REVIEWS EDITED BY KENNETH C. PARKES A survey of the birds of Mongolia.--Charles Vaurie. 1964. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 127 (3): 103-144, 1 pl., 2 text figs. $1.50.--Once again the English lan- guageliterature of ornithology has profired from Dr. Vaurie's excellentrelations with his Russian colleaguesand his unsurpassedknowledge of Palearctic zoogeography. The present publication is somethingof a miscellanybut all of its chapters bear on the ornithology of what used to be called Outer Mongolia and is now officially the Mongolian People'sRepublic. Dr. Vaurie was able to examine Mongolian specimens in Russian collections and was directed to (and given some) rare Russian publica- tions by Mme E. V. Kozlova and ProfessorG. P. Dementiev. Mme Kozlova has publishedthe major papers on the birds of this region, so little known to Americans. The first chapter is a descriptionof the physiographyand phytogeographyof Mon- golia, illustrated by two maps. One shows the physico-geographicdivisions of the countryas proposedby Murzaev, while a larger map showsthe phytogeographicand faunisticzones preferred by Vaurie. Statementsof distributionin the remainderof the paper are keyed to the zonesand localitieson this map. Then follows a list (binomials only) of the 333 speciesof birds recorded from Mongolia, with their rangeswithin the country. Vaurie apparentlyexpected that the secondvolume (non-passerines)of his Birds of the Palearcticfauna would have been publishedprior to the appearanceof the presentpaper, as it is cited in the text and listed in the bibliographywithout any statementthat it is in press. To someextent, therefore,this Mongolian list is a preview of the classificationof the non-passerines to be expectedin Vaurie's check-list. A short chapterlists 98 speciescollected by Tugarinov (reportedin a Russianpaper in 1916) just outsidethe politicalboundary of Mongolia,in an area ecologicallycon- tinuouswith Mongolianterritory. Of these,only the Goldfinch(Carduelis carduelis) is not known from Mongolia but three specieswere reportedby Tugarinovas breed- ing that are not yet definitelyknown as breedersin Mongolia proper. A major chapteris entitled "Faunisticanalysis of the avifauna of Mongolia." A portion of this representsthe kind of "numbersgame" currentlypopular among cer- tain ornithologists;for instance,a list by familiesgiving the numberof speciesbreed- ing in the PalearcticRegion and the number of thesethat breedin Mongolia. The chief value of this is to show the abundant representationof certain groups (waders, diurnal birds of prey) and the paucity of others (larks, babblers). The actual figures are relatively meaninglessfor two reasons: the subjectivity of the speciescounts (i.e., Vaurie recognizesfive rather than the usual four speciesof loons), and the incompletenessof breeding information from Mongolia. More interestingis the analysisof distributionin relation to the zoneswithin Mongolia, and of the faunal affinities of the avifauna in relation to the Palearctic Region as a whole. The primarily paleontologicalexpeditions to Mongolia sponsoredby the American Museum of Natural History collecteda total of 211 specimensof 79 speciesof birds in 1919, 1922, 1923,and 1925. This was a notableachievement, as no ornithologist was attached to the expeditions,and the birds were collectedand prepared by Roy Chapman Andrews and Walter Granger in spite of their many other duties. Vaurie gives a completelist of thesefor the first time. He also quotesfrom Andrews' field notes on 11 species;most of this material has been publishedpreviously, but in a publicationoverlooked by most ornithologists.Vaurie also presentstaxonomic corn- 110 1965Jan. ] Reviews 111 ments on four non-passerine and three passefine species; the treatment of one of the latter, Passer ammodendri, differs markedly from that in Vaurie's check-list. I have only two criticisms,one relatively minor. Vaurie's map contains 15 num- bered dots; there is nothing in the legendto explain that these representthe collecting localities of the American Museum's expeditions,nor that these are listed in the text 23 pagesbeyond. Second,the name of each Russianauthor is given in the bibliog- raphy in its proper place in English alphabetical order, with a reference to entries in the bibliographyof Russianpublications, but theseare unfortunately neither trans- lated nor transliterated.--K•ET• C. P^Rxzs. Las aves silvestres de importancia econ6mica del Perfi.--Hans-W. Koepcke and Maria Koepcke. 1963-1964. Ministerio de Agricultura. Servicio Forestal y de Caza and Serviciode Pesqueria. Lima, Peru. Price: S/. 5 per fascicleof 8 pp. (32 pp. so far published).4ince Taczanowski'sOrnithologie du Pdrou (1884-1886), there has been no descriptive book on the tremendously rich avifauna of Peru, despite many important taxonomic and distributional contributions of zoologists,notably the late J. T. Zimmer. For the past 15 years Dr. Maria Koepcke, an ornithologist, and her husband Dr. H.-W. Koepcke, an ecologist,have lived in Peru, studying its wildlife in the field. They estimate that about 1,500 bird speciesare presently known in Peru, including about 2,200 geographic races. The current work, being issued in parts, is designed to facilitate the identification and to summarize the biological status of those specieswith some economicsignificance or specialinterest. The preface indicates that "importancia econ6mica" of the title will be broadly interpreted, as the authors plan to cover about a sixth of all Peruvian species,including most of the larger ones. In these days when, increasingly,biologists and bird watchers travel abroad to study or merely to see birds, practically all species have economic importance from the viewpoint of tourism. The first 32 pages, now available, treat very fully 28 species. Each fascicle of eight pages covers eight species,except the first part, which contains four pages of introductory matter. The systematicorder of Wetmore is followed and the published parts include one or more Peruvian representativesof the penguins,rheas, tube-noses, pelicans,boobies, and cormorants. One full page is devoted to each of these species, accompaniedby a good drawing of the bird in its habitat prepared by Maria Koepcke. Allied speciesfound in Peru but not treated are often mentioned and identifying dif- ferencesare indicated. For each speciesthe authors give the preferred Peruvian name, the scientific name, and the order and family. Under appropriate subheadingsthey mention other Latin American vernacular names, English names (chiefly from Cory, Hellmayr, and Conover), taxonomic position including number of species in the family and number in Peru, general range of the species,and the geographicraces in Peru with their scientific names, distribution, and distinguishing features. Other sec- tions conciselysummarize plumage characters,size (linear measurementsand in some casesweights), voice, field marks, and the discriminationof confusinglysimilar species. Of great interest is the subheading"Ecologia," which treats not only habitat but food, nesting,and generalhabits. The final subdivisiondeals with relations of birds to man and commentson their significancein regard to agriculture, fisheries,food value, sport, aviculture, aestheticinterest, or the ecologicalcommunity. The information com- pressedin one page doesmore than summarizewidely scattereditems from the litera- ture; it includes many unpublishedfacts gathered in the field by the authors. This is particularly true of the tinamous; 13 speciesof this imperfectly known family are treated and distinguishingmarks of others are indicated. 112 Reviews [ Vol.Auk 82 This work combines scientific accuracy with clarity of presentation in simple Spanish, making it valuable both to the zoologist and the layman. Let us hope that the divisions of the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture sponsoring and financing this venture will support it to its completion. Measures necessary for preservation of natural habitats and wildlife cannot be effective without popular support and interest. Experience indicates that public concern with conservation is best stimulated by books facilitating identification of animals. Meaningful concern is hard to arouse regarding the extirpation of creatures about which we know nothing--not even what they look like. A work like this, providing the Peruvians with accurateinformation about their birds and picturing a good proportion of them, should stimulate an interest both in the avifauna and in the preservation of the essential natural environment. Much of this environment is being destroyed in Latin America, by bulldozers and other modern equipment,with truly unprecedentedrapidity. The price of this work is modest. North Americans can conveniently procure the already published fascicles (32 pages), with a special folder, from Horst Dickudt, Libreria, Pasaje Acufia 15 Casilla 1981, Lima, Peru, enclosinga check for $1.25 (U.S. currency), payable to "The National City Bank of New York, Lima." This will cover mailing cost of the four parts and folder. Request may further be made that addi- tional parts be mailed and billed as they appear.--E. EISENM^NN. The Black-tailed tgodwit.•F. Haverschmidt. 1963. Leiden, E. J. Brill. Pp. viii q- 120, frontis., 2 maps, and 17 photos. by the author. 8• X 51/.2in. $3.00 in boards.--This is a semi-popular general account of Limosa llmosa, with emphasison data from Holland. Of particular interest are the discussionsof nesting habitat and the assembledinformation on breeding and on the preflight