REVIEWS

EDITED BY WILLIAM E. SOUTHERN

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

The birds of Africa. Volume I.--Leslie H. Brown, field and suggeststhat perhaps marketing concerns Emil K. Urban, and Kenneth Newman; illustratedby outweighed utilitarian ones. Martin Woodcockand Peter Hayman. 1982.London, The 31-page introduction, attributed largely to AcademicPress. xii + 521 pp. 28 color plates,4 black- Leslie Brown, was in fact substantiallymodified by and-white plates,numerous maps and line drawings. Emil Urban, Hilary Fry, and Stuart Keith, who are $109.00(current U.S. price; publisher'sprice listed as responsiblefor its present praiseworthy form. It in- $99.00 in England).--This is the initial member of a cludes useful sections on prehistoric African bio- four-volume set designatedas the "first comprehen- geography,present-day climate and vegetation(with siveguide to the bird life of the continentas a whole," fine mapsand diagrams),major bird habitats,African including North Africa, which was not encompassed bird diversity, migration (to and from and within the by the only other extensive recent work on African continent), breeding seasons,numbers of birds and birds. The dust jacket also tells us that all resident censusdata, pesticideeffects, suggestions for further speciesare "describedin full detail, with sectionson research,and a commentary on the plan and scope their range and status,description, field characters, of the text. This section contains worthwhile brief voice, general behaviour, food and breeding biolo- discussions and a wealth of facts and short summa- gy." Nonresident species"are also given extensive ries. For example, the reader learns here that, of Af- coverage with emphasis on their status and behav- rica's ca. 1,850 bird species,18 have been described iour within Africa." in the past two decades(the newesta honeyguide in This sumptuousand imposingtome (310 X 240 mm) 1981)and that there may be "70,000-75,000million" inevitably invites comparisonwith the well-known birds in Africa today--including perhaps1,400 pairs "African Handbook of Birds" (C. W. Mackworth-Praed of SokokeScops Owls and possiblyas many as 500,000 and C. H. B. Grant, 6 volumes, 1952-1973)--recently Tawny Eagles, to name a few of the species com- reprinted but now outdated and woefully deficient mented upon. Gaps in existing knowledge frequent- in terms of information on many aspectsof bird bi- ly are indicated,and a point is made of mentioning ology. The two works are, in fact, utterly different. areasin which contributionsmay be made. The in- In terms of coverage and style, the present volume troduction concludes with two full pages of refer- is more reminiscent of volumes I and II of the ences and two more showing 22 separate drawings "Handbook of Birds of Europe, the Middle Eastand to illustrate the external parts of birds. North Africa" (S. Cramp chief Ed., 1977, 1980). The main text includes brief statements concern- The book opens "flat" and remains thus, facilitat- ing each avian order represented,plus nontechnical ing reference.It is printed with an excellentchoice family diagnosescovering characters, general habits, of easy-to-readtype on good-quality,nonglare paper displays,etc. Somesubfamilies also receive extensive (far easierto studyunder artificial light than the pages treatment. Following a comprehensivediscussion of of The Auk). Still, the book is larger than necessary each genus,the speciesaccounts occupy from 1 page and more difficult to read comfortably than either the or less(for little-known birds suchas the Congo Ser- Praed and Grant or Cramp handbooks.My impres- pent Eagle) to 3 or 4 pages for well-studied species. sion of productionquality was rendered decidedly Useful in these times of increasingly unstable En- negative when, at my initial opening of the review glish names is the inclusion of several alternate ones. copy, four pagesfell to the floor. A subsequentcheck These for the most part are well-chosen, but they do revealed pages227-242 to be missing altogether. A not always agree with those in other recent works friend in South Africa informs me of at least two (e.g. Britton et al. "Birds of EastAfrica," 1980).Some similarly defectivecopies delivered to personsthere. may have been too hastily selected.Black Sparrow- Additionally, the binding seemssomewhat weak for hawk seems misleading for Accipitermelanoleucus; the book'ssize. • don't think it will hold up to heavy Great Sparrowhawk was quite satisfactory. And use, unlike my sturdy old Praed and Grant volumes, whereasthe new A.O.U. Check-list inexplicably has someof which have endured yearsof hard use in the converted our familiar Green Heron to Green-backed field, as well as at home, with not so much as a loose Heron, authorsof the presentvolume, not to be out- page. This volume is stated to be "prepared by field done, have chosen the reverse course! "Green Her- ornithologistsmainly for field ornithologists"but its on" now is established in the literature of a continent unwieldy size obviously precludesmuch use in the where Butoridesstriatus has long been known as Green-

1005 1006 Reviews [Auk, Vol. ][00

backed Heron. It is satisfying to witness real progress much that is new or unfamiliar. Throughout,the em- in our quest for global uniformity! phasisis on living birds. Nevertheless,plumage de- A French name is likewise provided for each scriptionsare for the most part both adequateand species,and there are separateindices for these,the accurate.Systematics are not stressed,but neither is English, and the scientific names.These indices, in- the subjectignored. There are few majordepartures cidentally, are carefully done and easy to use, with from the taxonomy to which most workers are ac- the main reference in bold-face type, a much-appre- customed. However, Phalacrocorax coronatusis consid- ciated feature. ered specificallydistinct from P. africanus,the African All of the speciesaccounts, we're told, were read Darter is treated asa race of Anhingamelanogaster, and and critically commented upon by various experts. the Tawny and Steppeeagles are deemedconspecific. The material presentedis well-chosen,highly infor- On the other hand, the Barbary Falcon is merged mative, quite current, and the most completethat is with the Peregrine (following Brown and Amadon available for the truly Ethiopian species covered. 1968), although specificstatus represents the consen- Those North African birds also dealt with in the sus(e.g. Cramp et al. 1980,Voous 1977, Vaurie 1965, Western Palaearctichandbook by Cramp et al. tend and most recent African regional works). to be given much lessextensive treatment in "The Close examination of the distribution statements Birds of Africa." Some very rough comparisonsof and especially the range maps reveals numerous randomly selectedspecies show the Ostrich given 3 errors, some of them surprising: the Rufous-bellied pagesby Brown et al., 4•A pagesin the handbook, Heron is not a "resident" in Kenya, where it is known GreatEgret 2 and 5 pages,Gray Heron 2 and 10 pages, from only one or two records,but it is resident in Purple Heron 2 and 5•Apages, respectively. southwestern Uganda, a fact not made clear in this The telegraphic style of the lengthy "Habits and volume. The map for the Swallow-tailed Kite (Chel- Breeding Habits" sectionsdetracts somewhat from ictinia) reflects neither the disjunct Kedong Valley the fine assemblageof information and rendersthese birds near Nairobi nor the Isiolo-Samburu region much less absorbing than they could be. In a few where the speciesis known. Northeastern Kenya is placesslight ambiguitieshave resulted."Sentences" included in the range statementin the text, but only without subjectsand/or verbsbecome wearying after extreme northwestern Kenya is shaded on the map. a time, and an evening in one'seasy chair with this Also inadequatelymapped in that country is the Bat volume is in no way comparableto one spent with Hawk, regularly encounteredon the north and cen- the older works of Chapin or Jacksonfor example. tral coastand at certaininland localities(e.g. Kericho, The authorsadmit in the prefacethat they have pro- Samburu). Dickinson's Kestrel is not attributed to duced "not a leisurely, discursive piece of ornitho- Kenya despite a few recent records. The Secretary logical literature but a compressedcompendium of Bird is mappedthroughout Tanzania, whereas it ac- essentialfacts." Earlier they indicate that it was "nec- tually is "unrecordedin most of the eastand north- essaryto cut wordage to a minimum." It seemssad west" (Britton et al. 1980).The prefaceindicates that that we must move ever further from interestingly all three authors commented on all the speciesac- written accountsof birds.Had economyof spacereally counts,excepting those for the water fowl, and Brown, been a majorfactor in the productionof this book, it I am told, had completedthose of the raptorsbefore couldhave been accomplished through reducing both his death. I suspect,however, that he had not seen the unnecessarily wide margins (where only plate the distribution maps. references appear) and the space between various Some errors of omission surely are the result of paragraphsand sections.The range maps, too, are observers'failure to publish their observations,and larger than necessary.The plate captionsappear to I admit to a degree of guilt in this categorymyself. be designedwith neither economyof spacenor ease The authors tell us there are no records of the Im- of use in mind. Despite ample blank areas near all perial Eagle(Aquila heliaca) in West Africa "south of figures,no numbersare printed on the platesthem- Morocco where not recently recorded," although D. selves. Instead, these appear on a quarter-scalesil- A. Turner and I closelystudied a perched adult A. h. houette facsimile on the facing page. Besidethis is a adalberti in Waza National Park, northern Cameroun, semi-columnarlisting, by number, of the speciesand 14 January1978. plumages.Thus one must examinethe plate, adjust Some inclusions are not current. On the basis of the eye to the smallerreproduction, find the number nearly annual visitssince the 1960%I would not con- there, and then locate it once again in the often sider the African Hobby "relatively common" in crowded lines of print. This is annoyingly time-con- western Kenya, although it evidently was, at least suming when one is checking the identity of nu- locally, years ago. The Hooded Vulture is stated to merous figures. Explanationsfor each of the four haveapparently decreased in muchof the Sudan,but black-and-whiteplates occupy an entire page,two of no mention is made of the great reduction in num- which are one-quarter blank. bers of this once almost ubiquitous bird in Kenya, But there is little quarrel with the text itself. Even where it now is comparatively scarce. the experiencedstudent of African birds will find Nothing is said of the Gray Kestrel'screpuscular October 1983] Reviews 1007 habits such as I noted briefly in western Kenya (Bull. Africa) actuallymay be increasingthrough establish- Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 149, 1972) and as Jackson(op. ment of plantations.For some (e.g. Verreaux'sEagle) cit.) oncereported from Uganda.The presentvolume about which there might be some concern,numbers remarks"observed pairs in nestswere always at roosts appearto be stable.Expectedly, the news is grim for in nests well before dark," but the species neverthe- numerous others. It is disquieting to read that the lessis "reported to take bats." This falcon's general reduction of Pallid and Montague's harriers contin- habits are termed "Little known," but its breeding ues,probably as a result of the persistentpestfcides habits "very well known." Terms like these seem to still widely used in Africa, that the SecretaryBird is be usedtoo looselyat times,and terminologyasso- decreasingin mostof its range,that the CapeVulture ciated with frequency or visibility sometimesis con- is "threatened with extinction unless intensive con- fusedwith that relating to abundance.The Marabou, servation efforts succeed," and that the spectacular for instance, is considered"locally abundant or very Shoebill or Whale-headedStork is perhapsdown to abundant near large coloniesand in towns," a gross 1,500 individuals and these are "severely threat- exaggerationof actual status.The word "abundant" ened" by water diversion schemes,agricultural de- normally impliesvery large populations,and I would velopment, and the captureof young for zoos.Many expect"very abundant" to be reservedfor queleasor of Africa'slarger birds clearly are declining.It would other birds presentin truly enormousnumbers. Mar- be reassuringto believe that the commendableinclu- abousare highly conspicuousbut hardly more than sion of such material would somehow prompt influ- common or fairly common.The entire Uganda pop- ential officials to act on meaningful conservation ulation of the specieswas estimated at only "4000- measures,but I fear this to be a vain hope. 5000 in 1971." The many text drawings,primarily illustrating dis- The paragraphson distinguishing field characters play postures,are of widely varying quality. Some are carefully written and many constitute improve- are redrawn from those in other publications. A few mentsover thosein the field guides.Some cases (e.g. (e.g. Black-neckedGrebe, storks)are meticulouslyand the giant petrels)are over-simplified,and the authors handsomely executed;and even somesimple outline have erred by stating that iramaturesof both chant- drawings, like those of the Waldrapp, are realistic ing goshawks (Melierax) have barred upper-tail co- and artistic.Others (numerouswaterfowl, particular- verts. These feathers on the young Pale Chanting ly) are so unfinished-looking as to be downright Goshawk (M. c. poliopterus)of East Africa may be crude.They appearto have been done in a great hur- slightly mottled but are never darkly barred. This ry. One of the Common Shelduck is so poorly done was pointed out long ago by Jackson(op. cit.) and that I cannot determine which plumage parts are in- reiteratedby Brown and Areadon (Eagles,Hawks and dicated. Some, like that of the flying Osprey, al- Falcons of the World, 1968: 408), who referred to it though more refined in appearance,nevertheless are as "the most reliable diagnosticfeature between the awkward and somehow show no feeling for the two in both adult and immature plumages." Further- speciesrepresented. Too many are substandardfrom more, the color of the cere and bill base of adult any artistic viewpoint, and, although they may sat- poliopterusis typically yellow, not orange,red-orange isfactorilyrepresent the intended points,they never- or pink. In their EastAfrican rangesthe two species thelessdetract greatly from the professionalcaliber are readily distinguished.This underscoresa short- of the accompanyingtext. There are some slips, too. coming evident at intervals throughout the book, The drawing allegedly of a Southern Pochard on p. namely Urban's and Newman's limited East African 277 appearsto be of a male Goldeneye. Under the experience.Brown, of course,resided in Kenya, but latter species,reference is made to a picture of the much of his knowledge clearly was not transmitted male'shead-throw display, but a femalebird is shown. to these pages. The text's shortcomings must be The great disappointmentin this volume is the se- viewed in light of difficult circumstancesfollowing ries of color plates,but, as they are of uneven quality, the senior author's death. Urban deserves much cred- it would be unfair to treat them all together. Of the it for salvagingwhat I gather was a foundering op- first 17, by Peter Hayman, those of the Procellarii- eration. So do the individuals who rendered consid- formes are excellent. Plate 4, of petrels and prions, is erable assistance. a beautiful piece of work. The storm-petrelson Plate The separate sections on voice describe various 5 correctlyshow the subtledifferences between wing vocalizationsmost satisfactorily and alsoindicate ref- shapes of, for example, Wilson's Petrel and the erencesto any published recordingsof the species. Oceanodromaspecies, and the plate generally pleases This material is of considerable use to the field stu- the eye. Most of the herons and waterfowl also are dent and is without equal in existing guidebooks. well done. Certain plates suffer from the numerous Throughout the speciesaccounts, and the intro- figures being too small, particularly in view of the duction as well, runs a strong thread of conservation considerable remaining empty space. The unimagi- sentiment. For most birds there is some comment on native inclusion of birds of greatly disparatesize to- current status. We learn that certain raptors (Augur gether, with no division into separatescales, makes Buzzardin Ethiopiaand Great Sparrowhawkin South for displeasingcomposition and inevitable tiny fig- 1008 Reviews [Auk,Vol. 100 ures of minimal value. This is entirely unnecessary tion paid to soft-part colors is disturbing. It may be given the large page size provided. excusable for an artist to make errors when he's called Hayman does less well with the purely African upon to paint with undue hastebirds he does not species.His SecretaryBirds are too thick-neckedand know and the modelsfor which are only typical mu- generally not quite slim enough. The Shoebill is al- seum skins (with their missing or inadequate color most blackish rather than pale gray. The Hammer- data). Lessexcusable is the apparent lack of close li- kop, storks, and certain ibises are not convincing. aison between the artists and the authors, who should Indeed, the Hadadas are virtually unrecognizable have caught these mistakes.The dark irides of the with their odd coloration, "wrong" posture, short- Greater or White-eyed Kestrel constitute a glaring ened legs,and incorrectlyshaped heads and necks. error. The heads of the two giant petrels (Macro- Martin Woodcock's color plates (18-28) contrast nectes),here consideredseparate species,represent markedly in style with Hayman's. They are mostly halliias a light-eyedbird, giganteusas dark-eyed. This well designed,the compositionfairly good, the fig- is misleadingas no age labelsare provided,and iris ures bold and large. But I share the opinion of Wiens color of adults of bothforms is pale gray; young of (1981, Auk 98: 648) that some of Woodcock's birds both are dark-eyed. The streakson the Great White appear "stiff" and "flat." They tend to have a rather Pelican'sbill are decidedly pale bluish, not dark dull glazedor enameledlook, reminding me more of por- gray. The entire bill baseand cere of the immature celain or ceramic birds than of feathered creatures. Crowned Eagle are shown as yellow, but these ac- Too many are poorly shaped and inaccuratelypro- tually are gray or black, with yellow confined to a portioned. Distinctive shapesseem almost routinely narrow gape line. The brilliant eye-ring and cere of ignored, resulting, for example,in a Rough-legged Dickinson's Kestrel are so restricted as to almost lose Hawk of much the sameoutline as an Augur Buzzard the characteristicappearance of the species.Similar- (Plate 24) or a Harrier-hawk that could not be rec- ly, the yellow facial skin of the Gray Kestrel is not ognized were it not for the colorspresent. extensiveenough. The bill and cerecoloration of the A few birds are shown in such a way as to lose or northeasternPale Chanting Goshawk is discussed distort prominent field marks. The upper breast of above. The eye of this bird is very dark-looking in the young Pale Chanting Goshawk (stressedin the life, contrathe impressioncreated by the plate. Thus, text as diagnostic)is concealedas the bird is shown the figure looks disturbingly unlike birds of this in dorsal aspect.The perched Little Sparrowhawkis speciesone sees in East Africa. The light-phase shown with its rectrices unnaturally spread, chang- Ovampo Sparrowhawkis correctly statedin the text ing the normally observedpattern of circular white to have brown eyesand an orangecere and bill base, spots down the tail center to one of broken horizon- but the picturedbird hasdefinite red eyesand a yel- tal bars.Most of the falconfigures (especially on Plate low cere. Other examplescould be cited. 28) are superior in all respectsto those of the other Despite such errors, the plates will enable people birds of prey. to identify mostbirds, albeit with lesscertainty than The black-and-whiteplates of flying raptorsare an otherwise would be the case. This book is not a field improvement over those otherwise available for Af- guide, but much of its avowedemphasis is on living rican birds only owing to the nearly complete cov- birds, and considerableattention is given to their erage. (I note the omissionof three falcons, how- recognition.Bird illustration has evolved to a point ever.) Unfortunately, few of these figures are done where we should no longer have to tolerate inferior with care. Indeed, they appear to have been executed art in first-rate publications.The authors' introduc- in some haste. Many of the falcons' wings are too tion statestheir feeling "that the time has come to stiff and heavy, those of the Lammergeiersare too try to draw together what is known of the living rounded,and the rear wing-edgesof the White-head- bird." Their text adheresquite well to this, but the ed Vulture (and various other species) are unnatu- illustrationsreflect little of the progressmade in field rally straight.These plates are not in the sameleague recognitionduring the past two decadesor so and with the exquisite sophisticatedones of flying rap- exemplifiedby such publicationsas "Flight Iden- tors in Volume II of Cramp's Western Palaearctic tification of European Raptors" (Porter et al. 1974) handbook. "The Birds of Africa" should have been which deals with many African species. the place for similar treatment of the Ethiopian Re- As a group, the platesjust are not up to the stan- gion'smany splendid Falconiformes. Instead, we have dard expectedin a regional work of this quality (or had provided mediocreand sometimesinaccurate il- in this price range). They suffer, I'm sure, from lack lustrations. I am informed that Woodcock was as- of familiarity with the birds. No artist canbe expect- signed the task of doing the raptor plates more or ed to know intimately every speciesof a large for- less at the last moment, after another artist's labors eign avifauna.Nevertheless, many of thosecovered were deemed unacceptable.He was thus obliged to in this volume are much-studied,frequently-photo- produce at a pace surely inconsistent with optimal graphedbirds for which much referencematerial ex- quality. ists-and some of the poorestfigures are those of Nevertheless,such things as the inadequateatten.. well-known birds such as the Osprey. In view of the October1983] Reviews 1009

disappointingresults here, I foreseemajor difficulties Chapter2 (5 pages),"Migration to and from Afri- in subsequent volumes in which tricky cisticolas, ca," discussesthe patternsand routes of migration confusing greenbuls, obscure illadopses,and other between Eurasiaand Africa. Somemigrations are tru- truly challenging groups presumably are to be pic- ly impressive.Fifteen speciestravel 9,000-10,000 km tured. Among these, speciesdistinctions are subtle twice a year between eastern Asia and Africa, and and require not only real knowledge of the living even from eastern North America. The Wheatear birds but a more punctilious approachto illustration (Oenantheoenanthe) crosses the Atlantic and passes than has been evident thus far. through Europe before reaching its winter quarters. Despite recognizing the problemsthrust upon the Curiously,the PectoralSandpiper (Calidris melanotos) editors and surviving authors, I cannot escapethe is listed as a Palearcticmigrant rather than as a conclusionthat what appears to have been undue Nearcticvagrant becauseCurryoLindahl believes that haste in preparation and production has robbed this the PectoralSandpipers in easternAfrica migratefrom book of its full potential. With its numerouspositive recently established populations in eastern Siberia, features,it is unquestionablyuseful, but it is not in even though those in western Africa are probably a classwith other volumes in its price range. Most vagrantsfrom North America.Unfortunately, he does major university and museumlibraries and all seri- not explain why Wheatears should return to their ous studentsof African birds will require it, but ov- ancestralwinter rangeand PectoralSandpipers should erpriced,and with barely adequateplates, it probably not. will not appear on many personal library shelves. Chapter 3 (10 pages),"The migration of Eurasian Thesefactors, its unwieldy size, and the limited cov- birds within Africa," is another introductory chapter erage in this first volume, will preclude much use by in which Curry-Lindahl discussesthe movements of birdersplanning African visits.Until the work is more Eurasian migrants within Africa, especially noting complete, "Praed and Grant" and the often inade- the scarcityof migrantsin the lowland rain forestof quate field guides will continue to be in demand.- the Congo basin, the stepwisemigration of birds be- DALE A. ZIMMERMAN. tween several different winter quarters used in se- quence,and the loop migration of birds using differ- ent routes between their southward and northward Bird migration in Africa: movementsbetween six migrations.These subjectsget greater treatment in continents.--Kai Curry-Lindahl. 1981. London and later chapters. New York, Academic Press. Volume 1, xxiii + 444 + Chapter 4 (167 pages),"Eurasian (chiefly Palearc- xliii pp. $99.50. Volume 2, xxiii + 251 (i.e. pp. 445- tic) migrants to Africa," is essentiallyan annotated 695) pp. $49.50.--For those of us who spend our list of the 479 speciesand subspeciesof Eurasianbirds winters waiting for spring migration and our sum- regularly visiting Africa, augmentedby 179 maps. mers waiting for fall migration, these two volumes Someof theserepeat the maps found in Moreau, but will provide a temptation to study migration in Af- some differ in detail, and in some cases the authors rica, if only we could afford to go or, for that matter, mapped different species. afford to buy these books. Birds seem to be continu- Chapter 5 (22 pages),"Timetable of Eurasian mi- ously on the move in Africa, and they are moving grants to and from Africa and within Africa," in- between Africa and five other continents. cludesa 14-pagetable giving the latestdates of de- Consideringthat R. E. Moreau's landmark book, parture from Zaire and other partsof Africa and dates "The Palaearctic-Africanbird migration systems,"was of arrival and departure in Sweden, many of these published little more than 10 yr ago, one may won- data from Curry-Lindahl's work. Patterns are dis- der whether another lengthy review of bird migra- cussedfor variousraces of Europeanbirds (e.g. Yel- tion in Africa is justified. I think so. Curry-Lindahl low Wagtail Motacillafiava) in different parts of Af- offers a different perspective based on his 30-years' rica. Thesepatterns become more complexfor species experiencein Africa. Much more is known about mi- with stepwise or loop migrations. gration in Africa than was known only 10 yr ago;of Not surprisingly, Chapter 6 (3 pages),"American the 676 citations, 236 (35%) date from 1972 or later. (chiefly North American) birds found in Africa," is Moreover, the earlier book was not completed by short. Exceptfor the SootyTern (Sternafuscata), the Moreau at the time of his death, and thus aspectsof specieslisted here are strays. Excluded are North migration in Africa, especiallythe migration of Af- American migrants of Holarctic species,which were rican birds, were not discussed.Whether the publi- thus treated in previous chapters. cation of this particular book is justified is another Chapter 7 (8 pages),"Non-palearctic seabirds vis- matter, which will be considered later. iting Africa or occasionallyfound there," is a list of I think it desirable to describe the book's contents. speciesgiving the breeding range and the area vis- Chapter 1 (14 pages), "Africa as a bird continent," ited in Africa. provides a brief overview of the distribution of mi- Chapter 8 (215 pages),"African migrants within grantsin varioussectors of Africa and the diversity Africa," consistsmainly of variouslists outlining the of habitatsavailable to migrantsnow and in the past. migrations of African birds: transequatorial mi- 1010 Reviews [Auk, Vol. i00 grants,migrants north of the equator,migrants south nally banded. There is evidence that at least some of the equator,migrants between Africa and the In- individuals have returned to points en route. dian Ocean islands, and a list of probable migrants. Chapter 14 (15 pages),"Step migration between The lists provide information on the breeding area double or triple winter quarters," reviews evidence and seasonand on the nonbreeding area and season, for certain speciesestablishing residence for several with remarksand 73 maps.This chaptermay well be weeks before moving to a second residence and, in the most important contribution of this book, as it some cases,a third. In some cases,migrants re-estab- summarizeswhat is known about the migrations of lish themselves at their first residence for several African birds. Of the 532 migratory speciesbreeding weeks before departing for their breeding range. in Africa, 444 are of the Afrotropical region, the re- Theseshifts are probablythe resultof changingeco- mainder being of Palearcticorigin. I found it fasci- logical conditions. nating to examine the maps and to see the diversity Chapter 15 (5 pages), "Changes in numbers and of movements.Searching for pattern in these move- winter ranges of Eurasian birds in Africa," recounts ments presentsa challenge. the trends in population sizes and distributions of The remaining chaptersare in volume 2. Chapter severalspecies. Changes in numbersin Africa are not 9 (4 pages),"Diurnal and nocturnal migrants," is a always the same as changesin Europe. Shifts may brief accounting,mainly, of what little is known about resultfrom pollution or other environmentalchange. the nocturnal and diurnal migrations of African Chapter 16 (40 pages),"Ecology and behaviourof species.Except for the work at Ngulia in TsavoNa- Eurasianbirds in Africa," comparesthe life of mi- tional Park in Kenya, most observationsof nocturnal grants in their breeding and wintering rangeswith migrantsare of birdsentering lighted houses at night. respectto climate, day length, habitat, food, and en- As Curry-Lindahl emphasizes,much remains to be ergy requirements. Some speciesshow extraordinary learned about nocturnal migration in Africa. elasticity of responseto these variables. Also dis- Chapter 10 (i 1 pages),"The causationof migration cussedare variations in territorial, courtship, feed- in African birds," seems mistitled. Little is known ing, flocking,and singing behaviorof migrantswhile regarding the physiologyof African migratory birds, in Africa. although apparently premigratoryfattening seemsto Chapter 17 (20 pages),"Interspecific relations be- be rare. This chapter is concernedmainly with those tween Eurasian birds and African vertebrates," makes factors affecting migratory behavior, such as food severalinteresting points. Palearcticmigrants rarely availability,alternating wet and dry seasons,fire, and join mixed feeding flocksof Afrotropical birds, again molt. There is a list of speciesthat are known to un- in contrast to Nearctic migrants in the Neotropics. dertake vertical migrations. The insertion in this Migrants do respondto the warning callsof African chapter of 32 photographstaken by Curry-Lindahl residents and vice versa, and lizards (!) respond to of various African habitats is unexplained. the warning calls of the migrants.A 10-pagetable Chapter i1 (8 pages),"The ecogeographyof bird outlines relationships,such as predation and com- migration in Africa," discussesthe distribution of mi- petition, between African and Eurasian birds and grants, emphasizingthe diversity of habitatsavail- other animals.Apparently the influx of Eurasianmi- able and their seasonalchanges. Most interestingly, grants has little effect on African communities. most migrants inhabit what humans recognize as in- Chapter 18 (4 pages),"Problems of evolution in hospitable environments, such as the Sahelian re- Eurasianmigrants in Africa," points out the conse- gion during the dry season. quences of migrants spending more time in their Chapter 12 (14 pages), "'Distribution' of Eurasian wintering ranges than in their breeding rangeswith migrantsin Africa," providestwo rather interesting regard to, for example, Bergmann's rule, adult sur- observations.First, most speciesand subspeciesof vival rates,and geographicvariation. Eurasianmigrants are found in the dry Sahelianzone, Chapter 19 (17 pages), "Physiologicalfactors re- arriving at the end of the rains and fattening up for leasing migration in Eurasian trans-equatorial mi- the long northward migration toward the end of the grantsin Africa," presentsa rather general review of dry season.Second, Eurasian migrants almost com- photoperiodand internal rhythms on molt, fat de- position, and developmentof the gonadsin relation pletely avoid the rain forestsof Africa, in contrastto to migration. Nearctic migrants in the Neotropics. Curry-Lindahl Chapter 20 (11 pages),"Eurasian birds remaining considersseveral reasonswhy this ecologicaldiffer- in Africa during the Europeansummer," presents lists ence between Eurasian and North American mi- of Eurasianmigrants occurringin Africa during June, grantsexists, but finds none of them convincing.The July, and August. Although some of these records problemremains something to think about. may refer to late departures and early arrivals, some Chapter 13 (4 pages),"Recurrence (faithfulness) of Eurasianbirds (mainly shorebirds) do remain in Af- Eurasian migrants at their African winter quarters," rica throughout the northern summer, and several lists the 49 speciesrepresented by individuals re- specieseven breed in Africa. turning to points in Africa where they were origi- Chapter 21 (21 pages),"Migratory birds and man October 1983] Reviews 1011 in Africa: cofiflictsand advantages,"reviews the sta- ers without being overly dry or condescending.The tus of various habitats with respect to man's impact concessionsmade in the scholarly domain, however, through fire, agriculture,and other destructivehab- were greater than I would have thought necessary its. Although destructionis rampantand stepsmust for a work of this nature, marring its usefulness be taken to preservesome habitats, the avifauna of somewhat as a reference work for interested nonbe- continental Africa has not suffered the extinction of havioral scientistsor introductorycourse undergrad- a single speciesin over 300 yr. The "advantage" in uates. the title of this chapter must refer to the notion that The over 200 entries making up the "Companion" environmental changein Africa often seemsto ben- range in subjectmatter from ecological-evolutionary efit Eurasianmigrants. concepts(such as habitat, function, evolution) to an- In summary,Curry-Lindahl has given us a broad atomical-physioloõicalmechanisms (i.e. breathing, overview of the statusof our knowledge of bird mi- vision, thermoreõulation) to applied considerations gration in Africa. Much certainly needs to be done, (wildlife management,welfare of animals) as well as and this book explicitlyand implicitly providesmany the etholoõy,behavioral ecology, and behavioralsci- clues for further research. ence in general implied in the title. There are also This book is not without its frustrations for the short biographies of behavioral scientists that in- reader. Tables III, IV, V, VI, and associatedmaps take clude Darwin, yon Frisch, Lorenz, Tinbergen, and up 210 consecutivepages with the print rotated 90ø , Skinner. Contributions vary in length from a para- that is, running from the bottom to the top of the graph to well over 10 pages. There are separate in- page.Many of thesepages contain much blank space. dexesof English and scientificnames of animals,and A greater waste of spaceis the printing in bothvol- a very short and general (146-entry) bibliography. umes of 62 identical pagesfor Preface,Contents of Perhapsthe greatestchallenge in constructingthis Volume 1, Contents of Volume 2, list of Tables, list volume was the choice of the scopeof material to be of Plates, Additional Data, Taxonomic Index, and coveredby its entries,and how this materialshould SubjectIndex. What is not printed in both volumes be categorized. Although there is the discernable is the Bibliography (34 pages),the one section that stamp of the Oxford Animal Behaviour Research would have aided the reader in being in both vol- Group'smajor interests reflected in both of theseareas, umes.As it is, when reading Volume 1, one is forced I found the breadth and its divisionslaudatory. More to turn to Volume 2 for references.Finally, as might psychologically-orientedbehavioral scientists may be guessedfrom the chapter titles, the organization feel that their interestsare slightly under-represent- of this book is loose, with much repetition. ed; I feel the balance of evolutionary biology and Consideringthe costof this book, one must ques- "psychological"influences is good. tion the wisdom of publishing it in this form. After A majorproportion of the articlesexplain concepts all, much of it coversmaterial already presentedin and give examples,or simply define what is meant Moreau's 1972 book. I think the scientificcommunity by terms. Others seek to make general points about would have been better served had Curry-Lindahl a given subjectin a more partisanfashion. Arian ex- focusedon the migration of African birds and up- amples of general phenomena and articles dealing dated our knowledge of the migration of Palearctic with what are primarily arian phenomena are very speciesin Africa. I have no doubt that a narrower well represented. focus,better organization,tighter writing, and rede- Granting that readers' opinions about the data/ signed tableswould have resultedin a more useful speculationratio of information given as fact in in- book at an affordable price.--BERTRAMG. MURRAY, dividual articleswill undoubtedlydiffer, I found some JR. articles to be models of encyclopedic presentation (for example, H. C. Bennet-Clarke'scontributions on Flight and Song)in termsof an "acceptable"dilution The Oxford companion to animal behavior.--Da- of factual information; othersI thought could be im- vid McFarland (Ed.). 1982. New York and Oxford, proved upon [for instance,R. Passinõham'slong ar- Oxford University Press.657 pp. $29.95.--In compil- ticle on the Brain, where I felt emphasiswas drawn ing "The Oxford companionto animal behavior," ed- to the wrong things, i.e. the difference between hu- itor David McFarlandhas soughtto provide lay read- man and animal brains; I also differed with his as- ers with "a guide to current scientificthought on all sessment of factual information; statements like "o aspectsof animal behavior, and to aid further study good evidencehas yet been found that in animals by means of bibliographicalreferences" (Introduc- the functions carried out by one hemisphere differ tion, p. vii). I have a mixed reactionto the finished from those carried out by the other" (p. 48) are par~ product. The "Companion" suceedsadmirably in ticularlygalling to an ornithologist].This unevenmix providing up-to-date, concise, readable, easily in- of fact and opinion is my main reservation about the dexed and cross-referencedentries with a surprising- content of the text. I feel that a little more .care could ly consistentliterary style (consideringthe 70 or so have been taken to achieve a balanced view in many contributors)that are accessibleto educatedlay read- of the individual contributions. 1012 Reviews [Auk, Vol. 100

Two other problemsthat mar the book'susefulness on diagnosticmorphological and behavioral traits of in both academicand popular contextsare the lack North American birds; egg, nest and voice character- of an index of entries and the decision to include istics; information on distribution; and derivation of only a minimal set of references("... no attempt has the English family names.Other subjectscovered in- been made to justify assertionsby argument or by cludename definitionsand etymology,colloquial bird references to the scientific literature .... "Introduc- names,falconry terms, bird-finding localities,and a tion, p. vii). It would causeno discomfortto a lay listing of periodical literature. reader to have authors refer arguments to an ex- Three appendices(total of 48 pages)follow the text, pandedset of referencesin the backof the book;such providing a "PhylogeneticList of North American an addition would exponentiallyincrease the scien- Birds," a "List of Vagrants," and a "Birdwatcher's tific value of the "Companion." Calendar." The volume concludeswith a 74-page Caveats aside, I strongly commend the "Compan- bibliography listing works cited in the text and also ion" to interested amateur naturalists, bird watchers, providing a selectionof referencesintended to ex- high-schoolstudents, and lay readersin general be- pand upon the author'scoverage of varioussubjects. causeof its exceptionalaccessibility. I would recom- Ninety-one speciesrepresenting 45 North American mend it as background reading but not as a primary bird families are illustrated in black-and-white and factual source to undergraduatesand interested sci- color drawings by Gordon Morrison. Although the entists in other fields.--EvAN gALABAN. drawings of birds are attractive, they do not appear essentialto the text, as most readers likely will have field guides available. The birdwatcher's companion: An encyclopedic Leahy obviously undertook a monumental task in handbook of North American birdlife.--Christo- attemptingto adequatelydefine or describesuch an pher Leahy. 1982.New York, Hill and Wang.917 pp., array of subjects.He is to be complimentedon a val- 6 colorplates, 25 compositefigures. $29.50.--Ideally, iant attemptat so doing. Much usefulinformation is the aspiringornithologist or birdwatchershould seek contained in the volume and it appearsfree of ty- detailed knowledge about all subjects relevant to pographicalerrors. Unfortunately, however, the ef- birds.An array of circumstances,however, deter most fectivenessof the text is compromisedby severalfac- of us from achieving this goal. A frequent obstacle tors. My primary criticismsurrounds the infrequent to our search for concise answers to spontaneous use of recent literature, particularly in the caseof querries about historical personagesin ornithology, subjectsthat have benefited from modern tech- terminology, methodology, and conceptshas been niques.A preponderanceof the referencesare pre- the lack of a convenient, readable, economical, and 1970 and for somesubjects (e.g. migration) this has factual compilation of relevant information. "The resultedin a somewhatoutdated perspective. Of the birdwatcher'scompanion" is an encyclopedicrefer- 122 referenceslisted for five subjectsI selectedbe- ence that was designedto resolve this type of prob- causeof personalinterest or out of curiosity(navi- lem for North American birders. gation, migration, population, song, and territory), About 777 pagesof text are devotedto defining or 88 (72%) were publishedin or before 1970.Only 13 explainingterms or subjectscommon to ornithology (17%)of the referenceswere publishedafter 1975and arranged alphabeticallyfrom "aberrant" to "zygo- just 8 (7%) after 1979. With the exceptionof some dactyl." Entries range in length from thumbnail popularsubjects, such as "bird-finding," many of the sketchesof one or two lines (e.g. congeneric,pullet) entries fail to reflect adequately the advances that to lengthy essays(e.g. bird houses,8 pages;bird- have occurredduring mostof the last decade.This is feeding, 10+ pages;flight, 8 pages;migration, 11+ unfortunate, as it reduces somewhat the size of the pages;nests, 17+ pages).The accountsare readily audience that the book might benefit. There are, comprehendableand generallyinstructive. Many will however, many subjectslisted in "The Companion" stimulate readersto searchout supplemental sources for which there is little if any recent literature, and of information listed in the bibliography, thereby others where emphasison the "classics"is appropri- further expanding the knowledge and appreciation ate. Also, it is unfortunate that the name of the pub- of the subjectby seriousbirdwatchers, students, and lisher of booksis not given, as the city of publication para-ornithologists.Perusal of this volume during is of limited value if one desires to order a book. lunchtime discussionsby graduate studentsand pro- I was initially impressedby the inclusion of "A fessors could provide, for example, succinct bio- Birdwatcher'sCode of Conduct" under "Etiquette for graphical information to accompanynames we use Birdwatchers"(pages 242-244). The discussionbe- or encounterregularly in the literature (e.g.J. Cassin, ginswith mentionof the departureof CommonBlack M. Catesby,F. Chapman, W. Clark, W. Cooper, C. B. Hawks that once nested along Sonoita Creek in Pat- Cory, L. M.P. Costa,E. Coues,and F. Craveri--and agonia,Arizona, apparentlybecause of harassment these from "C" only!). In addition to essayson a long by birders.After this introduction,! expecteda list list of subjectsand definitions of terms commonto of ways birders might avoid undue disturbanceto the discipline,family accountsprovide information species(particularly sensitive ones such as endan- October1983] Reviews 1013

gered species)they were trying to observe, photo- of the numerousSamoan proverbs and legendsabout graph, or study.But insteadwhat follows are instruc- birds. Two short examplesfor the Reef Heron (Egret- tions of how to handle oneself while birding on ta sacra)will give the flavor of this vivid and ap- private lands and how to avoid irritating other bird- pealing material: ers. While these ideas (which appear paraphrased '"Ua fa'afaivao matu'u.It is like the fishing of from similar codes aimed at sportsmen) are impor- the heron. The Samoanssay that the greedy her- tant, the omission of recommended procedures for on eatsall of the fish it catchesand brings noth- reducing possibleobserver impact on birds is unfor- ing to its family. tunate. 'Upufaifai. The heronis comparedto an egotis- The attributesof this comprehensivereference for tical personwho refusesto share his belongings birders greatly exceedthe weaknesseslisted. It is rec- with his fellow men." ommended to those desiring to expand their knowl- edge about the field, but it should not be considered For Samoansthis material is probably the best way as the latest word on many subjects,nor was it in- to reawaken an interest in native birds, as part of tended to be by the author.--WILLIAME. SOUTHERN. their traditional culture rather than as something ir- relevant in the modern world and of concern only to westerners. Without such awakening, it will be The birds and birdlore of Samoa.--Corey and difficult for bird conservation to find local roots in Shirley Muse. 1982. Seattle, Washington, University Samoa. of Washington Press.ix + 156 pp., many photographs Native peoplesof the Pacificinitially possessedre- and paintings, 4 maps. $15.00.--In my most recent markably detailed knowledge of their local fauna and book review (1983 Auk 100: 543), that of Dick Wat- flora. This knowledge is capturedwell in a book by ling's excellent"Birds of Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa,"I Ian Saem Majnep and Ralph Bulmer entitled "Birds mentioned as the only drawbackthe possibility that of my Kalam high country" (1977, Auckland Univer- the book might not achieve its goal of developing an sity Press,Auckland), in which a New Guinea high- awarenessof birds among the people of these is- lander (Saem)and New Zealand ethnozoologist(Bul- lands. The present book treats part of the same avi- mer) collaboratedto record the highlands avifauna fauna and takes more explicit aim at this same goal. as it was known to Saem.Saem's lengthy accountsof In the authors' own words, "For some years we have about 160 bird speciesdescribe seasonalvariation in felt strongly a need for the book--first, by the Sa- diet and habits, as well as behavioral differences moan people and, second,by those who visit the Is- among sibling speciesso similar that museum work- lands of Samoa .... From the outset we have consid- ers occasionallymisidentify them in the hand. Even ered the purpose of this book as twofold. First, we though Samoa has a much simpler and poorer avi- wanted to provide an accurateup-to-date guide with fauna than the New Guinea highlands, modern Sa- photographsand illustrations of the birdlife in the moan knowledge of birds as it appearsthrough the Samoan Islands so that even untrained individuals Muses' book is much scantier than Saem's. This dif- could easilyidentify the birds.Second, we wished to ference undoubtedly reflectsthe decay of traditional preserve a record of the relationship of the birds to knowledge and culture in the centuries of western the Samoan culture for the Samoan people so they, influence on Samoa. For instance, Samoans use one too, might realize and appreciatethe specialrole the name for both speciesof frigatebirds and one name birds have played in their Island culture." for all three speciesof boobies.In contrast,the peo- The introduction and conclusion of this small book ple (Polynesianslike the Samoans)of Rennell Island provide a brief account of Samoan geography and in the Solomon Archipelago, where western contact ornithological history, Samoan language terms use- began in earnestonly a few decadesago, have at least ful to a visitor interested in birds, and suggestions ten different names for frigatebirds (a different one how to behave and travel in Samoa. There are scat- depending on the species,sex, age, and breeding sta- tered mentionsof placesto observebirds, but a more tus), and also have different names for each species detailed accountgathered in one sectionwould have and plumage of booby (T. Wolff 1973,Nat. Hist. Ren- been more useful. Most of the text consistsof 1-page nell Isl., Br. Solomon Isis. 7: 7). Equally surprising, accountsof each bird speciesrecorded from Samoa, modern Samoans use the same name for the Crested with a color photograph or painting and with the Tern (Thalasseusbergii) and Common Noddy (Anous Samoanname (where known) aswell as English and stolidus),although David Lewis in his book "We, the scientific names.Each family or group of speciesis navigators" (1972, University Press of Hawaii, Ho- precededby a short discussion.First recordsare giv- nolulu) has describedhow traditional Polynesianand en for two vagrants to Samoa,the Common Sandpip- Melanesian navigatorsused their knowledge of dif- er (Tringa hypoleuca)and Laughing Gull (Larusatricil- ferences in foraging range among tern or booby la). speciesto estimate distance from land. Both for Samoan and western readers, the most Of the speciesaccounts, about half the spacein the distinctive and successful feature of the book consists Muses' book is devoted to a detailed description of 1014 Reviews [Auk,Vol. 100

plumage as seen through binoculars. This seems to their better althoughstill very terseaccounts of hab- me a poor use of space, as all species are illustrated its.--JARED M. DIAMOND. in color. Better would have been to devote the space to field characters.The paucity of field information is for me the greatest disappointmentin the book. Birds of tropical America.--Alexander F. Skutch. Descriptions of behavior are very brief and unhelp- 1983. Austin, Texas, University of Texas Press.305 fully vague, even for birds of distinctive behavior: pp. $29.95.--Spanning a careerthat now exceedshalf e.g. no mention of the tail-quivering of the Samoan a century,Skutch is clearly the mostprolific contrib- Broadbill (Myiagra albiventris),nor of the posture of utor to knowledgeof the natural history of neotrop- the Samoan Fantail (Rhipiduranebulosa). Descriptions ical birds, especiallytheir nesting habits. He has ac- of voice are equally vague or absent, even of birds complished this task through long and patient that are heard more often than seen or that have observation at hundreds of nests of many species. distinctive voices: no mention of the duet of the Wat- This volume, despite a more inclusive title, presents tled Honey Eater (Foulehaiocarunculata), nor of the information on 34 speciesof nonpasserines.The ma- loud voicesof the PacificPigeon (Ducula pacifica) and jor taxa included are tinamous (2 species),pigeons Samoan Whistler (Pachycephalafiavifrons) and Sa- and doves (6), cuckoos(2), trogons(6), kingfishers moan Starling (Aplonisatrifuscus), nor of the vocal (2), motmots (5), toucans (4), and one each of cha- differencesbetween the two similar-plumagedspecies chalaca,wood-quail, ani, potoo,jacamar, puffbird, and of fruit doves(Ptilinopus perousii and P. porphyraceus) barbet.All of theselife historieshave been published and tattlers (Heteroscelusbrevipes and H. incanus).The before, most in Auk, Wilson Bulletin, Condor, and Ibis monthsof residencein Samoaare not given for the between 1937 and 1971. wintering New Zealand cuckoo (Urodynarnistaiten- The statedgoals of this volume are to update those sis),nor are the ecological and social differencesbe- life historiesand make them more generally avail- tween the two fruit doves mentioned. able in book form. I checkedonly a few of the orig- In short, while the traditional Samoan stories in inalsand cameaway with the impressionthat changes the sectionof speciesaccounts are a delight, I think were mostly of an editorial nature. In addition, Skutch that the technical accountswill please neither of the notesthat, with this volume, he hopesto convey both two intended readerships. Samoanswithout binoc- the "scienceof ornithology"and the "poetryof birds." ulars will find little about how the bird appears, On the plus side, Skutch conveysthe excitement sounds, and moves. Western visitors will be disap- of field studyof birds,of discoveryof factsabout the pointed in their hopes that a specialized book on birds and their environments. Lesspositively, this is Samoan birds would contain more useful field infor- done with little presentationof data to support his mation than Watling's book of broader geographic conclusionsexcept nest and egg dimensionsand at- coverage.This deficiencyis puzzling, since Samoa tentive periods.Further, Skutchcontinues his strong has few speciesand mostof them are easyto observe. negative tone about snakesand other predators that The photographsand paintings are generally ad- feed on birds and their eggsor nestlings.That per- equatefor identificationbut undistinguished.Many spectivedoes not reflect ecologicaland evolutionary of the photographswere taken at a distance or in reality. I feel that the tropical forest that I enjoy so poor light [comparethe many excellentphotographs much would be diminished asmuch by lossof snakes in another recent small book on a Pacific island avi- and other predators as by the loss of birds. fauna, Don Hadden's "Birds of the North Solomons" Treatment among the species is variable (2-22 (1981, Wau Ecology Institute, Wau)]. The paintings pages) with most containing sectionsdevoted to the by Norman Adams tend toward unlifelike shapesand nest, eggs and incubation, and nestlings.Other sec- postures,especially chunkiness,as in the paintings tions are scattered among the speciesaccounts. For of the Samoan Broadbill, Samoan Whistler, Samoan specieswith speciallife historyattributes, such as the White-eye (Zosteropssarnoensis), and Fiji Shrikebill communal nesting of anis, sectionsare devoted to ( Clytorhynchusvitiensis). thosesubjects. For the trogons,a classificationof tro- At present, visitors to Samoa can choose between gons by nest type is provided. Short postscriptsof this book and three books with broader geographic recent information are provided for selectedspecies. coverage:Watling's book, John duPont's "South Pa- Skutch's basic natural history information pro- cific birds" (1975, Delaware Museum of Natural His- vides tantalizing glimpses of ecological and evolu- tory, Greenville), and Ernst Mayr's "Birds of the tionary pattern. The reader learns, for example, that Southwest Pacific" (1945, Macmillan, New York). The the Resplendent Quetzal, Mountain Trogon, and the convenient small size of "The birds and birdlore of Blue-throated Green Motmot develop feathers faster Samoa,"and its Samoanstories and vocabulary,make as nestlingsthan their lowland cousins,presumably it worth taking. However, I also recommendtaking due to the need for more thermoregulatorycontrol Watling (first choice) or dupont (secondchoice) for in the coolerhighlands. Or, the white eggsof Squir- their better illustrations, and Watling or Mayr for rel Cuckoosare stainedby fresh leavesin the nest, a October 1983] Reviews 1015

fact that may reducetheir visibility to predators.But dices might better have been combined, to avoid the much information is anecdotal[a "surprisinglylarge" need for making taxonomic decisions before con- insectfed to a day old nestling (p. 132)--how large?] suiting the index. or anthropomorphic[flights of male quetzals that Most speciesentries are complete on one line; a "springfrom sheerexuberance" but are not used"in few long scientificnames require going to a second courtship"or "finding food" (p. 150)]. line to avoid abbreviation (but long English names Editorially,the book couldhave been improvedby are abbreviated, sometimes too much), and 275 im- several actions. Presentationof nearly all quantita- portant subspeciesor subspeciesgroups are entered tive data in both English and metric units seems a onto uncodedsecond lines. Eachline providesinfor- wasteof space.Skutch mentions plants used for food mation in six units, which makesa page look like a or nesting substratesbut gives only English or Span- set of columns rather than a set of lines. Each line ish common names. Why not include the scientific givesthe alphanumericcode, the scientificname (ge- namesto improve the value of the text? nus and specieseach forming a column), the English All 34 speciesare illustratedwith drawingsby Dana name (specificand group names forming columns), Gardner.These are of variable quality, with the Com- and the distributionof the species.Symbols (period, mon Potoo almost unrecognizable.In many cases,the bracket, asterisk, exclamationpoint) in conjunction birds are provided with a vegetation substrateor with the alphanumeric code indicate variations in backgroundthat conveyssomething of the birds' en- taxonomy(explained at the end of the family list) or vironment. Selected photos of the birds and their the statusof the species.Extra letters at the end of habitats are a valuable addition, although some are the distribution codetell if a species(sometimes sub- not in sharp focus. species)is endangeredor extinct. Curiously, extinc- In summary,Alexander Skutchcontinues to be the tion can be indicated at either end of the line. primary contributorto neotropicalornithology with The unique alphanumeric code is composedof a publicationof yet another book of life histories.Al- letter indicating the order (A-Y, except O, in this though ! find it difficult to sit down and read them, volume) in the sequencein which he treats it, one theseand his other life historieswill be the primary or two digits for the family (indicating where he sourceof natural-history information for many years places it in the order), a letter designating the to come.--JAMES R. KARR. subfamily or tribe, and up to three digits for the species.This differs from the code in the first edition by rearrangingthe information contentand by add- ing the subfamily designation. For example, the A coded workbook of birds of the world. Vol. 1: Limpkin was 5M1 in the first edition but is N5al in Non-passerines. Second edition.--Ernest P. Ed- the second.In the first edition, Edwardsanticipated wards. 1982. (Available from the author, Sweet Briar, that codeswould changethrough time, and suggest- Virginia 24595.) xxi + 134 pp., 10 maps, plastic bind- ed how that might be handled by users.An early ing. $10.00 + $1.00 handling.--With a slight change reviewer (Hailman 1974,Bird-Banding 45: 288) ques- in title, this is the second edition of Edwards' (1974) tioned the value of a changingcode and pointed out Coded List, from which it differs significantly. First, severalreasons why the code provided was not par- it coversonly nonpasserinesinstead of all the birds ticularlyuseful for computers.These specific points of the world; presumablya list of the passerineswill have not been addressedin the new edition, except follow soon. The code is different, the format is ex- for an effort to make the codehierarchical by revers- panded,and the information contentis greater(3,798 ing family and order designationsand inserting the speciesare listed as opposedto 3,656). This edition subfamily designation. The latter, even where is clearly a new entry in the world-list field. subfamiliesor tribes are not generally recognized, A relatively brief introductory statementnotes im- was necessitatedto separatethe family number from provements from the first edition, explains how to the speciesnumber. In the computer (and cross-ref- use the book and gives the rationale for certain por- erencelist), extra zerosare presentto justify columns tions,and discussesthe geographictreatment of range. for computerization;these are omitted from the main This is followed by a list of orders, families, and list. subfamiliestreated. The body of the book is the 85- One might ask to what extent this code has been page list of species(compared to 64 pagesin the com- or will be used; I am not aware that it has been. parableportion of the first edition). This is followed Several computer-basedschemes for curafing collec- by an index of genera, including unused synonyms, tions have been devised in the past few years, but a new index of scientificnames at the specieslevel, each institution has apparently devised its own (if a new index of importantsubspecific taxonomic units any) codingsystem depending on the capabilitiesand mentioned,an expandedindex of Englishnames, and limitationsof the equipmentand systemsavailable. a list that cross-references the codes used in the first Until all computersare compatible, I doubt that there edition to those used here. The two species-levelin- can be a unified code,and I doubt that anyone (other 1016 Reviews [Auk,Vol. 100

than perhaps a cryptographer)will use a code that coveredthe entire class.Still missingare mostof the keepschanging. important regional works noted by Parkesas absent The scientificname entriesare straightforward.Al- from the first edition. Works listed range from con- ternate combinations are indicated in taxonomic tinental field guides and monographsof orders to notes.These notes, grouped at the end of family list- descriptionsof single species.Some of the latter date ings, indicate where speciesmay be lumped by other back to 1964, but some descriptionspublished be- authorsor where other genericnames have been used tween the first and secondeditions are not cited (e.g. for a species.This is a very useful addition to the list. Weske and Terborgh 1977, Condor 79: 143) even The English-name listing gives Edwards' preferred though the speciesare included. specificand group names,with alternatives;his basis Typosand similar errorsare few. The "geese"in- for preferenceis given in the introduction.One can cluded in the anatid subfamily Tadorninae (p. xix) only wonder why Tucuchillois a preferred English shouldbe Sheldgeese,even though the individual name for one speciesin a seriesof nightjars,but one speciesare called"goose." The family nameMesitor- can quibble endlesslyover English names.Inciden- nithidae is misspelled(Mesitornidae) once on page tally, Edwardsspecifically calls theseEnglish rather 30. On page 2, heraldicais listed as a subspeciesgroup than vernacularnames, accepting a point made by under both Pterodromarostrata and P. arminjoniana; Parkes (1975, Auk 92: 818) in a review of the first the listing under rostrata,as Beck's Petrel, not in- edition. dexed as an English name, should be becki,which is The distribution includes the geographicRegion indexed as an important subspeciesunit. and Subregionof occurrencefor both breeding and The sum of a review is not equal to the total of the wintering (for migrants)seasons, with more detailed details. This is a greatly improved expansionof the informationon range as spacepermits. The first edi- original Coded List, although not all changesare tion gave only the Region. The distribution code is necessarilyimprovements. The utility of the codehas complicated, however, and will necessitateconstant yet to be demonstratedby wide acceptance.The list referral to the list of symbols and to the maps. The iself is a very handy and apparently completerefer- improved distributionalinformation may be the most ence.Whether one prefers this list or one of the sim- significantand useful changein this edition. ilar compendiadepends on how one intends to use The one other area of majorchange in this edition it.--RICHARD C. BANKS. is the arrangementof the taxa in the list, and here I believe Edwards made some poor decisions.On the whole, he retained the orders and families of his first edition, but he arrangedthem generally to follow the John Gould. The bird man. A chronology and classificationproposed by Cracraft(1981, Auk 98: 681) bibliography.--Gordon C. Sauer. 1982. Lawrence, without following the latter'ssystematics. Cracraft's Kansas,The University Pressof Kansas.xxiv + 416 classificationwas expressedlya "first attempt" and a pp. $65.00 (cloth).--This long-awaited, attractively "preliminary expressionof ideas" that should not presentedreference work on JohnGould is the prod- have been adoptedor followed for a list of this kind. uct of more than three decadesof study by the au- In avian classification, the most recent word is not thor. Accordingto Sauer,this book is not a biogra- necessarilythe last word--or even the bestavailable phy, but a "compendium"on JohnGould. It consists word. The one advantageto Edwardswas the merg- of four parts of unequal lengths. Part one is a ge- ing of two orders,which reducedthe numberof taxa nealogy of John and Elizabeth Coxen Gould. In part at that level to 25, eliminating the need for a double two the author presents a detailed, annotated list of letter representingany order and saving a spaceon Gould'smajor works; part three is a chronologicallist the computer. of the life and works of Gould; and part four is a In the sequenceof genera and species,Edwards bibliography of Gould, his family and associates. followed a seriesof papersby Devillers (1976-77, Le John Gould (1804-1881) was a well-known 19th Gerfaut, vols. 66-67) exceptfor thosegroups covered century ornithologist,artist, and also, accordingto in the revised volume I of the "Peters" Check-list Sauer,a good businessman.The author in his intro- (Mayr and Cottrell 1979, Harvard Univ. Press), the duction stressesthat Gould, whose present fame rests Strigiformes(for which he followed an unpublished on hand-coloredlithographs bearing his name, was list), and the Alcedinidae [for which he claims to have lessimpressive as an artist than as a systematist.Gould followed Fry (1980,Living Bird 18: 113)but certainly in fact only drew rough sketchesof the birds to be did not]. In every instancethere are enough unex- illustrated.These were then properly executedby the plained exceptionsso that the overall arrangement artistshe employed,first his wife, and after her death must be consideredEdwards' own unique arrange- in 1841, a number of famous artists, such as W. Hart, ment/classification,one that hasso many partial bas- E. Lear, H. C. Richter, and J. Wolf. Gould published es that it in fact has no basis. only impressive,imperial-folio-size (22 X 16") plates; There are 166 entriesin the bibliography,a sub- eachplate givesthe name of the artist,lithographer, stantial increase over the 55 in the first edition, which and printer. October 1983] Reviews 1017

In 1827 the young Gould was appointed as "Cu- Gould, maps of areas he had visited, and pencil rator and Preserver" to the newly founded Zoologi- sketchesof various speciesof animals. cal Society of London by Nicholas Vigors. Within a Gould the artist-entrepreneur is much more evi- few yearshe embarkedon his life-long career.Being dent in this work than Gould the systematist.The in a position to study a collection of exotic birds, format doesnot allow the author to analyze and eval- Gould published"A century of birds from the Hima- uate Gould as an ornithologist and his impact on oth- laya Mountains" with the collaborationof his wife er scientists.A proper biography, using this work as in 1831. The scientific text was the work of Vigors, its major source,would remedy this. "John Gould. the colored drawing that of Elizabeth Gould. Other, The bird man" is an important reference book that splendid folios followed during the next 50 years. is a must for any college, university, and public li- Gould travelled widely on the European continent, brary. It is also highly recommended as an addition studying the bird collectionsof a number of zoolog- to the bookcaseof ornithologists.While at first glance ical museums. It was presumably during this time the price may seem high, it is well worth it.- that he became fascinated with Australian birds. In MARIANNE GOSZTONYI AINLEY. 1837 he left the ZoologicalSociety to prepare for his trip to Australia. He also began to work on the col- lection of birds that Charles Darwin amassedduring Flight of the storm petreL--Ronald M. Lockley. his 5-yr voyage on the H.M.S. Beagle. 1983. Middlebury, Vermont, Paul S. Eriksson.192 pp. Part three details Gould's life, emphasizing his $16.95.--The young person enamoredof birds and many publications,voyages, and correspondencewith contemplatinghow to spendhis or her life studying eminent ornithologists.It is enlivened by the intro- them has three courses of action from which to choose: duction of two devices. One, a historical context, is (1) Becomean M.D. or the like, make lots of money, provided by the insertion of important events (in and retire early to study birds in comfort. This option parentheses)of the period. The second,the inclusion has the disadvantageof creating peripatetic life-list- of excerpts from Gould's notebooks and his corre- ers. (2) Take advanced degreesand obtain an orni- spondenceup to 1870, provides an added insight into thological research and/or teaching position. This the man and his times, and transformsinto absorbing road often leads to paper-pushingunder the dictum, reading what could have been a dry catalogueof dates "research time may be defined as that into which and events. For instance, we find that, despite his everythingelse eats."(3) The third strategyis just to fascinationwith hummingbirds(his lithographsof begin studying birds, never minding about money the Trochilidae, with their iridescent colors, are still and hoping that things will somehowwork out. How collectors'items), Gould saw his first live humming- remarkably productive this last alternative can be is bird only in 1857. On visiting Philadelphia (where shown by the life of Ronald Lockley. his collection of Australian birds was donated to the As a young man of 24 in 1927, Lockley assumed Academyof Natural Sciencesby Dr. ThomasWilson), the leaseof Skokholm, a Viking-named island off the Gould observed his first Ruby-throated Humming- Welsh coast,and began to indulge his passionsfor bird. "It was on the 21stof May, 1857, that my earnest birds,wild flowers,and islands."Flight of the storm day thoughts and not infrequent night-dreams of petrel" is the third major work on birds written for thirty yearswere realized by the sight of a Humming a general audienceto come from his years of patient Bird .... it was... at... Philadelphia that my wish observationand banding on Skokholm; earlier books was gratified by the sight of a single male in the describedthe island's puffins (Fraterculaarcfica) and celebratedBartram's Gardens .... "(p. 139). Manx Shearwaters(Puffinus puffinus). Actually, the About half the book is taken up with part four, a present book is a good deal more than a one-species "bibliography of John Gould, his family and associ- account,as it treats all the world's 21 speciesof storm- ates." This section should be a bibliographer's de- petrel (Family Hydrobatidae). light. Sauer goes into considerabledetail concerning BecauseLockley's aim is a popularized account,the important publications, even giving a copy of the specialistshould not expect to find detailed quanti- index to H. M. Whittell's 1954 "The literature of Aus- flcation, and he won't. But even so, the number of tralian birds." Under the headingsof C. A. Wood and literature references(42, 19 since 1970) is disappoint- J. T. Zimmer, the author provides facsimilesof Wood, ing. And more than a few readers will find the lit- "An introduction to the literature of vertebrate zo- erary license a bit much; at one point Lockley relates ology" (1931), and Zimmer, "Catalogue of the Ed- an imaginary interview of a storm-petrel(Hydrobates ward E. Ayer ornithological library" (1926). pelagicus)conducted by himself. However, books This is a scholarlywork, of interest to ornitholo- written by intensely-curious, life-long students of gists, historians,and lovers of Gouldiana in general. birds are always worth exploring for hypotheses The color reproductions present a delightful cross- (sometimesfound in cryptic form) provokedby in- section of Gould's plates. The black-and-white illus- tense observationand thought. trations provide glimpses of the times and environ- Overall, rather little is known of the Family; only ment of Gould. There are numerous portraits of six specieshave been studied thoroughly. Foremost 1018 Reviews [Auk,Vol. 100

of these is Lockley'sown bird, H. pelagicus.The first storm-petrelsare yellow. Apparently, these are the sevenchapters, and almosthalf the book'spages, are only brightly-coloredpieces of external anatomyin devoted to treatmentsof this species'prebreeding, the entire Order Procellariiformes.Lockley asserts that egg laying, incubation, nestling care, and migration oceanic birds migrate under guidance from sun and between the eastern North Atlantic and waters off stars.Do they? Are any other sensorysystems in- southernAfrica. Throughoutthese chapters,liberal volved? referenceis made to work with other tubenoses,par- After a short postscript,the book concludeswith ticularly shearwaters,and particularly D. M. Serven~ two appendices.The first providesa very usefulcom- ty's long-termstudy of the Mutton Bird (Puffinuste- pilation of the 21 hydrobatids.The secondbriefly nuirostris).Among gleanings of general interest, I summarizesthe predatorsand, more substantially,the noted that Lockley takes the LackJanposition that external and internal parasitesof petrels. age-specificreproductive success is due to differen- The book is remarkablyfree of errorsof any sort. tial breeding experience.However, he may not be I found but one "typo." In one context,the term "fit- familiar with the alternative effort hypothesispro- ness" is used uncritically and ambiguously.The posedby G. Williams. Lockley implies that mutual meaning of "local enhancement"is not understood. individual recognitionof parent and young by voice The pen-and-ink sketchesof the noted wildlife artist, occursin this storm-petrel, an untested hypothesis Noel Cusa, complementthe text gracefully.In sev- and problematicalin a speciesthat nestsin individ- eral sketches,though, the storm-petrelsseemed too ual burrows. He suggeststhat becausepetrels are plumpish, looking rather like diving petrels (Pela- dressedin blacks,whites, and grays,they are without canoidesspp.) or even Dovekies (Plantusalle). color vision(?).Lockley comesdown in favor of the Seabirdworkers owe much to Ronald Lockley. He "desertion"hypothesis, attributing suchbehavior to placed the first band on a storm-petrel. Techniques a gradual "lossof interest" in the chick. Preening is now taken for granted, like "latticing" burrows and thought to be a "... reaction to itchinesscaused by checking by smell for burrow occupany,were in- irritation of the nerves just below the skin .... "He vented by him. His book sumsup a lifetime of work presentssuggestive evidence that a seabird colony, on petrelsby one who would surely describehimself in this caseone of puffins,was decimatedsolely by as their friend as well as their pupil. This account a parasite, the mite Dermanyssusgallinae. Among sea- should appeal to all who enjoy descriptiveornithol- birds, tubenosesare thought to be uniquely invul- ogy, and contains enough meat to make it worth nerableto petroleumspills because their senseof ol- reading by the hypothesis-huntingspecialist. Those faction allows them to avoid oil slicks. He claims dauntedby the hardboundedition's price tag might petrels are solitary at sea becausethey need to dis- take heart from knowing that both "Shearwaters"and persewidely to find the smallorganisms in their diet. "Puffins," Lockley's earlier treatises,were both sub- One wonders, then, how plankton-feeding phala- sequentlyreissued as paperbacks.--T•ot•A$ C. GRUI•I•, ropesmanage in flockslarge enough so that, in flight JR. at a distance,they appear as smoke on the horizon. His statementabout solitaryhabits seems incompat- ible with his later claim for intraspecificdominance Avesde ambientesacuaticos de C•rdoba y Centro hierarchieson the pelagic wintering grounds.The de Argentina.--Manuel Nores and Dario Yzurieta. assertionthat Arctic Terns (Sternaparadiseae) make a 1980. C6rdoba. State Secretariatof Agriculture and living by snatchingprey from the surfacewhile hov- Animal Husbandryof C6rdoba.xxi + 236 pp. 45 color ering seemsremarkable. Don't they dive in the east- plates. No price given.--The province of Cbrdoba, ern Atlantic?Prebreeders are thought to be attracted roughly the size of the state of Florida in North to breeding islands by homing in on the calls of America, occupiesa central position in Argentina. breeding adults, like toads to a breeding chorus. Besidesgrassland, desert, and semideserthabitats, it Chapters 8-10 are devoted, one each, to Leach's has large wetlands, the avifauna of which is de- (Oceanodromaleucorhoa), Madeiran (O. castro), and scribed here in an exhaustive and well-illustrated Wilson's (Oceanitesoceanicus) storm-petrels. Among book. The seniorauthor is largely responsiblefor the theseaccounts, largely traveloguesin nature,we find text, while the junior author haspainted all 146wet- the inverse correlation between length of nestling land speciesand alsocollaborated on writing the text. stage and latitude in O. oceanicusbeing ascribedto In the introduction,the typesof wetland occurring differential length of daylight. But don't storm-pe- in the province are classifiedinto (1) those with a trels routinely feed at night? definite bed and with aquaticvegetation (lagunas), (2) Chapter 11 contains shorter accountsof several water bodies without a definite bed but vegetated storm-petrelsfound mainly south of the equator. Of (esteros),(3) temporarypools lacking vegetation(ba•- note is the bald assertionthat Oceanitesgracilis breeds ados),and (4) reservoirs(diques). Besides these wet- in the Galapagoseven though as of 1969 no nest or land types,birds of rivers, lakes,and creeksare also fledgling had ever been found there. And there is considered.The birds are treated in systematicorder, the mysteryof why the webs on the feet of several with description of each family--a bonus for the October1983] Reviews 1019

North American reader becausethese family descrip- speciesof furnariidsnest in wetlands,besides 1 wren, tions containdata that are not easilyavailable in the 3 pipits, and at least 3 fringillids), whereas the di- existing English-languageliterature. For example it versityin icterids,ardeids, and anatidsis comparable mentions that the Screamers (Anhimidae) exhibit to that in North American marshes.Such compari- neither sexualnor seasonaldimorphism, and that they sonswould eventuallylead to tracingthe history of often soar in thermalssimilar to birds of prey. Col- wetland birds both in North and South America, oration of each of the 146 speciesis described,with somethingnot yet attempted.In the meantime, I rec- attention given to sexual,age, and seasonalplumages ommend a visit to the C6rdoba marshes, where a lot and to the color of soft parts.Habitat, and alsosome of challengingobservations could be made following peculiaritiesof habitssuch as characteristic calls, way the guidance of this book.--MiKLos D. F. UVVARV¾. of flight, tail flicking, etc., is briefly describedwhere necessaryfor identification. Further headings deal with seasonal occurrence, nest site, kind of nest, number and colorationof eggs,distinct identification A bird-finding guide to Ontario.--Clive E. Good- marksor habits,and, finally, distributionin the prov- win. 1982. Toronto, Ontario, University of Toronto ince (with a simple map) and in Argentina, clearly Press.248 pp. $12.50.--Many yearsago, Olin S. Pet- describingthe seasonsof occurrence.It is notewor- tingill Jr. produced a new kind of bird book: a bird- thy that in the Spanishornithological language there finding guide to areaseast/west of the Mississippi. are no such misleadingexpressions as in the North Such a book must have been quite a risk at that time, American English "summer visitant" or "winter res- when "birding" as a respectedpast-time or passion ident." A breeding bird is so stated:"breeds between had not yet caughton, or at leastwas not yet wide- December and March"; a winter visitant "breeds in spread, in North America. Today, however, bird- Alaska and Canada, comes here as a migrant, found finding guides may be more numerous than bird from October to May" (Lirnosahaernastica). These are identification guides and there is no end in sight. straightforward although generalized statements. There are bird-finding guides for all political and With respectto abundance,the readeris informed in many nonpolitical jurisdictions: the world, conti- the introduction that "common" or "rare" refers to nents, countries, states,provinces, counties, cities, etc. frequency of observations,whereas "abundant" or In Canada, the proliferation of these guides is not "scarce" refers to numbers of individuals an observer great. To date, there is only one small guide of the might see (e.g. Laruspipixcan is said to be more or entire country, although a second more exhaustive less common, but not abundant, whereas L. rnaculi- one has gone to the publisher. Few provinceshave pennisis very commonand very abundant,occurring them, although at least two have naturalists'guides, in great flocks). but there are several city and/or regional guides A laudable feature of this simple and short but available."A bird-finding guide to Ontario," then, is concisebook is the color illustrations. These paint- one of the few province-widebirding guidesin Can- ingsare entirely satisfactoryfor identificationof each ada. The author, Clive E. Goodwin, was (Ontario) Re- speciesand eachplumage (although some of the pos- gional Editor for AmericanBirds for 17 years. tures are a bit stiff and in some cases the head is too The purposesof the book, as describedby Good- large, a commonfeature of many bird illustrations win, are: 1) to meet the growing demandacross North worldwide). I have seen some of the original paint- America for bird-finding guides and 2) to provide ings of St. Yzurieta, and it appearsthat the printing directions to the best-known localities for finding has subduedthe colors.What is missing in quality, birds in Ontario. The book is well laid out: the first however, is compensatedby quantity. This is the first section(chapters 1 and 2) gives generalinformation "state"book of a partial avifauna where each species on Ontario birds and their status in the province, is depicted at least twice (standing resp. swimming, chapters3-8 give directionson how to get to certain and flying), or, where different plumagesnecessitate birding areasin various regions of Ontario, and the it, up to 3 (Plegadischihi), 4 (Laruspipixcan), 5 (Ros- last two chapters give information for visitors and trhamussociabilis) or even 7 (Circusbuffoni) times! seasonalsystematic lists. The bulk of the book is con- These detailed features make this book an ex- tained in the secondsection. Each of thosesix chap- tremely good field guide and sourcebook. For the ters begins with a map of the region showing the North American visitor who reads Spanishfluently, locations of all sites discussed. A short introduction it is a storehouse of information about a wetland avi- discussesthe region, giving breeding birds that are fauna that lives in habitats similar to those on our more or lessunique or that may reach the northern continent,yet is so different in someof its features. or southernlimit of their breeding range within that A superficialcomparison with our wetland avifauna region. The rest of eachchapter consistsof an alpha- shows,for example,the richnessin Rallidae[3 species betical and numerical listing of the various sitesand of coot (with deep yellow, red, and red/yellow how to get to them. One mustbe impressedwith the shields!),3 gallinules,6 rails (of which only one is number of specificsites Mr. Goodwin covers,217 in known for its nesting habits)] or of the passerines(7 total. It is also a credit to his thoroughnessto have 1020 Reviews [Auk, Vol. i00

most, if not all, of the sewage lagoons in Ontario or near large water bodiesand get significantseason- i.ncluded. al populationsof birds.The garbagedump in Barrie, My major criticismsof this book lie with what has for instance,is a good inland area for gulls. been omitted rather than with what is presented.The My only criticismof the material presentedby most seriousomission is that for many sitesGoodwin Goodwin (and this is a minor but frequently occur- fails to mentionany (or more than only a few) of the ring irritation)is his useof the word "duck"for both birds that can be found there. An example can be the singular and plural. While the two dictionariesI taken directly from the text descriptionfor Guelph. consulted show that either "duck" or "ducks" is cor- Guelph is a largetown of 70,000people. In the guide rect for the plural form, it is certainly more than a it is allotted two and one-third pages--a reasonable little awkward to read "Gulls and duck loiter" or "... allotment of space.Only five bird names are men- in autumn, loons, duck and gulls .... "In addition tioned in the entire section, however; two of these to this awkward usage,he is at times inconsistenttoo, are GrasshopperSparrow (which appearstwice) and as he writes, "Scanfor ducksand gulls," "... several one is "semi-wild Mallard." A tally of severalof the speciesof ducks.... "and "... watchingmigrant Regional Sectionsshows that for about 40% of the loons, ducks and gulls .... " siteslisted, no speciesor even family namesof birds Goodwin includes two systematiclists, a seasonal to be found are mentioned. statusof speciesin northern and southern Ontario In a similar vein, the narrative that goes with some and a list of speciesthat have occurredfewer than of the sitesis amazingly brief. For example,the en- 15 timesin the last20 yr. Theseare usefuland appear tire entry for Thedfordconsists of onesentence: "The up to date.The Indexlists both place names and bird sewage lagoons are on the right, driving west on speciesmentioned in the text.Given the paucityof Highway 82, just •/• km after the long curve to the bird names in many of the accounts,however, I sus- left leaving the village." There is no mention of pectthat the Indexis not completein absoluteterms. whether or not the area is good for birds (somesew- Goodwin could have enhanced the appeal of his age lagoonsare not) or of what to expectwhen you book greatly had he included a sectionon where to get there. Approximately 18%of the site entries con- find birds highly soughtafter in Ontario (i.e. "want sist of similar one- or two-sentencedescriptions of birds"). For resident birders, specieslike Bobwhite, how to find the site. Given only pagesand pagesof Wild Turkey, Black-headedGull, Barrow'sGolden- directionsthe reader will find the book boring and eye, Harlequin,and SandhillCrane can often be lo- tedious. In a nutshell, the book lacksmeat! It is heavy cated, if you know where to go. For out-of-province on the "where" but very light on the "what" of bird- birders, finding Ontario specialitieslike Gray Jay, ing in Ontario! three-toedwoodpeckers, the northern owls, Boreal To be fair to Goodwin on these points, however, Chickadee,and SpruceGrouse also fit into the cate- he nowhere statesthat his book is a guide to the birds gory. that will be found at birding sites,but rather "Where In spiteof my criticisms,I useand keepa copyin the birds are and how to get there." I think in pre- our vehicle almost all the time. As I said above, most paring goodbird-finding guides,however, authors of my criticismsare with what is not in the text. What have a responsibilityto provide this informationfor is there is a vast improvement over what was avail- the sitesthey describe. able prior to 1982.For mostkeen Ontario birders,the As is true of many bird-finding guides,some sig- book should be an essentialpart of their libraries. nificant birding areasappear to have been missedor Similarly, communitylibraries should have a copy to omitted. Even within the limited area of south-cen- assistnovice birders in finding good local areas.The tral Ontario on which I may be qualified to comment, book is probably unnecessaryfor strictly scientific the communities of Barrie, Orillia, and Owen Sound collections.--D. V. (CHIP) WESELOH. are not mentioned. All three are locatedadjacent to

ALSO RECEIVED

Proceedings of the Second International Swan ings have appearedas a separatevolume. Perhaps Symposium,Sapporo, Japan, 21-22 February,1980.-- this is an indication of an expanding world-wide in- G. V. T. Mathews and M. Smart (Eds.). 1981. Slim- terest in swan research. bridge, Glocester,England, International Waterfowl The book is divided into nine sectionsand the pa- ResearchBureau. 396 pp., figures,tables. œ8.00.--This persin eachsection are arrangedin geographicalor- book, as the name suggests,is a compilation of the der, from the host countryvia the New World to the 54 paperspresented at the SecondInternational Swan Old World. The topics of the nine sections,and the Symposiumheld in Japan in 1980. Although the numbersof papersin eachare: "Distribution and sta- Symposiumwas the secondsponsored by the I.W.R.B. tus" (8 papers), "Migration" (10 papers), "Breeding to deal with swans,this is the first time the proceed- biology and population dynamics"(7 papers),"Be- October 1983] Reviews 1021 haviour" (3 papers),"Feeding" (7 papers),"Hunting sifted into one of three categories.The first consists and management" (2 papers), "Mortality and dis- of works intended as contributions to the scientific ease"(4 papers),"Contributions by non-professional studyof behavioralor taxonomicrelationships. The researchers"(7 papers),and "Anatomy,weights and second are produced as aids to identification. The measurements,genetics" (6 papers). Aspectsof the third type of recordingis artistic,designed to evoke biology of the BlackSwan (2 papers),the Whistling a mood,perhaps of somepastoral setting or exotic Swan (13 papers),Bewick's Swan (including the east- frontier."Aves Brasileiras," published to accompany ern Bewick'sor Jankowski'sSwan) (14 papers),the a field guideof the samename by JohanDalgas Frisch, Whooper Swan (16 papers), the Trumpeter Swan (10 doesnot easilyfit into the aforementionedscheme. papers), and the Mute Swan (16 papers) are pre- The firstthird of the cassetteconsists of bird songs sented. dubbed simultaneouslyover orchestralmusic. For The quality of the papersranges from thoseof some example, the first piece is a popular rendition of scientific merit to others of rather general natural- Mozart's Symphony No. 40. The birds that accom- historyinterest. Although somereaders may feel this pany the music are not identified, but include one mixture is a problem typical of symposiumproceed- that soundsfor all the world like a canary.This un- ings, I think it reflectsquite well our lack of knowl- usual amalgamof musicand bird song cannot ade- edge of some speciesin particular areasof the world. quatelybe described.It soundsunharmonious to my Presumablythe Symposiumorganizers solicited con- ears. tributions from all areas of swan research, and what The remainderof the cassetteincludes recordings appearsin the proceedingsis a fair representationof of 76 species of Brazilian birds (and one introduced that work. The natural-history-typepapers indicate species).The bird songsare arranged in eight sec- swan researchin someparts of the world is only just tions (night 1-3, dawn 1 and 2, day 1 and 2, and beginning,while the total lack of papersdealing with twilight). All of the birds are presentedwithout ver- the Black-necked Swan and the Cascoroba Swan seems bal introduction,and many overlapfor mostof the to indicate there is no work going on in other areas. cut. The birds are listed on the jacketin order of first The entire volume is in English, which must have appearanceon a band. It is often difficult to identify causedconsiderable editorial headaches,considering the strangebird voicesby referring to the list of that for many authorsEnglish was not their first lan- species. This format simulates the difficult task of guage.The editorial style seemsconsistent through- separatingvocalizations in the field. The recordings out, the figuresand tableshave been printed clearly, are generallyof excellentquality, and includesome and there are few typographicalerrors. The complete fine songsters.As far as ! could determine, the birds addressesof the authorsfollow eachpaper. Anyone are correctlyidentified. As a few speciesare not com- interested in the world-wide conservation of swans monly found on publishedrecordings, their presen- will find this volume a useful addition to their li- tation is valuable. brary and a convenient summary of the current sta- Overall, I found the cassetteconfusing. The first tus of swan research.--glCHARD W. MCKELVEY. section may appeal to some as "art." The secondsec- tion is less useful than it would have been had some sort of verbal identificationof the speciesbeen in- Aves Brasileiras.--Johan Dalgas Frisch. 1982. (A cluded. This recording presentsa challengeto the cassettesupplement to "Aves Brasileiras"by Johan aspiringneotropical ornithologist: Can the songsbe Dalgas Frisch; Copacabana MK7 51812) Sao Paulo, successfullymatched with the accompanyinglist of Brasil,Dalgas-Ecoltec, Ecologia Tecnica Ltda. (Rua de species?As a supplementto a field guide, I doubt Consolacao, 3095, CEPO1416-Sao Paulo.) $8.50.-- that many bird students would find this cassette Published bioacousticalrecordings can often be clas- helpfuL--RICHARD BRADLEY.