinently bird has four peaks, during spring migration, molt, reasonable from comparison with work on other autumnmigration, and midwinter, respectively.The birds. It is also hard to judge from abstractswhat fat-free body weight is greatestduring breeding and new ideas the work has generated,but there is a lot molt. Diurnal, sexual,seasonal, and age-relatedvari- of new information, and the investigatorshave been ations in weight and body composition are de- thoroughand innovativein their approach.They have scribed. measuredand studied parametersthat to my knowl- The start of molt is accompaniedby increasesin edge, have not been examined previously in Europe the water contentof the body, in protein catabolism, and North America. The book is crammed with facts, and in food intake, and by decreasesin fat and pro- and few stones have been left unturned. The Chaf- tein content.The net energy costof feather formation finch must easilyrank as one of the most-studiedand is estimated at 140 kcal for completefeather replace- best-known birds in the world, and almost any or- ment (1.4 g of feathers).The total energycost of molt nithologist, whatever his field, would find some- (including the cost of extra energy lost for thermal thing to interesthim in this book.It is alsoof interest regulation) is calculatedat 240 kcal for postnuptial in giving a good example of high-quality ornitho- molt and at 147 kcal for postjuvenalmolt. logicalresearch, as practicedin the Soviet Union.-- Many details are given on migration, partly from I. NEWTON. observationsand partly from banding recoveries.On average, males arrive on the breeding areas 10 days before females and adults about 5 days before juve- Vogelwelt Schleswig-Holsteins.Band 2: Greifvo- niles. Different populations migrate different dis- gel. (The birds of Schleswig-Holstein,Vol. 2. Diurnal tances,but femalesaverage 178 km farther than males birds of prey).--Volker Looft and G•inther Busche and migrate 13 km per day faster. The birds take a (Eds.). 1981. Neumtinster, Karl Wachholtz. 199 pp., straighter, more direct route in spring than in au- numerousphotographs, figures, and tables. DM 35 tumn. Over any one area, the migration has a wave- (about $15.00).--This is a beautiful, unusual and re- like pattern, each wave lasting 1-7 days, followed markable book. Schleswig-Holstein,including the by a pause of 1•8 days before the next wave. The adjacentcity-state of Hamburg, has only a popula- energyrequired for migratoryflight in the Chaffinch tion half-again as large as Connecticut and an area is estimated at 3.8 kcal per h, and the requirement only one-fourthlarger. There is no U.S. state that for the entire migration averages123 kcal. has produceda book on its birds which begins to Reproductionand demographyare describedfrom resemblethis volume. The book is lavishly illustrat- a 20-yr study.Details of clutchsizes and nest success, ed with photographs,more than a few of them in and of adult mortality, are given year by year. The color.Most statebird booksgive considerableinfor- April 1983] Reviews 531 mation on descriptionand identificationof birds; before 1900. One pair nested in 1922-26 before the this has none. What it does have is much detailed femalewas shot on the nest. The eagles did not•eally information on the diurnal birds of prey of Schles- return in any numbersuntil World War II, with the wig-Holsteinand, exceptfor an occasionalbit, all of first known nestingin 1947and the first fledgingof the informationpresented was gathered in that state. youngin 1949.The breedingpopulation reached eight The first chapterdeals with the persecutionand pairs in the mid-1950's; there are now four pairs, protectionof diurnalraptors, beginning with a state- with an additional pair on a territory straddlingthe ment of bountiespaid in 1690,going through 10 ta- borderwith EastGermany. Production of fledglings bles which list the annual reported kill of raptors declinedfrom 0.7 per pair in 1949-53to 0.3 in 1964- from 1738through 1970, when protectionwas given 73, at first mainly becauseof egg collectors.In 1969 to all birds of prey in the state.The activitiesof egg massive,volunteer protection efforts were organized collectorsand falconers are also presented in detail. but productionof fledglingsdid not increaseuntil Illegalkill of raptorssince 1970 is documentedinsofar 1974,presumably because of the effectsof persistent as possible,including gruesome photographs of dead pesticides.Production in 1979-80was 1.0 fledglings birds, nestsand young destroyedby shooting,mu- per pair, or 1.3 if one includesthe 2 youngthat were tilatedlive birds, etc. Two figuresand onetable show addedto nests(the sourceof theseyoung is not clear- that the annualkill of smallgame by huntersgenerally ly stated).The greatestlong-term threat to this small increasedafter raptors were protected,and that there population is probably the lack of growing beech is no obviousrelationship between raptor and small foreststo replacethe few very old standsin which game populations.The developmentof raptor pro- they nest. tection is tracedto the late 19th century, and by the This minisculepopulation of the SeaEagle has been 1920'sdedicated volunteers were guardingPeregrine studiedmeticulously, providing us with at least as nestsfrom egg collectors,falconers, and sportsmen. much information as is available from all other The protectionefforts for some specieshave become sources,and a good summaryof the data is pre- extreme, with continuous surveillance from blinds, sented in this book: nest height (27 m), height of day and night, microphoneshidden at the nest,two- nearby trees, etc., territory size (100-400kin2), breed- way radios, and elaboratelyconstructed tangles of ing phenology,deliveries of nestingmaterial through barbed wire that prevent approachto the base of the season(a figure presentsthe data), changesin nestingtrees. For the Sea Eagle(Haliaeetus albicilla) activitiesof the adultsthrough the season(figure), it has been necessaryto excludeover-zealous bird- roostsites and flight routesof a breedingpair (map), watchersfrom the vicinity of the nest. The chapter clutchsize (1.7), incubationtime (38 days), etc. The endson a plaintivenote: the captureand kill of Gos- prey of breedingSea Eagles in Schleswig-Holsteinis hawks (Accipitergentilis) during the nonbreeding only37% fish, 3% mammals,and 60% birds, of which seasonwas legalizedin 1980and 121birds were re- more than half are Coot (Fulica atra). ported killed (the 1980 breeding populationwas es- There is a specialparagraph containing findings timated to be 400 pairs). that conflictwith other publishedaccounts. Careful Thereis a shortchapter on pesticideswith detailed examinationof the plumage and molt of breeding information on the biocide levels in the raptors of Sea Eaglesrevealed three individuals that bred in Schleswig-Holstein. their third year, one of them successfully;other lit- The remainder of the book containsspecies ac- eraturesources state that breedingdoes not begin counts;I have chosenthe Sea Eagle for comment. until 5 or 6 years of age. Systematiccollection of More than 11pages are devoted to this species.There moltedflight feathersrevealed that there is consid- are 14 photographs,5 of them in color;6 show the erable individual variation in the amount of white habitat of the species,including 2 aerialphotos and in the rectricesindependent of agevariation: there 3 picturesthat includethe nest, 1 of theseincludes are dark-tailed as well as white-tailed adult eagles. the barbedwire-tangle at the baseof the nesttree; 2 The chapterson the remainingspecies are similar show dead eagles,1 poisonedby bait set for crows to the accountof the SeaEagle: an unusualmixture and 1 mutilatedby a trap setfor foxes;1 is a dramatic of detailedscientific data gathered in Schleswig-Hol- flash-photo of a youthful would-be egg collector stein and information, and a plea, for protectionof "caught" on the nest at midnight; 1 photo shows the species.The productionof the book was subsi- rectricesof individual eaglesfrom several consecu- dized by the governmentsof Schleswig-Holstein, tive molts;there are only3 picturesof live eaglesand Hamburg, a numberof localgovernments, and sev- one of these is to show a bird with a permanently eral private firms. The book's attractiveformat and missing primary. low priceshould bring its conservationmessage into SeaEagles were onceabundant in Schleswig-Hol- many homesin northernGermany. The book con- stein; an averageof 40 bountiesper year was paid tains sufficientlyunique informationthat it belongs between 1738 and 1848. Little information is avail- on the shelfof anyonewith a seriousinterest in Euro- able for the latter half of the 19th century, but it ap- pean birds of prey.--HELMUTC. MUELr•R. pearsthat SeaEagles ceased to breed in the statewell 532 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100

The Barn Owl.--D. S. Bunn, A. B. Warburton, and dents(e.g. 1973.Amer. Natur. 107:775; 1979. J. Comp. R. D. S. Wilson. 1982. Vermillion, South Dakota, Bu- Physiol. 133: 1). Konishi'sfirst paper in this seriesis teo Books.246 pp., 31 black-and-white photographs, citedlater, however,under food consumption(p. 100). 39 tables, 11 figures,three appendices.$32.50.--The This chapter ends with a short discourseon flight Barn Owl (Tyro alba) occupiesmore spacein the or- mechanics from the authors' observations. nithologicalliterature than most owls, and a mono- Voice is coveredin Chapter 2. By the authors' ad- graph on the speciesis welcome. Bunn, Warburton, mission,verbal descriptionsdo not give a very good and Wilson write enthusiasticallyfrom a combined idea of the actualcharacter of the calls.I agree. The total of 38 yr of experience(19 calendaryears). All of vocalizations are difficult to describe. Seventeen their work, primarily observationsof behavior, was acousticsignals are identified (15 vocaland two non- done in Britain, and the best parts of the book are vocal) and the contextand possiblefunction of each those that describe these studies. Outside of Britain is given. I could not recognizefrom their list of de- they rely on the literature, and there are some sig- scriptionsa call commonlyheard in North America. nificant omissions. This could be due to the difficulty in translatingthe Chapter I contains a grab-bag of topics. The dis- call or it could indicate that some calls may not occur cussion of Barn Owl taxonomy includes widely ac- in all races.Sonograms, such as those that appearin cepted schemesas well as one consideringtytonids the paper on Barn Owl vocalizationby Btihler and to be nocturnal falcons. Left out was Cracraft's (1981. Epple (1980. J. Ornith. 121: 36), would have been Auk 98: 681) classification,which, in fairness, ap- helpful here. peared in print only 1 yr before this book. A com- Chapter 3 deals with several behaviorismsand is prehensivephysical description of T. a. alba, the pri- based almost entirely on the authors' interesting an- mary subject of this monograph, occupies 41/2 ecdotalinformation. Here they attemptto conveythe somewhat rambling pages. Lessercoverage is given "personality" of the species. Roosting, reaction to to T. a. guttata, which occursaccidentally in Britain. danger, territoriality, time and methodsof hunting, Thirty-three other subspeciesare given scant cov- hunting efficiency,killing and eating of prey, reac- erage,although the authorscorrectly state that many tion to other species,and maintenancebehavior are of the races have received little attention from orni- the major topicsconsidered. Reproductive behavior thologists.Two new subspeciesproposed by Parkes has a later chapter of its own. and Phillips (1978.Ann. CarnegieMus. 47: 479) are We are told of the relativeinactivity of BarnOwls• not included. those that were observedin winter spent most of the Under geographicdistribution, the authors'state- night perched motionlesswith occasionalbouts of ment that Barn Owls are basicallysedentary and ad- preening and stretchingand foraysafter food. How- verse to crossinglarge expansesof water is out of ever, no quantitative data (time budgets)are given characterwith the widespread distribution of Barn to allow us to judge activity levelsfor ourselves.The Owls; included in the Barn Owl's range are islands authors over-generalize by stating that predators 960 km from the mainland. Later, the authors pro- spendlittle time in finding food. Certainly, there is pose that most island Barn Owls were endemic be- a broad range of variation even within one species fore the islandsthat they inhabit separatedfrom the under different conditions and prey densities. mainland.This ignoressuch evidence as the volcanic The topic of territorialityin BarnOwls has not been origin of the GalapagosIslands and the endemic race resolvedby previousworkers. Indications from many of Barn Owls that existsthere. Brief synopsesof other areas of its distribution hint that the species is not speciesin the family Tytonidae and of fossil Tyto end stronglyterritorial or at leastthat territoriesare not this section. occupiedand defendedin the way they are for many Next, we are given the Barn Owl's major special- otherraptors. Unfortunately, the observationsin this izations for a nocturnal predatory existence.Low- book do little to elucidate this topic. A short section light vision is discussedbut Dice's (1945.Amer. Nat- tells of territory defensebut, overall, evidence was ur. 79: 385) pioneeringwork is not cited. Nearly three not convincingthat territoriesare defendedon a con- pagesare devotedto the anatomyand physiologyof sistent and sustainedbasis. For example, in Fig. 4 the eye but no referencesare given, even though it (p. 62) "territories" of severalowls are plotted that, was previouslystated by the authorsthat they were in some cases,have considerableoverlap. Incidental- relying on the work of others. Anecdotal evidence ly, the Barn Owls whose territories are shown are from their own research is then presented to illus- called"forest" owls. I found this misleadingbecause trate someweaknesses in Barn Owl vision. They are the owls hunted pasturesand areasof very small, particularlyinterested in showingthat BarnOwls do newly planted treesand did not use areaswith large, not perceive large unmoving objects,including hu- dense trees. Thus, even though I suspectthat the mans, at night. term "forest" owls was used only to identify the pop- Several pages are devoted to Payne's important ulation, the implications are inaccurate. studieson auditorylocalization in BarnOwls but no Evidenceis given for owls remainingon the same mention is made of the numerous and more recent territoriesor leaving and reappearingat certain times paperson the samesubject by Konishi and his stu- of the year. Yet, nowherein the book did I find an April1983] Reviews 533 indication that the owls studied were marked for in- avoid the wornout "good guy/badguy" labels once dividual identification. Instead, coloration, behav- applied to birds of prey. While statingthat some of ior, and/or size characteristics of the owls were used. the prey specieseaten by BarnOwls areserious pests Although this technique has some validity, much to humans, they also note that predator-prey rela- greater confidencewould be possible with individ- tionships are two-way. Each side exerts selective ually color-markedbirds. pressureon the other, and Barn Owl populationsare Barn Owls are known to be almoststrictly noctur- probablyregulated by the availableprey more than nal throughouttheir range.The authorsmention this prey populationsare by the owls. but usemost of their spaceunder "Time of hunting" to Reproductionhas Chapter 5 to itself, apparently discussdiurnal hunting. Again, I found their use of becausethis is the authors'area of greatestinterest. a term misleading;inspection of the data in Table 1 They emphasizethe difficultiesin studying a noc- indicatesthat much of this activity would be more turnal species,but it is evident that their persistence correctlylabeled crepuscular.Furthermore, we are has paid off. A summaryof the flexibility of time of not given information on cloud cover, which would breedingby BarnOwls beginsthe chapter(although affectlight levelsand might maskthe time of sunset. the informationis from only three subspecies).The Severaltheories are presentedto explain why these fact that fully 14 weeksis requiredfrom egg laying owls were active in daylight. Apparently no infor- to independenceof the youngis an importantfactor. mation was availableto the authorson prey densi- Courtshipbehavior is describedin the following61/2 ties, but the possibilitythat scarceprey might have pages;for the most part, the descriptionsare instruc- increasedthe daily foragingtime wasnot considered tive. It was not clearto me, though, how they dis- as an alternative. tinguished between territorial chasesand vocaliza- Their accessto a population of Barn Owls which tions versuscourtship chases and calls.I thoughtthat huntedin daylightdid give the authorsan unusually a full page on wing-clapping was excessive,espe- good opportunity to observehunting methods.The cially becausethey consideredit to be a minor court- techniquemost frequently observed was long, slow ship behavior. flights over open areas. Less often, owls were seen Another area of flexibility by breedingBarn Owls to useperches as vantage points within prey habitat. is in choosingnest sites.A comprehensivereview of Occasionally,the owls flushedroosting birds from nest types used in Britain is given, but only a few bushesby beating against the busheswith their notesare includedon subspeciesfrom two otherparts wings. Efficiencyof hunting was noted chiefly by of the world. recordingthe number of prey broughtto young in Little is made of the variability of dutch size, al- nests;most of the owls they observedwere very ef- thoughTable 14 shows a rangefrom 2 to 9 eggs/clutch ficient. For example,one male, feeding young, cap- in Britain. The only possiblereasons listed for this tured nine prey in 55 min. variationare ageof the femaleand latitude;both are Food is the subjectof Chapter4. Factorsaffecting dismissed. Brood size and fledging successare also pellet formation are coveredfirst but no mention is given little coverage.Data from Britain are used to given of the extensivestudies by Duke and his stu- showthat largerclutches seldom fledge all the young. dents on this process(for example, 1976. Comp. Blo- No reasonsare proposed,however, for the failure of chem. Physiol. 53A: 1; 1976. Am. J. Physiol. 231: someeggs in a clutchto hatch.Prey supplyis linked 1824;1977. Comp. Blochem.Physiol. 56A: 283.). A to fledgingsuccess but this argumentis not devel- representativeselection of studiesfrom throughout opedextensively. On the otherhand, 171/2pages are the world is cited to support the conclusionthat Barn devoted to the owlets' development and behavior Owls haveno prey preferencesas such; they prey on from hatchingto independence.This extensivesec- any animal smallenough to be caughtin open areas. tion reflectsthe authors' long, careful observations The authorsdo emphasizethe dietary dominanceof made at nests. microfine rodentswherever they occur with Barn One surprising behavior found on two occasions Owls. They cite otherpapers to showthe opportun- was that of older youngfeeding their siblings.This ism of Barn Owl hunting and the paucity of inver- corroboratesEpple's (1979. J. Ornith. 120: 226) ob- tebrate prey in diets. servations(although his paperwas not cited). Severalpages are devoted to a good coverageof I questiontheir interpretationof onebehavior pat- experimentsand factorsaffecting food consumption. tern in the young--that of scratchingat the nestlin- Bunn et al. statethat T. a. alba consumes100--150 g ing. Bunn et al. decidedthat this may serveas prac- daily. This is basedon tenuousdata, but it leads to tice for later nest site preparation as adults. I believe the conclusion that T. a. alba consumes about the it morelikely that it servesas nestsanitation. I have sameamount of foodper day that hasbeen estimated seen it and evidenceof it at many sitesboth in cliff for T. a. pratincola,a race averagingalmost twice as crevicesand nest boxes.The young faceaway from heavy. It seemsthat more work is needed in this the openingand scratchvigorously. Much debris is area. removedin this way. This chapterends with a statementon the useful- Another difference that I noted was in the behav- nessof the feedingof Barn Owls. Thankfully, they ior of adultstoward young that fall out of the nest. 534 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100

Bunn et al. statethat theseyoung are ignoredby the pesticidesare not very informative, and no real con- adults and starve, but I have seen severalexamples clusions can be drawn about the effects of these on of fallen young being fed by their parents. These Barn Owl populations. differencescould easily be related to the particular It is interesting(and perhapsdisheartening) to see nest situation or to individual differences in adults. that many of the samepeople-problems exist in Brit- Convincingevidence of siblingsbeing killed and ain that occur in the United States: vandalism, lack eaten in some broods that the authors had under of enforcementand punishment for wildlife offenses, study is given in a discussionof cannibalism.How- and death of owls through collisionswith automo- ever, they indicated that relationshipsamong sib- biles. Habitat and nest site lossesare also probably lings are generallypeaceful. Food shortage is the fac- major reasonsfor declinesin Barn Owl numbers in tor implicated in cannibalism,but the authors are both areas. careful to suggestseveral alternatives that also may Three means of protecting and conservingBarn explain the disappearanceof young from nests. Owls in Britain are presentednext. The first is legal Barn Owls differ from most raptors in that multiple protection,which was thought by the authorsto be broodsare not uncommon. The authorspropose that largely ineffectual.Second was the use of nest boxes the male's responseswhether or not he provides to supplement scarcenest sites. This technique has enough food for the female•is the key to a second been tried in various parts of Britain and was given brood being produced. generallyfavorable review. Successfuluses of nest Movements are the topic of Chapter 6. Data from boxes for Barn Owls in other countries were not doc- banded owls in Britain and the Netherlands are used umented (Berndt and Frantzen 1971. Die Voglewelt to documentpost-fledging dispersal. Movements in 92: 112; Marti et at. 1979. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 7: 145.). all compassdirections were found, but major topo- The last techniquepresented was captive breeding graphicfeatures tended to channelmost birds in cer- and releaseof young owls to increaseor re-establish tain directions. In some years more and longer breeding populations. They felt that this was also movementswere possiblycaused by decreasingprey successful,based on reappearanceof nesting pairs supplies.Owls banded as adultstended to move very in an area in which young were released. Presum- little from the point of banding and no definite mi- ably, thesenew breederswere someof the birds re- gratory movementswere found in European Barn leased, although evidence was not given to docu- Owls. ment this. The chapter closeswith a 1-page review Several widely divergent factors that may control of Barn Owl mortality outsideBritain. Barn Owl populationsare discussedin Chapter 7: Chapter8 consistsof a detailed(34 pages)account enemies (predators, competitors, and parasites), of Barn Owl distribution and status in the British pesticides,loss of habitat, shooting,and collisions. Isles. The authors believe that human agricultural First,though, they discuss the high mortalityof newly changesin the country over the last 2,000 yr created independentyoung, especiallyin their first winter. moreBarn Owl habitatthan when heavyforests were While notingthat the lowerfat reservesof BarnOwls widespread. Declines in the last 100 yr, however, make them more vulnerable to adverse winter con- may be due to a variety of the newer human changes ditions, they saythat extremecold in itselfdoes not coveredin Chapter 7. This chapterwill probably be appearto causemortality. That conclusionmay be of greatestinterest to British residents,as it contains altered by the finding by Johnson(1974. The bio- little of relevanceto other geographicareas. energeticsof the BarnOwl, Tytoalba. Unpublished The final chapter covers folklore associated with M.S. thesis,Calif. StateUniv., Long Beach)that Barn Barn Owls. Despite the quantity of interesting in- Owls have less efficient insulation than some other formation, I felt that this material was out of place owls. in an otherwise scientific volume. Winter mortalityof BarnOwls hassometimes been The first of the three appendicescontains a list of significantin northernEurope, and literatureon this scientificnames used in the text. The secondis a day- is reviewed in detail in this section. A different by-day accountof the growth and development of form of weather-inducedmortality is documented Barn Owls from day 1 to 105. It is largely nonquan- here, too. One breedingseason in Britain, which be- titative, however. The final appendix contains sug- gan as the most successfulon record, completely gestionsfor observingwild Barn Owls. turned around when an extended drought in late I thoroughlyenjoyed reading this book, largely be- summergreatly reduced rodent numbers and caused causeof the depth of experiencethat the authorshave high mortality in Barn Owls. with this bird. The writing styleis lively and punc- Predationupon Barn Owls in Britain is covered, tuated with interesting observations. There are, althoughit is not thoughtto be particularlyimpor- however, somelapses into anthropomorphism.I no- tant. Competitionis not addressedexcept that from ticed only one typographicaland one grammatical Tawny Owls (Strixaluco) for nestsites. The extensive error (i.e. data is, p. 73). The lack of quantification recent literature on resource and interference com- in severalplaces was disturbing. For example, the petition is not referenced.Sections on shootingand reader is not told how many nestswere observed, April 1983] Reviews 535 how many hours were spent observing, and how rapid rate, in part becauseof ongoingefforts in the many individualswere observedfor many of the be- United Statesand Canada to maximize crop produc- havioral interpretations. I dislike the term "predat- tion and accommodatethe resultantsurpluses through ing" to describea predator killing its prey. Would expansionof foreign markets. The descriptionand not "depredating"or "preyed upon" be better?I also interpretation of waterfowl behavior have been ma- dislike the terms "hen" and "cock" instead of female jor subjectsfor investigationin recenttimes. Brood and male. There was some inconsistencyin citing behavior, pair formation, social behavior, and par- references.Most were done in standardscientific style asitism are among the behavioral topics covered in but there were lapses. For example, The Atlas of the readings.The sectionends with three papersre- Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland is cited in text flectingthe variedresponses of waterfowlto drought but not listed in the bibliography. conditionson their breeding grounds. I would recommendthis book for all collegeand Section III, "Population influences and character- university libraries and for the personalcollections istics," contains34 papersthat discussthe following of all who are interested in raptors. While not the topics: effectsof hunting on waterfowl, population last word on the Barn Owl, it is a stimulatingbook.- ecology, sex ratios, diseaseand environmental con- CARL D. MARTI. taminants, and physiology and energetics.Much of the effortto manageNorth Americanwaterfowl pop- Waterfowl ecology and management:Selected ulations stems from the widespread support for readings.--J. T. Ratti, L. D. Flake, and W. A. Wentz maintaining populationsat levels capableof sustain- (Compilers).1982. Bethesda, Maryland, The Wildlife ing sport hunting. In this setting, considerableem- Society,Inc. 1,328 pp. Paperbound.$20.00.--This phasishas been placedon identifying and measur- book is a compilation of papers from the extensive ing the effectsof hunting and otherfactors on selected and varied published literature on the ecologyand populations.These subjects are discussed in the sub- managementof waterfowl.The 125technical papers sectionson hunting and populationecology. The three reprinted in this book are arrangedin eight major papersthat follow deal with factorsinfluencing wa- sectionsand are from 21 journals, government re- terfowl sex ratios. Industrialization and clean farm- ports, several books, and proceedingsof symposia ing have caused extensive destruction and degra- and annual conferences.The most frequent sources dation of the weftand habitats that support North of papersare TheJournal of WildlifeManagement, The American waterfowl populations. Among the im- Auk, TransactionsNorth AmericanWildlife and Natural pactshave been the growing susceptibilityof ducks, ResourcesConference, and Wildfowl. These readings geese,and swansto diseasebrought on by crowding span the period from 1937through 1981.A majority and accumulation of toxic substances in the food of the technicalpapers was publishedduring the six- chain. Eleven papers considerthe impact of disease, ties and seventies, reflecting the expansion of wa- parasites, and toxic substances in the environment terfowl researchduring that period. The front cover on waterfowl. With expandedresearch has come a and the introductorypage of eachsection are illus- better understandingof intrinsic factors that limit trated with black-and-white drawings of North waterfowl populations.Breeding stress and the con- Americanwaterfowl by D. R. Barrick. tribution of nutrient reservesto reproduction are In section I, the reader gains an historical per- discussedunder the subsectionon physiologyand spectiveof someof the motivatingfactors responsi- energetics.Insight into the effectof numerousvari- ble for the development of waterfowl researchand ables on waterfowl energeticsand the energy re- managementprograms in North America.Section II, quirements for growth is provided in separate pa- "Reproductivebiology," contains38 paperscovering pers. generalbiology, land use and habitat, broods,be- Food habits and feeding ecologystudies are the havior, and drought.Under generalbiology, the pri- subjectof 10 papersin sectionIV. Recognitionof the mary emphasisis on factorsregulating nesting ac- importance of nutrition to successfulreproduction tivity, nestsuccess, and broodsurvival. Most papers and other stagesof the life cyclesof waterfowl and in the subsection on land use and habitat address the need for more detailed information on how best dabblingduck productionin the prairie potholere- to manage waterfowl habitats led to extensive region of midcontinentNorth America.Certain papers searchon feedingecology during the sixtiesand sev- that discuss effects of predator control and devel- enties. Severalpapers describe the feeding ecology opment of nestingislands on waterfowlproduction of breedingwaterfowl. Other subjectsdiscussed in- seembetter suited to sectionV, on managementand clude feeding behavior, ducklingfood habits, and economics.The readingsunder land useand habitat aquatic plant-invertebrateassociations. indicate that, whereas some new habitat has been As knowledgeof the requirementsof waterfowl on created for waterfowl in the northern great plains as the breeding grounds has increased, so have man- a result of variousdevelopments, many specieshave agement options. Section V, on management and been adverselyaffected by the growingintensifica- economics, considers several measures that can be tion of agriculture.Habitat continuesto be lost at a taken to increasewaterfowl production. Marsh man- 536 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 agementis consideredfirst. Threepapers in this sub- Ornithologistswill find this bookmost useful as a sectiondiscuss ways of manipulating marshhabitats generalreference on the scopeand direction of wa- to improve their value to waterfowl. The limited terfowl research in North America. A book of se- treatmentof this subject,although very useful, re- lectedreadings, however, has limitations.It will not flectsthe paucityof availableinformation on this im- fulfill the needs of specialistsseeking an in-depth portant facet of waterfowl management.A subsec- review of information in a particular field. Important tion on upland cover management and predator papersare omitted becauseof length and other con- control would have been appropriateat this point in siderations.Beyond the constraintthat the book is a the book. Severalpapers describe the releaseof hand- collection of existing published material is the re- reared birds to restore waterfowl populations that striction of selectionsprimarily to North American have been depleteddespite the availability of breed- populations of ducks, geese, and swans. ing habitat. Artificial nesting structureshave proven Despite these limitations, the book fulfills the to be successfulas a meansof increasingproduction compilers' primary objectives.It is well-suited for in some specieswhere suitable nesting habitat has introducingstudents to waterfowlecology and man- been a primary limiting factor.Five papersdiscuss agement and as a professionalreference book. The the use of varioustypes of artificialnesting structures information coveredby these readingsprovides an to increasewaterfowl production.The limited scope excellentoverview useful to anyone seekinga work- of the literature on managementsuggests that much ing knowledge of the technicalliterature on North remains to be learned concerningthe potential for American waterfowl.---GARY L. K•PU. increasingwaterfowl productionon lands managed specificallyfor that purpose. Economic considerations are now, and will contin- Gulls. A guideto identification.•P.J. Grant. 1982. ue to be, a dominantfactor influencing the well-being Vermillion, South Dakota and Calton, Staffordshire, of North American waterfowl populations. Water- England; Buteo Books, T. & A.D. Poyser Ltd. 280 fowl generate certain important economicbenefits, pp., 54 figures, 376 black-and-white photographs. primarily recreational,but also through subsistence $32.50.--This book grew out of a five-paper series hunting in some areas. Conversely, some private on gull identificationin the westernPalearctic pub- landownershave sufferedmonetary lossesbecause lished in BritishBirds between 1978and 1981. To pro- of waterfowl depredationto unharvestedcrops. Both duce this book the text has been lightly edited, an subjectsare addressedin separatepapers. The most introduction has been added, and many new pho- serious long-term economic problem facing water- tographsincluded. This may be the most complete fowl is loss of habitat to alternateuses. This subject referenceavailable for identification of gulls in Eu- is not adequatelyaddressed in the book, probably rope, and it is relevantto birdersin North America becauseof the lack of pertinent literature. Innovative as well. Of the 23 speciescovered, 16 also occur in measuresare needed that will assureadequate com- North America, and only 9 of the 25 speciesincluded pensation to private landowners for maintaining in the 34th Supplementto the AOU Checklistare not wetlands and suitable nesting habitat, or the long- treated. term capacityof severalspecies of waterfowlto sus- The body of the text is divided into five sections, tain recreationalbenefits comparable to that of recent ostensiblycovering groups of similar specieswhere times will be diminished markedly. direct comparisonsare useful. Actually, two of the Waterfowl are highly mobile yet possessa well- groups contain heterogeneouscollections of le• developed homing instinct. The seven papers pre- overs, and are holdovers from the decision to cover sentedon movementsand migration, the subjectof four to five speciesat a time in BritishBirds. Glaucous section VI, provide insight into these important and Iceland gulls belong together,but no rational characteristics that contribute much to man's wide- basisis apparentfor includingthem (group five) with spreadinterest in waterfowl. Homing, mobility of Larus hemprichiiand L. leucophthalmus.Group four breeding pairs and migrants, molt migration, migra- (Little, Ross's,Sabine's, and Ivory gulls; and Kitti- tion corridors,and migrationreversal are amongthe wake) is also an assemblage of miscellaneous le• subjectsdiscussed. The next section(VII) considers overs. wintering waterfowl (six papers).This aspectof wa- The book is saddled with obsoleteand inappro- terfowl researchhas grown markedlyin recenttimes, priate British terminologyfor age, plumages,molts, with many of the findings yet to be published.Fac- and topography.The first plumageof contourfeath- tors influencingwinter distribution, stress,and con- ers is calledjuvenile rather than juvenal, and is fol- dition arethe primarysubjects discussed in this sec- lowedby "rst-winter," "rst-summer" (whyis a bird tion. Nine papers on evolution, hybridization, and in its secondsummer of life in "first-summer" plum- speciation(section VIII) concludethe selectedread- age?), "second-winter," and so on. Molts are des- ings.Additional references of pertinentliterature are ignated "post-juvenile," "spring," and "autumn." presentedat the end of each subsection.A selected Plumagesand molts of gulls fit very well into the list of books on waterfowl ecologyand management Humphrey-Parkessystem, which preventsa number is also provided at the end of the book. of the standardabsurdities (e.g. "autumn moult" of April 1983] Reviews 537 the Ivory Gull beginsin May, "summerplumage" of For most speciesthe ageingsections are accurate L. cirrocephalusmay be attained at almostany time and adequate.A warning is in order, however, for of the year). Primaries are numbered ascendently, North Americanusers of the book: the plumagese- which hardly is sensiblein a groupwith invariably quencesfollowed by Europeanand North American descendentmolt. The plumage characternamed racesof somegulls may differ. In Alaska, many if "carpalbar" (sometimes"carpal-bar") occurs not on not most Black-leggedKittiwakes in secondalternate the manusas might be expected,but rather on the ("econd-summer") plumage are quite distinguish- upper secondarycoverts. "Cubital bar" is more ap- able from the definitive alternate, but Grant indicates propriate.The primary covertsare identified as such, that theseplumages are rarely separablein Europe. but the secondarycoverts are called by more gen- The detaileddescriptions also seem to be generally eral terms like "lesser coverts," "greater coverts," accurate.Once again, however, North American ob- and "lesser underwing coverts." I do not relish servers should be alert to differences between Eu- the prospect of trying to communicate with bird- ropean and American populationsof gulls. The ju- ers using this book as their guide to gull topog- venal tails and underparts of Mew Gulls (L. canus raphy: "a white tip on the third primary," "a second brachyrhynchus)differ enough from those of the summerHerring Gull," and "brown greatercoverts" Common Gull (L. c. canus)to causeproblems. This will be ambiguous. may be particularly true in northeastern North Most of the speciesare treated with accountsthat America, where both races have occurred. In North includeworld range maps, drawings illustrating sev- America,Herring Gullsin first basicplumage often eral plumages,usually in flight, and sectionslabeled have much whiter heads than Grant illustrates for "Identification,""Ageing Summary," and "Detailed Europeanbirds. The IcelandGulls wintering in tem- Descriptions." The identification sections discuss perate North America (the race kumlieni)differ sub- size, shape, and diagnosticcharacters for various stantiallyfrom Grant'sdescriptions of glaucoides,the plumages of each species,and some contain com- race occurringin Europe. mentson range,seasonality, and abundanceas well. Grant'sdrawings illustrate gull plumagesquite ac- The ageing summariesprovide charactersto distin- curately,and are a real assetto the book. Shapesof guish eachrecognized plumage from otherplumages the birds are occasionallyincorrect (e.g. wings seem exhibited by the species. In the "detailed descrip- too narrow, especiallyproximally, on the Glaucous tions" sectionsthe prominentfeatures of eachplum- Gulls--Fig. 47) but still they are much better than age are describedand a brief statementis given on the standardfield-guide representations.The draw- the timing of molts. Thesedescriptions in no way ings are, however, poorly reproduced.Particularly replace those in Dwight's (1925) classicwork (that on the lower and fight-hand sides of some figures was not intended). Less precise color terminology is the printing is so light that gapsappear in the birds' used, and the descriptions are weighted toward outlinesand somestippling is lost. The samefigures plumagefeatures useful in field identification. were reproducedmore clearlyin the BritishBirds ar- The speciesaccounts generally are quite adequate, ticles. although some omissionsand inaccuraciesare ap- The sectionof photographsis one of the major parent. The range maps tend to misrepresentthe strongpoints of thebook. Most photographs are good, North American (at least) breeding ranges. For ex- and someare superb,but a few havebeen enlarged ample,Ring-billed Gulls breed on LakesZAe, Mich- to the point of fuzziness.They demonstratethat color igan, and Superior,and alsomuch farther south and is quite unnecessaryin illustratinggulls for identi- west in the Pacific Northwest than indicated; Her- fication. I did not detect any misidentificationsof ring and GreatBlack-backed gulls breed farther south gulls,but I do disagreewith the ageassignments of on the Atlantic coast.Obviously this volume should a few of the gulls illustrated.The L. ichthyaetusin not be used as a sourceof informationon breeding photo 248 appearsto have replacedits juvenal wing- ranges. coverts, and thus would be older than the immatures In the identificationsections the appropriatespecies in photos 246 and 247. The Herring Gull in photo comparisonsgenerally are made, but a few omis- 181 possibly is in second-summer(second alternate) sions come to mind. In the photographsa resem- plumageas stated,but it is not typicalof that plum- blanceof certainsubadult plumages of L. hemprichii age. Too much dark pigment remains on the bill, and and L. leucophthalmusto some plumages of the the mantle is too mottled. LaughingGull is apparent;this comparisonis not I was disappointedby the choiceof paper and the mentioned. The possibility of confusionbetween quality of the binding. Field guidesshould be sturdy second-yearRing-billed Gulls and L. adouiniialso may and shouldbe printed on paper more water-resistant deserve mention. The comments on Kumlein's and than this. The coverof my copy is rather looselyat- Thayer'sgulls (neither is known to occurin Europe) tachedand the signaturesappear to be sewn loosely. are not very useful, nor even very accurate.In the The price of $32.50 seemsexcessive, especially con- discussionof geographicalvariation in HerringGulls, sidering these inadequaciesof construction,but the separation of immature L. a. atlantis and L. a. anyonewishing to understandthe plumagesof gulls michahellisfrom L. fuscusmay need more attention. will find the book usefuL--WAYNE HOFFMAN. 538 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100

Perspectiveson evolution.--RogerMilkman (Ed.). as blending vs. particulateinheritance, adaptive vs. 1981. Sunderland, Massachusetts,Sinauer Associates neutralenzyme polymorphisms, microevolution vs. Inc. 241 pp. $27.50 (Paper $14.95).--Evolutionary macroevolution,and alternativemodes of speciation. theory trembles like an expectant volcano. Once R. K. Selanderhighlights the extraordinaryim- Mendelian genetics, Neodarwinian theory, Ernst pacts of moleculargenetics on the quest for mean- Mayr's synthesisof museumsystematics and Dro- ingful phylogenies.From relationshipsamong major sophilagenetics, and GeorgeWilliams' reassurances taxa of bacteriato the agesof the great apes, molec- of the power of individual selectionall prevailed ular geneticswill provideparamount tools of the fu- comfortablyin our minds. The internal consistencies ture; little of the potential has yet penetratedorni- of the logic and the evidenceobscured occasional thologicalsystematics. exceptionsand minority viewpoints. Debates about S. J. Gould reviews the conceptsand corollariesof the evolution of altruism, the neutrality of muta- "punctuated equilibria." He clarifies ambiguities, tions,and the possibilityof macroevolutionaryevents accommodates well-taken criticisms, and reviews in- havebeen only minor perturbationsof a tranquilstate teresting developments,all with soaring academic of academicunanimity. perspective,flowing prose,and a gracethat should A revitalization of evolutionarybiology may now humble the tactless cladists about us. be upon us. As G. Ledyard Stebbinsconcludes in G. Bush reiterateshis iconoclasticviews of the spe- the opening essay of this stimulating collection, ciation process, appeals (again) for open-minded "evolutionists find themselves in one of the most considerationof alternativemodels, and exploresthe excitingfields of expandingknowledge." Largely re- implicationsof regulatorygene actionto speciation sponsibleis the recentemergence of the "new ge- via chromosomalrearrangements. netics." Our ability to decodecomplete nucleotide This book will be an enjoyablefocus for lunch dis- sequencesand to unravel regulatorypathways be- cussions.It shouldbe required readingfor graduate tween codon and character has now reduced Men- studentspreparing for their comprehensiveexams, delian, particulategenetics to an elementaryintro- and also should be mandatorytherapy for all orni- duction to the intrincate realities of modern molecular thologistsover 40 who professto be evolutionary genetics.Evolutionary histories and phylogenetic re- biologists.--FP,_•cB. G•LL. lationships can be deciphered biochemicallywith extraordinarypower--pehaps even with accuracy.We Managementof migratoryshore and upland game now can review criticallythe speciationprocess, the birds in North America.•len C. Sanderson (Ed.). accuracyof archaicmeasures of biochemicalsimilar- 1977.Washington, D.C., InternationalAssociation of ity, and the primaryfeatures of the evolutionarypro- Fish and Wildlife Agencies.358 pp., numerousmaps, cess. Even Lamarck's and Goldschmidt's theories no drawings, and photographs.$1.00 (out of print; re- longermeet immediate derision. Darwin didn't know printed 1980. Lincoln, Nebraska, University of Ne- about particulateinheritance, Lamarck didn't know braskaPress, Paper. $10.95).--The title of this book about retroviruses, and Goldschmidt didn't know is misleading, as it deals with researchneeds of a about regulationof gene activity. So it is time to put groupof importantgame or formergame birds rather asidemany of thosedusty old biasesfrom graduate than their management.Basically this book is the school and to look at evolution afresh. result of the first 7 yr of the AcceleratedResearch This volume offersa painless,indeed stimulating, Program (ARP) on migratory birds other than wa- refresher course for those of us who have not kept terfowl, perhapsbetter known as "weblessmigratory pace with a sprinting new field. For graduate stu- gamebirds" to gamemanagers. Waterfowl have al- dents closerto the new moleculargenetics, Perspec- ways receivedthe bulk of researchand management tives on evolutionprovides an authoritative review money in state game agenciesas well as U.S. Fish as well as provocativeperspectives of excitingpossi- and Wildlife Servicebudgets, in spite of more hunt- bilities just aroundthe comer. ers hunting and harvesting more "webless game- Each of the 11 chaptersis authored by a different birds (doves) than waterfowl hunters do waterfowl. authority: Stebbins, Templeton, Selander, Ayala, The ARP is an attempt to correctthis imbalance. Gould, Milkman, Bush, Plapp, Crawford et al., and This book contains11 chapters,with nine chapters Campbell;as editor, Milkman has assembleda for- coveringsingle species such as sandhill crane, wood- midable packageof essays.Several authors address cock,or mourning dove, while other chaptersdeal the need for understanding evolution in new terms with severalspecies such as rails and gallinules or of hierarchical structure of life; almost all touch on shorebirds. The book opens with an introduction the recentdevelopments of moleculargenetics. I found settingthe scopeof the publication.The final chapter four chaptersof greatestinterest. summarizesthe findings of the 10 chaptersdealing From his towering, senior perspective,G. L. Steb- with the species,their research,management, and bins offersfour model themesto encompassthe cen- funding suggestionneeds. tral featuresof evolutionarybiology with the flexi- Fifty-eightauthors assisted with writing the var- bility required to permit substantial biological ious chapterswith 2 to 12 individuals assistingon variationsand to reconcilepolarized debates, such each chapter. In addition, various managersand re- April 1983] Reviews 539 searchers across the United States and Canada con- SpecialPubl. No. 1.21 pp., 75 maps,15 figures. Price tributed data and commentsregarding status, har- not given.--This, the first in a seriesof SpecialPub- vest, hunting pressure, and needs. As with most lications from the International Waterfowl Research publicationswritten by committees,the treatmentis Bureau,would be more appropriatelyentitled "Dis- somewhat uneven and may reflect uneven writing tribution of recoveriesof ducksand geesebanded in skills of contributorsor, in somecases, a simple lack the Netherlands." The goal of the authorsis to fill of information on a given species. gaps in knowledgeof Europeanwaterfowl flyways, Each chapter starts out with a summary of the with emphasison two gooseand five commonduck chapter and then includes a description of each species.For reasonsnot stated, the work deals only species(including a list of recognizedsubspecies), with waterfowlringed in the Netherlands(with the life history,historical review, distributionand den- exceptionof onemap of EuropeanGreen-winged Teal sity (by populationsor subspeciesif known), census ringed in five regions).To typify the locationsof proceduresand populationtrends, harvest,hunting populationsduring the annualcycle the authorshave pressure,potential harvest, needs (species,public, provided recoverymaps for four times of the year: management,and research),and a sectionof rec- nesting (May and June), autumn migration (Septem- ommendations.Not all chapterscontain information ber), wintering (January), and spring migration on eachof thesesubject headings, as for many of the (March and April). All but three of the 16 analyses speciesthis information is lacking. One can question are based on birds shot and recovered. In addition why a description of the speciesis included when to the four recovery maps, each recovery analysis the audience for this publication would be other also includesa map that plots the monthly median managersand researchersworking with thesegroups. position of recoveriesand a least squaresstraight The inclusionof nongamespecies such as Blackand line fitted to the data. A figurealso depicts distance Yellow rails or shorebirds other than Woodcock and away from the yearlymedian position for eachmonth snipe is a pleasantsurprise, since they are not game of recovery. speciesalthough some were formerly hunted. Sev- On first examiningthe book one noticesan ap- eral tropical Columbidaespecies (Scaly-naped Pi- parent incongruencebetween the long history of geon, Columbasquamosa; Zennida Dove, Zenaidaau- bandingrecords and the smallnumber of ringedbirds rita; White-crowned Pigeon, Columbaleucocephala) recovered.Surely one must question the value of a were omittedeven though they areclassified as game- map depictingSeptember recoveries of Green-winged birds and hunted in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Teal from 1911to 1977when five recoveriescomprise Rico with seasonsand bag limits regulated by the the entire sample.Unfortunately, many of the anal- Departmentof Interior. Two nongamespecies of the ysessuffer from suchsmall sample sizes (the average southern United States (Ground Dove, Colubinapas- for all maps is about 100, and 15 maps are based on serina, and Inca Dove, Scandefellainca) were also fewer than 25 recoveries)and potentiallymisleading omitted. historical biases (9 of the 16 data sets include recov- The contributorsalso did an excellentjob indicat- eries from 1911-1977).Whereas the problem of sam- ing the managementand researchneeds of the species ple sizesfor recoverydata can often be temperedby covered. The major problems and constant needs providing the reader with data on the total number mentionedfor everyspecies are the lackof continen- of bandedbirds, the authorsprovide us with no such tal population trends data, a method to determine perspectivein the present work. Moreover, one can hunting effort, and annual harveston a continental only wonderhow the many socioeconomicchanges level. The authorssuggest funding for theseand oth- in Europesince 1911 have changedthe forcesaffect- er needs through a migratory gamebird stamp sim- ing recoveriesand the chaosresulting from pooling ilar to the current"duck stamp." data for this entire time frame. The budgetrequirements for a 10-yrmanagement The mapson which recoveriesare plottedare com- plan for each speciesor group of speciesare includ- puter-printed facsimiliesbased on a dot matrix, and ed. These figures suffer from inflation, as the bud- lack the detail present on line drawings. Although gets are basedupon mid-1970 dollars.Some budget computer reproductionsare necessarywhen provid- projectionsmay be unrealisticdue to duplicationof ing large amounts of recovery data, fewer than a efforts for habitat acquisition or developmentand half-dozen different line drawing maps of various implantation of population censusand harvest sur- projectionsand scalescould have provided welcome veys. detail to these recoveryrecords. The layout and illustrationsaccompanying each As a method to representmigration routes, a least chapteradd to the appearanceand make this book squaresstraight line sacrificesdetail for generality. an excellent choice for those working on such During the month of April, for example, most wa- species.--ROnERTA. MONTGOMERY. terfowl recoveries occurred well to the southeast of the migration line, suggestinga potentially impor- Someresults of waterfowlringing in Europe.--A. tant staging movement. One cannot help but imag- C. Perdeck and C. Clason. 1980. Slimbridge, En- ine this point as an outlier in the data when viewed gland. The InternationalWaterfowl Research Bureau, in a least squarescontext. 540 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100

The authors note that further statistical treatments near Port Said, and Lake Bumllus (about 462 km •) in of ringing data are in preparation.Perhaps these lat- the Nile Delta. Other large wetlands include Wadi er books will delve into the types of analysesfor Natrun and Lake Qarun (about 200 km2), both in the which the rich banding data of Europewould be so desertwest of Cairo, the Bay of Suez, and of course aptly suited:detailed studies of migrationroutes and the Nile Valley, which possessesthe huge,man-made habitats,historical changes in migrationpattems, and Lake Nasser (over 5,200 km'2). Of these, Lakes Bu- determinationsof survivalrates using the lateststa- rullus, E1Malaha, Manzala, and Qarun appearto be tisticalmethodology. In the meantime, thosepersons the most significantfor watering waterbirds,accord- interestedin an extremelygeneral overview of Eu- ing to the data reported in this publication. Lake ropeanwaterfowl recovery records may find this work Nasserseems to have very few wintering waterbirds. of interest, but should beware of its limitations. Mu- All these wetlands were visited in the winters of seum and community libraries should hold out for 1978/79 and 1979/80by two "Netherlands Ornitho- lessbiased and more completeworks. There appar- logical Expeditionsto Egypt" sponsoredby the In- ently remainmany gapsyet to fill in our knowledge ternationalWaterfowl Research Bureau (I.W.R.B.), the of Europeanwaterfowl flyways.--JAMES •(. RINGEL- Holy Land ConservationFund, and other agencies MAN. in Europe and the United States. Substantial help was given by Egyptianauthorities. Peter Meininger The significanceof Egyptianwetlands for winter- and Wim Mulli•, who took part in both expeditions, ing waterbirds.--PeterL. Meininger and Wim C. supplementedtheir data with notes from the other Mulli•. 1981.New York, The Holy Land Conserva- observersin their party as well as other ornitholo- tion Fund. 111 pp., 1 Appendix (I-XII). $20.00. gists who visited Egyptianwetlands independently. (Available from the Holy Land ConservationFund, They wrote a very interestingaccount of their census 150 E. 58th Street, New York, New York 10155.).-- results,but their book alsoincludes fascinating in- Egyptianwetlands are of considerableimportance for formationon the huntingand trappingof waterbirds wintering waterbirds (grebes,ducks, coots, waders, in Egypt, an excellentchapter by Bertel Bruun on gulls, terns,and otherwaterbirds), as the following nature conservationin Egypt, and, in an appendix, three quotationswill make clear:(1) "The number of the list of all speciesof birds recordedfrom Egypt winteringwaterfowl in Egyptis estimatedat 500,000- (with their English, Latin, and Arabic names and, in 650,000, which makes this country one of the most abbreviated form, some information on their status), important wintering areasfor waterfowl in the Black as well as an Arabic summary.The text is illustrated SeodEastemMediterranean region" (p. 77); (2) "... with a number of photographsof birds and wet- the estimatednumber of 80,000-130,000wintering lands, of modem and ancientbird market and trap- wadersin Egypt makesthis counh-yone of the most ping scenes,with maps of the wetland areasvisited important wintering areasfor waders in the Medi- by the authors,and with attractiveline drawingsof terranean region" (p. 78); (3) "The total numbers [of a numberof birds by the Egyptianartist Sherif Baha WhiskeredTerns Chlidonias hybrida] counted in Egypt el Din. The line drawing on the covers is due to in the winters 1978/79 and 1979/80 were 24,500 and Arthur Singer. 25,000respectively"; "A recentestimate of the breed- A series of tables gives the countsof waterbirds ing population of the speciesin Europe is of 18,000 for each area and Tables 28-33 summarize the au- pairs (Mees,1979). The Nile Delta is probablyone of thors'maximum countsand provide comparativedata the most important (if not the most important) win- from other parts of the Palearcticand the Mediter- tering areasof the breedingpopulations of the Whis- ranean that clearlydemonstrate the great significance keredTern of Europeand westernAsia" (p. 75). of Egyptianwetlands for wintering birds in the Mid- Suchlarge numbers may comeas a surpriseto or- dle East. A few figures extractedfrom this documen- nithologistswho think of the Middle Eastas a dry tation will give someideas of the numbers involved. or arid area where small numbers of landbirds, not For instance,about 35,000Wigeon (Anaspenelope), waterbirds, are expected. But as the authors of this 53,000 Shoveler (Anas clypeata), and about 17,000 little book explain, "About one million hectaresof WhiskeredTerns (Chlidonia hybrida) were counted on natural or semi-natural wetlands still remain in the Lake Burullus in 1979/80. There were about 230 Slen- Mediterraneanregion (UNESCO, 1979),of which at der~billedGulls (Larus genei) on LakeManzala in 1978/ least 280,000 hectares of coastal wetlands in lower 79, over 1,200 on Lake Qarun the same winter, while Egypt and Sinai only (this study). This meansthat Lake Malaha had about 5,400 in the winter 1979/80. over 25% of all Mediterranean wetlands are situated More than6,400 Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) were alongthe Mediterraneancoast of Egypt, which is a counted on Lake Malaha in 1979/80. About 10,000 clear indication for Egypt's (and the world's!) re- Black-neckedGrebes (Podicepsnigricollis) •,•re cen- sponsibility for the conservationof these wetlands" sused on Lake Qarun in each winter. (p. 15). Trapping and hunting of wintering waterfowl in The mainEgyptian wetlands are Lakes Maryut (less Egypt takes place on a large scaletoday, as it un- than 61 km2) and Idku (about 71 kme) near Alexan- doubtedly has for millenia. On page 80 of this book dria, LakesManzala (about 1,200km 2) and E1Malaha are reproducedtwo scenesof waterfowl and duck April1983] Reviews 541 netting, onefrom the 12thdynasty (about 1250 B.C.) tion. Despite elaborategroundrules for both classi- and the otherfrom the 6th dynasty(about 2250 B.C.). fications, inconsistencies exist in both cases. For ex- Accordingto Table35, largenumbers of somespecies ample, although the conventional definition of are sold on bird marketstoday, especiallyTeal (Anas wetlands as described in the Ramsar Convention is crecca),Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus),Purple Galli- generallyadhered to, other sitessuch as offshoreis- nule (Porphyrioporphyrio), Coot (Fulicaatra), Avocet lands and woodlands important for nesting herons (Recurvirostraavosetta), Kentish Plover (Charadrius are also included in the inventory. Waterfowl are alexandrinus),Dunlin (Calidn'salpina), and Little Stint consideredin the broadestcontext as "birds ecolog- (Calidrisminuta). Aside from Lake Qarun, where Ital- icallydependent on wetlands,"yet true seabirdshave ian huntersslaughter all birds that canbe shot, hunt- been ignored in the survey. Such minor inconsis- ing and trapping elsewhereseems to be carried out tencies are excusable and understandable, however, by Egyptian fishermen."When we comparethe an- for an endeavor that addresses the habitat use of 125 nual market sales (œE60,000-100,000) for waterbirds speciesin 18 families in the western Palearctic. in the Lake Manzala region with the salesfrom lake Valuable information is found not only in the in- fisheries(œE 25,000,000 annually) we see that this is ventory itself, but alsoin speciesaccounts preceding only 0.24-0.4 % of the salesfrom the lake fisheries. the inventory. These accountsdescribe species pop- So the contributionof bird hunting activitieson the ulation sizesand movementsat severaltimes during regionaleconomy is negligible"(p. 97). This hunting the annual cycle. The sites selectedfor inclusion in pressure is neverthelessintense and constitutesa the inventory are based on numerical criteria of wa- threatto the statusof the winteringwaterbird fauna. terfowl use. In general, a site is listed if it: (1) reg- This pressure,combined with the factthat wetlands ularly supports1% of the biogeographicalor flyway arediminishing in areaand suitabilitybecause of de- population (nonbreedingperiods) or breeding pairs velopmentand reclamation,makes it urgent to con- (breedingperiod) of a species;(2) regularlysupports sider seriously measuresto protect this resource. either 10,000ducks, geese,or swans, or 10,000coots, BertelBruun reviewswhat is being done to preserve or 20,000 waders; or (3) supports an appreciable nature in Egypt (Chapter 6) and concludes:"At the number of endangeredspecies of animalsthat have present time it appearsthat wildlife conservationin populationsfewer than 10,000birds or 2,500 breed- Egyptis off to a promisingstart although much, in- ing pairs. A listing of 544 sites is presentedin the deed most, work remains to be done. It is hoped that inventory, eachlisting describingthe location, size, the presentvolume will further stimulatethis devel- protectionstatus, major habitat types present, and opment" (p. 106). I believe that it will. speciesand numbers of breeding, migratory, and This book is a very good contribution to our wintering waterfowl. knowledgeof Middle Easternornithology and to our Although admittedlyincomplete, this work never- understandingof the economicaspects of bird hunt- theless provides valuable material and a framework ing in Egypt. Authors, sponsors,and publishersare onto which can be added supplemental inventory all to be congratulatedfor a fine piece of work.-- data. Collegeand museumlibraries will find in this FRANCOISVUILLEUMIER. book good reference materials on European and northwest African wetlands, and it is a must for all professionaland seriousamateurs interested in west A preliminary inventory of wetlands of interna- Palearctic waterfowl.--JAmœSK. RINGELMAN. tional importancefor waterfowl in west Europeand northwest Africa.--D. A. Scott. 1980. Slimbridge, England, The InternationalWaterfowl ResearchBu- Oiseaux de la R(•union.--Nicolas Barr• and Ar- reau. SpecialPubl. No. 2. 127 pp. Price not given.- mand Barau. 1982.St. Denis, Imprimerie Arts Graph- Extensivecooperation and coordinationamong gov- iques Modernes,6-8 rue Monthyon. 196 pp. About ernment agencies,professional ornithologists, and $10.00. (Can be obtained from the authors, Bois amateur birders is evident in this secondpublication Rouge, Cambuston, R•union).--In his preface to from the International Waterfowl Research Bureau "Oiseaux de la R•union," Christian Jouanin wrote: (IWRB). In preparingthis referencework, the author "The avifauna of R•union is one of the most famous made great stridestoward the laudablegoal of pro- examplesof havocplayed in an insular fauna by the viding Europeangovernments and regionaland local arrival of man and his suite of commensaland para- authorities with an inventory of wetlands valuable sitic mammals."And on the last page of their book to waterfowl. Many of the data were derived from the authors reproducedthe drawing of three dodos IWRB countsthroughout Europe, supplemented with from Mauritius sketchedby "Camille, six yearsold," extantregional wetlands inventories and published adding: "Ridiculous silhouettes,these Mauritius do- literature. The survey is broad in scope, including dos, symbolsof a cohortof ghosts,now inhabit only 15 countriesin western Europe and seven in north- the dreamsof children.If only we couldprevent what west Africa. breathes,unique in the world and todayin our hands, Preciselywhat should be considereda wetland or from increasingthe sad sagaof the dead. Will we be waterfowl is the topic of a rather complexfirst sec- able to bequeathbetter things than shadows,myths 542 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 and dreams? The nature of Bourbon is still so beau- numberof avian groupspresent on R•union in the tiful, but so fragile." Between these opening and seventeenth century have disappeared completely concludingstatements, this wonderfullittle book of- since. The most original of these extinct taxa was, of fers a lot of information on the ecology of R•union course,the Solitaire o•'R•union, Rapbus solitarius (S•- Island and on its past and presentavifaunas before lys-Longchamps),known only "by picturesand ac- describingits birds in field-guide fashion. countsof travelersof that time" (Greenway,Extinct The islands of R•union (formerly called Masca- and vanishingbirds of the World, Dover, secondre- renne and Bourbon), Mauritius (Maurice, formerly vised edition, 1967). Dubois's accountof the solitaire Ile de France), and Rodriguez (Rodrigues)make up is brief: "Solitaires, these birds are so named be- the MascareneArchipelago, so named becausethe causethey are always alone, they are as large as a Portuguesetraveler Dom Pedro de Mascarenhasis large gooseand have black plumageat the wing and supposedto have been the first to visit the islands. tail tips. On their tail are featherssimilar to those of Located about 660 km east of Madagascar, R•union the Ostrich, they have a long neckand the beak like is an extremelymountainous and spectacularlybeau- that of woodcocksbut bigger, the leg and foot like tiful volcanicisland measuring about 70 x 50 km and hens from India. This bird is caught on the run for slightlyover 2,500km 2 (roughlycomparable to Trin- it flies but very little, it is one of the best gamesof idad or the Cape Verde Islands). High altitudes (the the Island." highestsummit is over 3,000 m), steepand dissected The first residents settled on R•union in 1663; there topography,and variable exposure to dominantwinds were 309 inhabitants in 1689, over 8,000 in 1735, all contribute to differences in rainfall and conse- 35,000in 1777,and 67,000in 1800.This period in the quently help producedifferent altitudinal zonations ornithological history of the island is described on of the vegetationon the western and easternsides pp. 4049. In 1863"Maillard proposes a list [of species] of the island.Six colorphotographs illustrate the main already very close to the one that could be estab- vegetation types. lished at present." The last two species to become In a section entitled "Des Oiseaux et des hommes," extinct, the parrot Mascarinusmascarinus (extinct in Barr• and Baraupresent what can be inferred about the secondhalf of the 18th century) and the Mascar- the avifauna of R•union in the seventeenthand eigh- ene Starlingor Huppe de Bourbon,Fregilupus varius teenth centurieson the basis of reports from travel- (extinctbetween about 1838and 1858),are illustrated ers. All thesetexts agree that birds were very diverse, on color plates opposite pp. 32 and 33. extremelyabundant, and unbelievablytame. For in- In a chaptercalled "L'avifaune actuelle,"Barr• and stance, Dubois wrote in 1672: "This whole island is Baraudescribe the origin and the compositionof the filled with an infinity of game of which I describea modern avifauna. They clearlyshow the importance part. The birds of many speciesare present in great of cyclonesin the dispersalof birds to R•union and numbersand are so tame that they can be caughtby discussthe processesof successfulcolonization and hand. One thus needs neither gun, powder or lead insular evolution. Table I (pp. 56-57) gives the list when hunting. Occasionallyone uses a small stick of native breeding specieson R•union and shows with which one massacresas many birds as one their status elsewhere or their nearest relative. Mi- wishes." Dubois (spelled Du Bois by Berlioz in his grantsare enumeratedon pp. 61-62 and the cohort Oiseaux de la R•union, Librairie Larose, Paris, 1946) of introduced speciespp. 62-64. Barr• and Barau are visited R•union in about 1670. According to Berlioz, prudent in their assessmentof the role introduced who publisheda completetranscription of Dubois's specieshave played on the native ones, but in this "Descriptionde quelquesoiseaux de l'Ile Bourbon," sectionand elsewherein the book (e.g.p. 77) they Duboiswas the only truly reliableauthor from whose do suggeststricter regulation of introductionof ex- writings "one couldreconstitute somewhat the orig- otic species,and even the destructionof Pycnonotus inal fauna of R•union." Barr• and Barau reproduced jocosus"even if this is a very beautifulbird." By the Dubois's text and part of Berlioz's careful ornitho- authors'accounting, today's avifauna of R•union Is- logicalinterpretations of the birds describedby Du- land includes21 native species,13 regular migrants, bois. This is very fortunatebecause Berioz's impor- at least 13 occasional visitors, and 16 introduced tant study on the birds of R•union is not easy to species(63 species,37 of which breed). obtain and to consult. (Incidentally, Milon's article A very usefulchapter offers a thoroughdiscussion in La Terre et la Vie, 1951, 98: 129-177, on the pres- of various factors, especially human (or factors in- ent-dayfauna and Berlioz's monograph were the only directly related to human activities), that influence papersdealing with the avifaunaof R•union as a the survivalof bird populations.The authorssuggest whole prior to the publicationof this book.) a number of ways to permit the presentavifauna to Dubois wrote about flamingoes,geese, ducks, a maintain itself in the future: setting up severalre- bittern, a moorhen or coot, white and grey egrets, serves, limiting reforestationto certain appropriate the solitaire, a large blue rallid, severalpigeons and areas,restricting hunting, and educatingthe general doves, severalparrots, birds of prey, and many more public about the island'snatural treasures. They also species.Of all thesebirds only a smallnumber could suggestthat the introductionto R•union of species be identified by Berlioz, but it is clear that a large threatened on the other Mascareneislands might be April1983] Reviews 543 beneficialin the long term (for instance,Foudia rubra devastatingchanges that have befallenthe avifaunas from Mauritius). The pros and cons of such intro- of Hawaii and Tahiti. The sole modern extinctions ductionsmust be carefullystudied and weighedbe- of native specieson Fiji and the neighboringarchi- fore they are attempted,and the authorsmay be a pelagoesof Tonga and Samoawere of two rails plus little lesscritical here than they shouldbe. local populationsof two wide-ranging species.In- The rest of the book (pp. 79-182)is a field guide troducedspecies are absentfrom matureforest, which to the birds of R•union. The text (identification, be- they dominatein Hawaii. Finally, many of the most havior, status, and distribution) is illustrated with elementarythings aboutFijian birds remain unstud- color plates and numerous black-and-white draw- ied. ings. All theseillustrations are due to the talent of The seriousexploration of Fiji's birds beganin 1838 Nicolas BarrY. I found some of the birds in his color with the U.S. ExploringExpedition. Fijian ornithol- platesa little stiff (unfortunatelysome plates are not ogy went througha colorfulphase in the 1870's,when as well reproducedas they shouldbe, for example E. P. Ramsaydiscomfited his rivalsand won priority PlateVII), but the drawingsare lovely.They showa racesby describingnew speciesin the daily Sydney varietyof birds in smallvignettes that add muchlife Morning Herald, anticipatingmolecular biologists of to the whole book. the 1960's who announced new DNA codohs in In order to encouragethe residentreader to go in newspaperinterviews. The Whitney Expeditioncol- the field the authorshave appended a few blank pages lected on every important island of the region and for "notes" and have even begun these notes with discoveredtwo new species.This largely completed sketchesand observationsof a species new to the the phase of discoveringwhat birds occuron what island's list and not discussed in the text because it islands. was recordedafter the book was completed.The book The avifauna that was thus discovered derives ends with a bibliography(many of thesedocuments partly from New Guinea, partly from Australia.En- are available in the library of the Natural History demicgenera consist of the extremelydistinct Tooth- Museum in St. Denis), and indexes to French, Cre- billed Pigeon (Didunculusstrigirostris) and a myste- ole, and Latin names of birds. rious passefinevariously comparedto birds of par- Carefullyresearched and produced,pleasantly il- adise and monarchflycatchers (Lamprolia victoriae), lustrated, and easy to read or consult,this pocket- plus the marginally recognizableparrot generaPhi- sized book will be very useful to all ornithologists gys and Prosopeiaand meliphagid genusFoulehaio. interested in the birds of the Indian Ocean islands In addition, there are about 33 endemic speciesor and to thoseworking on insularavifaunas generally allospeciesbelonging to generawith extralimitalrep- becauseit givesa concisesummary of pastand pres- resentatives. ent birds on R•union. I think that "Oiseaux de la The available earlier books treating this avifauna R•union" shouldbe mandatoryreading for all school are Mayr's Birdsof the SouthwestPacific (1945, New childrenof R•union taking courseson the geography York, Macmillan), covering the whole region from of their magnificent island.--FRAu•o•s VV•LLEU- Micronesia and the Solomons to Samoa; duPont's MIER. SouthPacific Birds (1976, Greenville, Delaware Mu- seum of Natural History), covetingthe region from Fiji eastthrough Polynesiato Pitcairn;and Mercer's Birds of Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.--Dick Watling. booklet A Field Guideto Fiji Birds(1966, Suva, Gov- 1982.Wellington, New Zealand, Millwood Press.176 ernmentPress). In 1967Dick Watling arrived in Fiji, pp., 15 colorplates and numerousblack-and-white and 15 yr later the result was the presentbook. It drawingsby Chlo• Talbot-Kelly,numerous maps and coversthe birds of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and adjacent coloredand blacksand-whitephotographs. $39.95.-- small islands(Niue, Rotuma,Wallis, and Hoorn). This For ornithologistsseeking an easily accessible,ex- regionis entirelyincluded in, but muchsmaller than, quisitelybeautiful site with an interestingbut little- the coverageof Mayr's and duPont'sbooks. studied avifauna, Fiji is a good choice.There are The book begins with introductorychapters de- daily directflights from the U.S. westcoast. The lan- scribingthe ornithologicalexploration of the region, guage is English, the people friendly, the scenery the origin and habitat preferencesof the avifauna, lovely, the road network good, and tourist facilities the patternsof ecologicalsegregation between closely well-developed.Bird diversityis low enoughto pose related species,breeding cyclepatterns, bird con- few identificationproblems, yet high enoughto il- servation,and the region'sgeography (illustrated by lustratenumerous biological phenomena. The largest irresistiblecolor photographs). Next comegood color island,Viti Levu, has only about40 extantbreeding plates,by Chlot•Talbot-Kelly, depicting all but four native land bird species,of which one can easily see of the region'sbird species. the great majority in a week without prior experi- The heart of the book consists of accounts of all ence. This small avifauna still exhibits mixed-species 128 recordedspecies, including seabirds,migrants, foragingflocks, as well as numerouspairs of con- and introducedspecies as well as native residentland generssegregating in interestingways. The avifauna and fresh-waterspecies. The native Fijian, Tongan, is still largely intact and native, in contrastto the and Samoannames of most speciesare provided (but 544 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 beware:these names vary geographicallyin Fiji, and flycatcherMyiagra azureocapilla is confined to mature most residentstoday have poor knowledgeof birds foreston the three largestFijian islands,while M. and their names). Description of plumage is kept vanikorensisoccurs in almostany habitat on at least brief, as the platessuffice and the avifauna presents 62 Fijian islandsof all sizes,also occurs 1,100 km to few problemsof identificationanyway. Rangesare the west on Vanikoro, and belongsto a wide-ranging described generally in broad terms rather than is- superspeciesdistributed from Micronesiaand the land-by-island, and are illustratedby helpful range Moluccasto Samoa.The endemicpigeon Ducula lat- maps within the Fijian archipelagoor unhelpful, rans occursin forest on mainly the larger Fijian is- coarse-scaledmaps for the whole region. Subspecies lands. Its congenerD. pacificaranges from the New and their rangesare briefly mentioned, but distin- Guinearegion to Samoa,occurs in Fiji mainlyin scrub guishingcharacteristics are given only if visible in and beachforest on small islandslacking D. latrans, the field. Finally, available informationabout vocal- and regularlywanders between islands, but occupies izations, diet, flight, reproduction,habitat prefer- inland forest of the largest Samoan islands in the ence,foraging techniques, and other habits in life is absenceof D. latrans. A similar pattern (mentioning summarized.This informationis fullestfor Fiji, where the more recent invader first in each case) is observed Watling was based,and is scantyfor Samoa,reflect- for the pigeonsPtilinopus porphyraceus and P. per- ing our limited knowledge of Samoanbirds in life. ousii,the trillers Lalagemaculosa and L. sharpei,the An appendix provides an ornithological bibliog- white-eyesZosterops lateralis and Z. explorator,and raphy of the region. the estrildid finches Erythruracyaneovirens and E. Much of the information about life habits is based kleinschmidti.Of the other three cases,the pigeons on Watling's original observations.Thus, this book Ptilinopusperousii and P. [luteovirens]fit the same is not only a summaryof an avifaunabut alsoa cap- pattern distributionallybut not in habitat prefer- sule summaryof years of field research.Among the ence; the flycatchersClytorhynchus vitiensis and C. many habits describedfor the first time are the duet nigrogularisfit exceptthat it is unclearwhich taxon of the warblerVitia ruficapilla, the foragingtechnique is the older invader; and the habitat differences be- of the flycatchergenus Clytorhynchus,the nests of tween the widespreadflycatcher Mayrornis [lessoni] numerousspecies, and behavioraldifferences among and its endemic congenerM. versicolorare un- the region's speciesof Ptilinopusfruit-doves. Most known. Watling's observationssuggest that invad- speciesof the regionoccupy a wide rangeof habitats ing speciesof broadhabitat tolerance gradually con- and altitudes. In some cases, comparison of these centrateon the region'smain habitat type (forest), ecologicalranges with those occupiedby the same experienceselection against overwater colonizing speciesin the ornithologicallymuch richerarchipela- ability, and consequentlybecome restricted to the goes to the west reveals dramatic niche expansions. largerislands as they evolveand differentiate. For instance,the ReefHeron Egrettasacra is so named Watling points out that there is not a single na- becausethroughout most of its range it is confined tional park in the region, and that one goal of his to the sea coast,leaving fresh-water habitats to nu- book is to stimulate interest of local people in their merous other heron species.In Fiji, Tonga, and Sa- own birds. Here I fear that he may not achievehis moa, where the sole other heron, Butorides striatus, aim, although I would be delighted to be proved is confinedto five Fijian islands,Egretta sacra occurs wrong. The book'sperspective is basicallythat of not onlyon reefsbut alsoinland, even on smallforest someoneoperating within the westernnaturalist tra- streams. dition and equippedwith binoculars.My guess,from Watling's chapter on ecologicalsegregation be- experienceof Pacificislanders, is that Fijians, Ton- tween related speciesis relevant to the current con- gans,and Samoanswill find this perspectiveunnat- troversyover taxon cycles,a conceptwhose appli- ural, and that a completelydifferent book would be cability to the West Indian avifauna has been needed to enlist them. It would be a book deempha- supported by Ricklefs and Cox (1972, Amer. Natur. sizing what interestswestern naturalists,and em- 106: 195; 1978, Amer. Natur. 112: 875) and contested phasizinginstead the role of eachspecies in tradi- by Pregill and Olson (1981,Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 12: tional lore and its gestalt,as perceivedby an observer 75). In the Fiji-Tonga-Samoaregion the facts are without binoculars. clearerand simpler than in the West Indies. The re- For westernnaturalists like myselfand most read- gion has nine pairs of congeneric,sympatric, simi- ers of this journal, how doesthis book comparewith lar-sized species.Each consists of a distinctendemic those by Mayr, dupont, and Mercer?Mercer omits speciesor allospecies(presumably the older invad- Tongaand Samoa;dupont includes many archipel- er), plus a little-differentiated representativeof a agoesbesides Fiji, Tonga,and Samoa,and Mayr even species or superspeciesthat occurs extralimitally more. Mayr and Mercer illustratefew species.Du- (presumably the more recent invader). In seven of Pont and Watling both have goodand virtually com- the nine casesthe older speciesis confinedto forest plete colorplates; those in Watling'sbook are gen- on the larger islands, while the younger speciesoc- erallyto a largerscale, and I foundtheir proportions cursboth inside and outsideforest on many islands, and posturesmore realistic.Watling has by far the largeand small.For instance,the distinctiveendemic most information on life habits, Mercer much less, April 1983] Reviews 545

Mayr a few well chosensentences, and dupont one veal that the autumn migrantsfly high so as to spot or sometimestwo sentences.For the taxonomist,only islands from afar and avoid missing the target? dupont provides distinguishing characteristicsand Watling mentions mixed flocks of at least four small literature citations for every subspecies,and for the insectivorous passerines (Pachycephalapectoralis, biogeographeronly dupont explicitlylists all islands Myiagra azureocapilla,Mayrornis lessoni, and Eryth- of occurrencewithin the region. For anyone inter- rura kleinschmidti).The small size of the Fijian avi- estedin habits or else in visiting the region to ob- fauna makesFiji a favorableplace to study the or- serve,Watling's is obviouslythe book of choice.It ganizationand selectiveadvantages of mixed flocks. is not a pocket-sizedfield guide (actual size ca. 12 Sixteenspecies of wintering wadershave been re- x81/2 inches), but one is unnecessaryon these is- cordedin the region, but all observershave neglect- lands with small avifaunasand few problemsof field ed them in favor of the native species.To what extent identification. is Fiji a terminusrather than a way-stationfor these Watling's book will serve as a startingpoint for waders? further studiesof innumerableinteresting questions. Nothing has been published on avian paleontol- Fiji and its neighborsare a regionwhere significant ogy of Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.The first Polynesian contributionsto ornithology can still be made in a colonists exterminated dozens of species on New short visit. Here are examplesof such questions: Zealand, the Chathams, and (S. L. Olson and H. F. What is the function of the Tooth-billed Pigeon's James.1982. Science 217: 633) Hawaii, including New extraordinarybill? Zealand'sflightless moas and Hawaii'sflightless geese What are the habits and affinities of the Silktail and ibises. What will paleontologistsfind on other Lamproliavictoriae, rightfully describedby Mayr as Pacificislands? Especially suspicious is the absence "one of the most puzzling birds of the world"? of extantspecies restricted to Fiji's low-rainfallzone, We know nothing whatsoeverabout the habits of whose original forest would have been easily de- the endemicsZosterops samoensis and Mayrornisver- stroyedby burning.--JAl•i• DIAMOND. sicolor,and almostnothing aboutKadavu's endemics Rhipidurapersonata and Xanthotis(= Foulehaio)pro- vocator.How do Mayrornis lessoniand M. versicolor Telemetric studies of vertebrates.--C. L. Cheese- segregateon the smallisland of OngeaLevu, to which man and R. B. Mitson (Eds.). 1982. Symposiaof the the latter speciesis confined? ZoologicalSociety of London No. 49. London, Aca- The interrelationsof the sympatricPtilinopus fruit- demic Press.352 pp., 104 black-and-whitefigures, doves(P. perousii,P. porphyraceus,P. [luteovirens]) 33 tables.$54.00.--This volume followsby only 2 yr are complexly rewarding for study. P. perousiiis a the publication of proceedingsof a similar though gregariousand aggressivecanopy feeder, while the larger symposium (Amlaner and MacDonald, Hand- other two are solitary subcanopyfeeders. Do these book on biotelemetryand radio tracking,New York, speciesdiffer in fruit preferred?Sexual dichroma- PergamonPress, 1980), indicating the popularity of tism in the allospeciesP. luteovirensand P. victoris radiotelemetry and radiolocation as research tools. extreme for a pigeon: male bright yellow or orange, With these and the recent review by Cochran (in female green. Does this suggestthat males of these Wildlife managementtechniques manual, The Wild- species,exceptionally among pigeons, are polygy- life Society,1980), the reader should have available nous and do not help at the nest (W. Beckon 1982, up-to-date, handy information on this field. The Notornis 29: 1)? Cheeseman and Mitson book has full literature ci- The Golden Whistler Pachycephalapectoralis has tations, is somewhatbetter reproducedthan the ear- been known to exhibit marked inter-island morpho- lier proceedingsvolume, and is aboutthe sameprice/ logical variation in the Fiji region (E. Mayr 1932, page. Amer. Mus. Novit. 531; I. C. J. Galbraith 1956, Bull. The first five chapterscover design of equipment Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) 4: 131). Watling now reports for radio tracking and radiolocation studies; a chap- pronouncedgeographic variation in song. Are these ter by Skiffins details United Kingdom regulations two types of variation correlated,and do songsbe- concerningradio transmitters.There follow chapters tray the postulatedhybrid origin of someof the Fi- on fish (2), birds (4), bats (1), small mammals (4), jian populations? and larger mammalian carnivores(5). Many readers The principal wintering range of the New Zealand interestedin ornithologywill turn to volumes such cuckooEudynamis taitensis includes Fiji, Tonga, and as this for examplesof how to squeezeas much bi- Samoa. The migrants cross4,000 km of the open Pa- ologicallymeaningful data as possible from these cific to hit small islands, where overshootingmeans time-consumingelectronic aids. Suchreaders should deathin the endlessocean beyond. Young of the year not overlook the chapterson mammals; the ratio of set out from New Zealand separatedfrom the adults. behavioral and ecological insight to species- and This fascinatingmigration has been studied at the habitat-specificdescription is often higher in the New Zealand end, but never at the tropical Pacific chapterson mammals.Sequestered in an article on end. Will banding reveal that individuals return to gray squirrels(Kenward) are summariesof effectsof the same wintering grounds?Will radio-tracking re- radio tags upon their bearers, discussionof fermi- 546 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100 nology,and adviceabout acquiring the necessaryfield few decades.Preceding publications of Taiwan birds skills to make use of the techniques. ("... the lack have been done by Japanese(Hachisuka and Uda- of suchskills can easily result in few usefuldata being gawa, Journalof the Taiwan Museum, 1950and 1951), collectedduring the first year of a project.") Also and by Americanswith Chineseassistance ("A guide amongthe paperson mammals,one finds an instruc- to the birds of Taiwan,"Kang and Alexander,1970; tive contrastbetween data on plentiful local animals "A new guideto the birds of Taiwan," Severinghaus in urban and suburban human-dominated habitats and Blackshaw, 1976). and animals in less disturbed, more complete eco- Common names of birds are given in Chinese, systemssuch as African grasslandsand woodland. Japanese,and English. The text is principally in Both groupsof papersillustrate how quantitativeap- Chinese,with a sentenceor two in Englishimme- proachesto collectionand analysisof radiotracking diately following each description.For someoneun- data have developed,but the studiesin more natural ableto readChinese, the Englishportion of the text habitatsallow much broaderbiological insight. is plainly inadequate.Fortunately, the birds appear Butler and Woakes describe telemetric studies on in reasonabletaxonomic sequence, so flipping pages forcibly and spontaneouslysubmerged ducks and to find a bird is not difficult.Having the text appear human-imprintedflying BarnacleGeese; the some- on the samepage as the illustrationand rangemap what controversial results indicate that much is still is alsohelpful to occidentals.Necessary information to be understood in these areas. Kenward et al. brief- about somebirds was omittedin the Englishpor- ly describetwo simple systemsfor modulatingthe tion, but may be found in the Chinesetext. For ex- interval betweentransmitter pulses on Woodcockand ample, the white phase of the Reef Egret (Egretta Goshawk. Strangely, not even sample data of the sacra)is mentionedin Chinese,but nothingis said "unambiguous" flight signalsprovided by pulse in- of this colormorph in English.I alsomissed reading terval modulationare given in this and following any behavioral notes, which can be so useful in lo- papers. Hirons and Owen describe studies on cating and identifying a bird. Woodcock, including physical effects of wearing By Western standardsthe illustrationsleave some- transmittersfastened with harness,nocturnal flight thing to be desired.Many are copiesfrom previous (display) activity, and time spent in habitats of dif- publications,with errorsintact. The sectionon rap- fering earthwormproductivity. An articleby Widen torsand duckshas underwing illustrations, which is on Goshawksuses signal strength, not pulse interval certainlya necessityfor proper identification,but the modulation, to distinguish "activity" from "non-ac- principal illustration of most raptors is barely ade- tivity"; unfortunately,activity periods shorter than quate.For the mostpart, colorsseem overly bright, 48 s could not be classified,greatly weakening the leading the reader to look for colorsor field marks conclusions. that do not exist. Most of the papersappear to sufferfrom spacelim- The authorappears to have a greatdeal of expe- itations in the proceedings.As is typical of many rience with mountain birds and most Taiwan en- symposiumvolumes, methods are describedthor- demics;this bookprobably reflects years of field work. oughly enough to understandbut not usually to al- However,the lowlandbirds and migrants dearly need low replication. Data depend on authors' skill and more of his attention. I found the lack of new data attentivenessin the field, qualities that are likewise frustrating.Some of the birds this writer first re- difficultto replicate.There may be emerginga need ported in 1974and 1975still stand as the only records for morestandardization of techniquesand jargonto to date. Surely there are more current observations allow this most exciting field to take advantageof to report; I would love to know about them. comparisonsamong species and acrosshabitats. "A field guide to the birds of Taiwan" is a good The book will be an importantaddition to college exampleof emergingconcern for at leastone segment and universitylibraries and to that of someoneusing of Taiwan's natural environment. It is a serious at- or intending to use radio deviceson vertebrates.- tempt to documentTaiwan's ornithologicalheritage. RONALD P. LARKIN. So much has yet to be learnedabout Taiwan's birds, as evidencedby the fact that fully 20% of these390 speciesare listed as vagrant, statusunknown, or no A field guide to the birds of Taiwan.--JamesWan- recentrecords within the last 10 years.Hopefully this fu Chang. 1980. EnvironmentalResearch Center of publicationwill serveto encouragenew studentsand Tunghai University (available from IR Publ. LTD., new field studies. The author and serious Taiwan 150 E. 27th St., New York, New York 10016). 324 ornithologistshave the potentialto contributemuch pp., 75 full-color plates, 390 monochromeillustra- new data to the scientificcommunity. For Western tions and maps. Cloth/boxed$38.00.--How gratify- readers,this book representsa continuingeffort to ing to see a Taiwan field guide written by a Tai- research and publish new discoveriesabout Tai- wanese!This book is the happy resultof an increased wan's rich and varied bird life.--SUSAN R. BLACK- environmentalawareness only begun within the last SHAW. ALSO RECEIVED

Tetonwildlife. Observationsby a naturalist.--Paul Polarinstitutt.45 pp. (Availablein N. Americafrom A. johnsgard.1982. Boulder, Colorado, Colorado As- ColumbiaUniversity Press, 562 W. 113St., New York, sociatedUniversity Press. xi + 128pp. $17.50.--The New York 10025). $7.50.--Considering that the Grand Teton Mountains and JacksonHole have cast Dovekie or Little Auk, Alle (Plautus)alle, is probably their spellon many people.Consequently, numerous the most numerous seabird in the North Atlantic, it broad-brushbooks of varying quality on that area is remarkablehow little was known until recentlyof have been produced. Readers will be pleasantly its biology.This slim monographmakes a startto- surprised to find that Johnsgard'sTeton Wildlife ward rectifying the situation. is not just another ordinary Teton-JacksonHole The book describes studies carried out in two sea- book. In a small publication, he has successfully sonsat a colonyon the north side of Hornsund, on integrated a description of the area's physical char- the west coastof Spitzbergen.Observations began acteristicsand aestheticqualities with a pleasantly only a/ter the initiationof egg-layingand included readable, fascinating,and informative narrative on the size of eggs,the timing of hatching,the growth some of the locale's native wildlife. Johnsgard's and developmentof the chicksand their behavior at descriptiveportrayal of that unique area'sseasonal fledging,and diet and rates of provisioningfor chicks. qualities will generatemany nostalgicrecollections Observations of the rates at which chicks were fed for past visitors and will whet the imagination of provedto be of particularinterest, showing that the uninitiated. At the same time, he subtly pre- Dovekiesat this colonyfed most frequentlyin the sentsa wide variety of natural history information middle of the day, in contrastto earlier suggestions that provides the experienced as well as the in- that peak feedingoccurred at night in responseto experiencedbiologist with someintriguing insights the verticalmovements of plankton. on birds and mammals. In additionto presentingdata on his own studies, In his familiar lucid writing style, Johnsgardac- the authorattempts to put the biologyof the Dovekie quaintsthe readerwith the locationand traits of some into a wider perspectiveby comparingthe onsetof of the prime and highly diverseTeton-Jackson Hole thermoregulation,the lengthof the nestlingperiod, wildlife habitats. Simultaneously,the reader is pro- and the ratesat which the youngwere fed with stud- vided an informative introduction to many of the ies on otheralcids. These comparisons, however, are local wildlife speciesand someof their most note- madewith largerspecies and do not includeany of worthy features. Among the bird speciesreceiving the similar-sized Pacific alcids that might provide a major coverageare the Trumpeter Swan, Sandhill more interesting contrast. Crane, Bald Eagle,Osprey, Great Blue Heron, Com- There is much in the book that was new at the mon Raven, Prairie Falcon, Calliope Hummingbird, time when the observations were made, in 1963--1965, and Dipper. Numerous other speciesof birds are but unfortunatelysubsequent research has mitigated discussedto a lesser degree as characteristicfaunal its impact. We now have two other fairly detailed componentsof the varioushabitats described. studiesavailable, by P. G. H. Evansin Greenland A seriesof pleasingline drawingsand black-and- andby L. Stempniewiczon anotherSpitzbergen col- white photographsis interspersedthroughout the ony.As a basicintroduction to the breedingbiology book. The readerwill likely be disappointedwith the of the Dovekie, however, this remains a useful doc- reproductionquality of someof the black-and-white ument.--A. J. GASTON. photographs.They are grainy and appearedrelated to the problemsencountered when usingcolor neg- ativesto produceblack-and-white prints. The four Proceedingsof the Northeasternbreeding bird at- colorphotographs on the jacketand the three on the las conference.--Sarah B. Laughlin (Ed.). 1982. frontispieceof thebook are more characteristic of the Woodstock,Vermont, Vermont Institute of Natural high photographicquality seen in other Johnsgard Science.122 pp. (looseleafin binder).$10.00 (+$2.00 books. postage).--TheNortheastern Breeding Bird Atlas Generally,this is a fun book for relaxingreading. Conferencewas attendedby 32 invited individuals Readerswill sharewith the authormany pleasurable representing11 statesand 4 agencies.Their goalwas memoriesand natural-historyobservations on a very to shareinformation relative to breedingbird atlas- specialpiece of the earth. As such,this book is a ing and to establishstandard procedures for states good candidatefor personal,secondary school, col- and provincesembarking upon atlasing projects. lege,and publiclibrary natural-historycollecticms.-- Atlasing,in the contextof this Conference,rep- KENNETH L. DIEM. resentsthe effortsof field personnelto establishthe breedingstatus of birds within well-definedareas. Atlasing,then, should not be confusedwith the U.S. Breedingbiology of the Little Auk (Plautusalle) Fish and Wildlife ServiceBreeding Bird Survey,which in Svalbard.--MagnarNorderhaug. 1980. Oslo, Norsk documentsrelative abundanceof avifauna along se-

547 548 Also Received [Auk, Vol. 100 lected routes and is used to monitor population Voices of Matsalu.--Fred Jussi. 1979. One 12-in. trends. 331/3rpm stereophonicphonodisc album. Melodia The Proceedingsis a collectionof invited speaker Records,produced by Radio Estonia.•This is a rec- reports and, apparently, the resultsof collaborative ord of the voicesof 25 speciesof birds that inhabit effortson thepart of conferenceattendees. The qual- the area of Matsalu Bay near the BalticSea on the ity and informativevalue of the reportsvaried as a west coast of Estonia SSR. The Matsalu State Nature result, and they were often repetitive. The format of Reserve encompassesa wetlands environment of in- materialpresented in theProceedings could have been ternationalsignificance. In its 48,643ha 126 species improved.Two well-writtenreports concerning the of birds breed and 259 total specieshad been ob- purposeof breedingbird atlases,which set the stage served to 1979. Habitats include reed beds, wet for the importance of atlasesand the conference, meadows,seaside pastures, and isletsof the bay it- shouldhave followed the statedpurpose of the con- self. Bird specieson the record are Spotted Crake, ferencerather than be insertedmidway through the Bittern, Great Reed Warbler, Tufted Duck, Red- Proceedings. shank, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Savi's War- The Proceedingsadequately reflects the goalsof bler, Reed Bunting, Black-headedGull, BlackTern, the conferenceattendees. Various aspects of atlasing Moorhen, Water Rail, Starling, Corncrake,Marsh (e.g. grid sizeand mappingscales together with area Warbler, River Warbler, Barred Warbler, Blackbird, coverage,data analysis,and standardizedbreeding Thrush Nightingale, Black-tailedGodwit, Oyster- criteria)receive much attention. Other atlasing top- catcher,Caspian Tern, CommonGull, Herring Gull, ics (volunteer recruitment, records verification, fi- Greenfinch, Barnacle Goose, and Crane, in that or- nancing, and publishing) are also presented. One der. important goal realized by the conferenceattendees Recordist-producerFred Jussiis a biologist em- was publication of standardized grid sizes and ployed to producenature programsfor Radio Esto- breedingcriteria codes. These standards should prove nia. I met Mr. Jussiat the InternationalOrnitholog- usefulfor statesand provincesabout to emarkupon ical Congress in Moscow in 1982. Pie speaks and ariasingefforts and provide a better basis of com- writesfluent Englishand is anxiousto communicate parison. Unfortunately, not all the states/provinces with nature sound recordistseverywhere. Jussi was currently involved in atlasing adhere to these stan- borne on the Island of Aruba in the Caribbean in the dards(most of the differenceslie with breedingcri- 1930's.His fathertook the family to Estoniajust be- teria codes rather than grid size). The need for an fore World War II as an intermediatestop before a exchangeof informationand agreed-uponatlasing planned voyage to America to settle in California. standardsdearly has existedfor some time. The war broke out and no further moves have been A considerableportion of the Proceedingsis allo- possible.Jussi is an excellentsound recordist and has cated to the atlasing efforts of 12 states/provinces. done a fine job of bringing us "soundpictures" of Theseaccounts are often interesting, but the amount the rich bird life of this importantreserve. One might of usefulinformation varied, depending largely upon write to Mr. Jussi at SU 200010 Tallinn, Tina 13-4, the degreeof completionof the atlasingeffort. A EstoniaSSR to get informationon obtainingthis al- completebibliography of nationaland international bum.--J. W. HARDY. atlasingefforts and a listing of personnelcurrently involved with an atlasingproject is provided in the Birds of the Soviet Union. A Sound Guide. Vol- Proceedings;this representsa usefulbeginning for umes 1-3.--Boris N. Viprentsev. 1982. Melodia Rec- eitherthe serious student of atlasingor for thosecon- ords,Soviet Union. Three12-inch monaural 331/3 rpm, templatingan atlasingproject. long play phonodiscalbums. Price per volume: one Most of us haveattended conferences or meetings ruble, four kopecks.--I obtained these recordsfrom at which we've learned as much--if not mor•from the compiler-authorBoris Viprentseve while attend- exchangingideas with fellow participantsthan from ing the International OrnithologicalCongress in the program.I judge this conferenceand the sub- Moscowin August 1982.Melodia is a nationalrecord sequentProceedings to be similarin this regard.The label of the USSR, and is issuedfrom the Ministry high levelof participationand exchangeof ideasnot- of Culture.The three recordsare the first of a pro- ed in the Proceedingsundoubtedly made this con- jected25 (!) volume set coveringthe entire avifauna ferenceuseful and interestingfor the attendees.Un~ of the USSR. Volume 1 treats Gaviidae, Burhinidae, fortunately,this element of participationhas not (and and Charadriidae;Volume 2 treatsPiaematopodidae, probably could not have) been reflectedin the Pro- Recurvirostridae,and part of Scolopacidae(Xenus, ceedingsitself. Consequently,I can recommendthis Tringa,Actiris, Lymnocryptes, Gallinago, Numenius). Proceedingsonly for thoseamateur or professional Volume 3 concludesthe Scolopacidae(Limosa, Lim- ornithologistsinterested specifically in or directlyin- nodromus,Phylomachus, Eurynorhynchus, Limicola, volvedwith planningand/or directing breeding bird Calidris) and also covers Phalaropidae(as part of atlases.--StEvEi, q M. BYERS. Scolopacidae)and Glareolidae. In all, 63 species are April 1983] AlsoRecieved 549 to be heard on theserecords. Most are given at least noise, but believe me, regardlessof where you live a minute of time, many 2-3 min, and a few (two each of them is a wonderfully real and relaxing ex- loons and Calidriscanutus, for example) over 4 min. perience. The recordingsare perfect, much work has Each speciesis announcedon the record by its Rus- gone into the editing and synthesizingof the pro- sian common name and its scientific name. On the grams, and the record surfacesare remarkablyfree jacket, all text is in Russianexcept for the title and of noise.This is necessaryto the senseof reality the subtitle,which are in English.Following the timings sounds convey. I found one tiny pop that repeated there are descriptionsof what calls are to be heard, itself for about 20 s on one side (I may have put it their behavioral contexts, and circumstances of re- there myself through carelessness).That pop shat- cording.The albumsare first-classproductions, the tered the illusion of being in a quiet forest. Thus, I surfacesvery quiet, and the soundswell recorded. suggestthat if you buy these recordsyou immedi- The front cover of each album bears a charmingly ately tape recordthem and play the tapesto preserve artisticpainting of a different shorebirdspecies. the record surfaces. All the sounds were recorded in On how one obtains them in the USA I have no the wild by Mr. Gibson, who is famousfor his par- information. Perhaps a New York book and record abolic microphones, used in making these record- dealer specializing in Russian publications could ings. Recommended.--J. W. HARDY. help.--J. W. HARDY.

The Peregrine Falcon in Greenland.--James T. Solitudes. Environmental Sound Experiences. Harris. 1981.Columbia, University of Missouri Press. Volumes 1-3.--Dan Gibson. 1981. Three separate 12- viii + 254 pp., black-and-white illustrations. Paper inch, 331/3rpm, stereophonicphonodisc albums. edition. Price not given.--In this narrative account Dan Gibson Productions Ltd., P.O. Box 1200, Stn. Z, of a summer spent observingPeregrine Falcons (Fal- Toronto, Ontario M5N 2Z7. Price not given.--These coperegrinus), the author developsthree themes. The beautifully produced recordingsare termed by the first describesthe searchfor eyries, the secondelab- author "acousticalenvironmental sound experiences orateson the fate of a falconfamily observedfrom a composedof authenticnatural sounds."They are that. blind, and the third is a humanisticaccount display- Each of the six sides features a continuous program. ing an ethic so essentialto conservation--develop- In order they are: (Vol. 1) By Canoe to Loon Lake, ment of an appreciationfor the speciesunder study. Dawn by a Gentle Stream;(Vol. 2) The Sound of the The perils of secondarypoisoning by pesticides, Surf, Heavy Surf on RockyPoint, and Along a Sand population size, and information on breeding biol- Spit and Ocean Surf in a Hidden Cove (with gulls); ogy as well as other subjectsare blended with ac- (Vol. 3) Among the Giant Trees of the Wild Pacific counts based on the author's experiencewith pere- Coast, Spring Morning on the Prairies. Volumes 1 grines. Seven pages of cited literature indicate the and 3 feature bird songscharacteristics of the habi- sourcesfor this supplementalmaterial. This is a very tats portrayed. Volume 2 has some gull sounds. I readable accountof the author's introduction to per- should think these records would be especially in- egrine biology. The hard-bound edition was pub- terestingto urbannature lovers who aresick of traffic lished in or about 1979.--W.E.S.

DATE OF ISSUE(Vol. 100, No. 2): 22 June 1983