RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Neotropical ornithology.

Edited by P. A. Buckley, Mercedes S. Foster, Eugene S. Morton, Robert S. Ridgely, and Francine G. Buckley.

1985. Ornithological Monographs No. 36. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC. 1041 p. $70.00. Source: Frank R. Moore, Assistant to the Treasurer, A.O.U., Department of Biology, University of Southern Mississippi, Southern Station Box 5018, Hattiesburg, MS 39406. All orders must be prepaid and include a $1.00 handling charge.

This volume is a collection of invited papers, prepared as a memorial to Eugene Eisenmann, one of the most influential and surely the most warmly esteemed worker on neotropical birds. It opens with a biographical sketch of Eisenmann by Thomas Howell and closes with an overview of the collection--with regard to the field itself--by Kenneth Parkes. In between are 61 papers grouped as to new taxa, zoogeography and distribution, systematics, evolution, community and population ecology, evolutionary and behavioral ecology, breeding biology, and conservation. Commendably, they reflect the editors' efforts to obtain longer synthesizing review papers as well as shorter reports on significant new research. Thus, they tend to show a broader perspective and to contain more material of lasting value than is customary in assembled volumes. The papers are each furnished with abstracts in English and Spanish, illustrations, and a list of references. Eight color plates (by various artists) depict new or reanalyzed taxa, or features of taxonomic significance. Despite the shortcomings in the scope of the volume, acknowledged by the editors, this is the most inclusive monograph on neotropical ornithology ever published. It brings honor to its authors and editors, as well as its dedicatee. Index.

Primer symposio de ornithología neotropical.

Edited by F. Gary Stiles and Pedro G. Aguilar F.

1985. Asociación Peruana para Conservación de la Naturaleza, Lima, Peru. 126 p. Paper cover. No price given. Source: Pacific Press S.A., Los Negocios 219, Lima 34, Peru.

This volume contains the proceedings of the first symposium on neotropical ornithology, held in October, 1983 at Arequipa, Peru. The 13 papers and 19 summaries of other presentations deal with a variety of species and ornithological problems in Latin America but do not focus on a common theme. They are written in Spanish, and the papers have summaries in English. In closing are recommendations for the investigation and protection of birds and their habitats in Latin America. A landmark publication. Illustrations, references.

Nidificación de las aves argentinas (Dendrocolaptidae y Furnariidae).

S. Narosky, R. Fraga, and M. de la Peiia.

1983. Asociación Ornitologica del Plata [Buenos Aires]. 98 p. Paper cover. $8.00. Source: Asociación Ornitologica del Plata, 25 de May 749, 2° Piso, (1002) Buenos Aires, Argentina.

This is a report, in Spanish, on the nesting habits of Argentine woodcreepers and ovenbirds. For each of 77 species, data on the nest and eggs are given, taken from the literature and original observations; comments on the validity of certain published records or on taxonomic implications are appended. Many of the accounts are illustrated with drawings that show the placement and structure of the nests. Basic information of this kind is hard to come by, yet is essential for sound research in systematics and ecology. Monochrome photographs, references, index.

Roberts' birds of southern Africa.

Gordon Lindsay MacLean.

1985. Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town. 848 p. No price given.

This is the fifth edition of a well-known work, first published in 1940 and last revised in 1978. For the nearly 900 species of birds in Africa roughly south of latitude 15°S, it gives their size, identification, voice, distribution, status, habitat, habits, food, and breeding. In addition to incorporating much new information, this edition features many new color plates (by Kenneth Newman and Geoff Lockwood) that show all the species, new enlarged distribution maps in color, sonograms of most vocalizations, revised and corrected bird names, dichotomous keys for identification, and abbreviated references. This is not a field guide (though some thorough birders may put it in their packs) but a comprehensive and authoritative handbook.

Field guide to the birds of southern Africa.

Ian Sinclair.

1984. C. Stroik, Cape Town. 361 p. $17.95 hardcover, $13.00 softcover. Source: S.A. Reader's Choice, P.O. Box 1144, Cape Town 8000, Republic of South Africa.

This book covers the same geographic region and virtually the same list of birds as that by MacLean. It is designed, however, as an identification manual, so the species accounts are confined to field marks, habitat, and voice. Although these entries are much briefer than MacLean's, they seem to characterize the birds and distinguish between confusing species more clearly. Distribution maps are provided for every species; although smaller and less detailed than MacLean's, they are still easily legible and similar in pattern. All of the birds are shown in color plates facing the text and maps; photographs are used for the great majority of species, drawings for the rest. While it is impressive that so many photographs could be found, this mode of illustration results in uneven treatment and lack of pictures of females or immatures. Birders in southern Africa who want a handy, quick field guide should favor this book, while those who want to know more about the birds will prefer MacLean's. Indices.

The herons handbook.

James Hancock and James Kushlan.

1984. Harper & Row, New York. 288 p. $24.95.

This guide to herons and bitterns is based on Hancock and Elliott's The Herons of the World, a lavish and expensive monograph published in 1978. Now conveniently sized and affordable, the present book "has been updated and revised with the intention of producing an easy reference to identification, behavior, and classification. It includes all of the original species plates [by Robert Gillmor and Peter Hayman] as well as a new series of four plates showing all of the confusing white heron species in their adult plumages, and differentiating between races and seasonal appearances. A distribution map is provided for each species, and ... a worldwide map depicting the distribution, as currently understood, for each of the 30 subspecies of the Green-backed Heron [Butorides striatus]." Introductory general chapters on the classification, courtship, feeding, and identification of these birds are followed by the species accounts. These are a good source of basic natural history, and perhaps even more valuable for current data on distribution and populations. The book has proved useful for identification in regions where field guides are inadequate or lacking. A practical and attractive volume, it is a good value for the money. References, index.

The Marsh Hen/a natural history of the Clapper Rail of the Atlantic coast salt marsh.

Brooke Meanley.

1985. Tidewater Publishers, Centreville, Maryland. 123 p. Paper cover. $8.95. Source: Cornell Maritime Press, Inc., P.O. Box 456, Centreville, MD 21617.

The basic biology of the Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris) has received less attention than its management as a game bird. Meanley here redresses the balance, drawing on his long field experience and the literature. After characterizing the species and distinguishing it from the King Rail (R. elegans), he examines its habitat, food habits, reproduction, molting, migration, wintering habits, predation, and environmental hazards. Copious details are reported in a clear, matter-of-fact manner. No attempt is made, however, to discuss more broadly the ecology of these rails or the threatened loss of coastal marshes. Appendices treat the subspecies of Clapper Rails and field methods for handling them. Illustrations, references, index.

The parasitic cowbirds and their hosts.

Herbert Friedmann and Lloyd F. Kiff.

1985. Proceedings of the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Vol. 2, No. 4. 78 p. Paper cover. $10.00. Source: WFVZ, 1100 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024.

Three species of Molothrus cowbirds are not restricted in their selection of potential brood hosts. This paper presents complete, up-to-date catalogues of hosts for each of these species, together with comments on certain of the hosts. It compiles many data that have come to light since the authors' (and S. I. Rothstein's) 1977 report (noted in Condor 79:286). The introduction discusses cowbird fecundity, which is the biological basis for the whole problem of brood parasitism with its unusually high rate of mortality, especially of eggs. A valuable summary of information and a source of important new ideas on the parasitic breeding habits of cowbirds. References.

Roger Tory Peterson at the Smithsonian.

Richard L. Zusi.

1984. Smithsonian Institution/Mill Pond Press, Inc., Venice, FL. 72 p. Paper cover. $9.95. Source: Smithsonian Institution Press, P.O. Box 1579, Washington, DC 20013; include $1.50 for postage.

To mark the 50th anniversary of Peterson's original Field Guide, an exhibition was mounted in the National Museum of Natural History during the middle of 1984. It presented well-chosen examples of his artwork from throughout his career, along with a few memorabilia and photographs. Included among the paintings and drawings were early unpublished work, illustrations for books and magazine articles, National Wildlife Federation stamps, limited edition prints, and, of course, some field guide plates. All this is shown in the exhibition catalog, this booklet, together with a brief overview of Peterson's career. The layout is pleasing and the color printing is fine. Admirers and students of bird art will welcome this generous selection at a modest cost.

A natural history of Digges Sound.

A. J. Gaston, D. K. Cairns, R. D. Elliott, and D. G. Noble.

1985. Report Series No. 46, Canadian Wildlife Service. 61 p. Paper cover. Canada $8.00, other countries $9.60. Catalogue No. CW 658/46E. Source: Printing and Publishing Supply and Services Canada, Ottawa, Canada KlA OS9.

Digges Sound, situated at the northwestern tip of the Ungava Peninsula, has long been known for its huge colonies of Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia). Based on four seasons of fieldwork, this report is broader than previous ornithological studies there. It treats the terrestrial and marine environments, the murres and other seabirds, and their predators (ravens, fulls, falcons, and foxes). Analysis of the food web discloses an anomalous situation, with a greater species diversity at lower trophic levels and a lower diversity at higher trophic levels. The findings will be of interest to those who study the ecology of arctic seabird communities. Illustrations, references, appendices of data.

Transactions of the Forty-eighth Federal-Provincial Wildlife Conference.

1984. Canadian Wildlife Service. 291 p. Paper cover. No price given. Catalogue No. CW 69-3/48E. Source: Minister of Supply and Services [Ottawa, Canada].

The latest annual in this series, this volume follows the customary plan for reports on the Conference. The theme, "Team-work in wildlife management," was examined in the keynote address, case studies, and workshops. These exercises showed that management recommendations, however well founded, do not succeed unless they are communicated clearly and tied to the sense of a shared goal. Although these conferences are predominantly by and for Canadians, their messages transcend political boundaries.

Birds of the Cayman Islands.

Patricia Bradley, with photographs by Yves-Jacques Rey-Millet.

1985. Published by P. E. Bradley, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, B.W.I. 246 p. Hard cover. $25.00.

The three small Cayman Islands are situated at the extreme northwestern end of the Caribbean island chain. Their avifauna is derived from Cuba, to the north, and Jamaica, to the southeast. This guide describes all 181 species of birds recorded there: breeding birds (45 species), extinct forms, resident and transient winter migrants, and all rare, casual, and accidental species with reliable records. The introduction describes the islands and their major habitats. The species accounts (one-half to one page each) are organized as to field characters, range, Cayman habitat, habits, and status. Close-up photographs of the breeding birds are grouped together in 72 color plates in the middle of the book. Lastly, the book gives directions to good birding areas, accompanied by detailed maps. This sturdy and complete pocket-size guide will be invaluable for resident and transient birders in the Caymans. Selected references, index.

Avian biology, Volume VIII.

Edited by Donald S. Farner, James R. King, and Kenneth C. Parkes.

1985. Academic Press, Orlando, FL. 256 p. $49.50.

This volume, unlike its predecessors, consists of two long, diverse chapters: "The adaptive significance of coloniality in birds," by James F. Wittenberger and George L. Hunt, Jr., and "The fossil record of birds," by Storrs L. Olson. Both demonstrate the enormous advances in conceptualization and knowledge that have been made in their fields since the original chapters that were published in Volume I ( 1971 ). Wittenberger and Hunt "examine advantages and disadvantages potentially accruing to individuals who join breeding or roosting colonies .... [They] focus on selective factors that have been suggested to explain why individuals should form colonies rather than dispersing within the available foraging space." Olson has not attempted to treat the entire fossil record of birds but instead concentrated on the Mesozoic and Tertiary history. Taking a fresh systematic approach, his aim has been to use paleontological data in tracing the first appearance and evolution of the major avian taxa. Both chapters are excellent and important syntheses of their subjects. They are likely to stimulate new research, just as their antecedent articles doubtless engendered some of the work that led to them. Considering the disparate nature of the chapters and the high cost ofthe book, however, it is questionable whether many individuals will be willing to buy it. Perhaps sociobiologists and paleontologists will want to pair up so as to purchase and divide copies. Illustrations, lists of references, indices.

Experimental behavioral ecology and sociobiology.

Edited by B. Holldobler and M. Lindauer.

1985. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, MA. 488 p. $55 cloth, $30 paper.

This volume presents the papers which were read at a 1983 memorial symposium held in honor of Karl von Frisch. "His way of asking questions and obtaining answers from the animals by ingenious experimentation, has been and will continue to be a major inspiration for experimental behavioral ecologists and sociobiologists." Reflecting his research interests, the 28 papers deal with orientation, learning, and foraging; the analysis of communication signals; communication and reproductive behavior; social organization; and physiology and societies. Only three papers explicitly concern birds--most of them having to do with social insects--yet teachers of animal behavior will find the papers valuable for their demonstrations of an experimental approach. Illustrations, references, indices.

Bird census and atlas studies. Proceedings of the VIII International Conference on Bird Census and Atlas Work.

Edited by K. Taylor, R. J. Fuller, and P. C. Lack.

1985. British Trust for Ornithology. 437 p. Paper cover £10.00. Source: B.T.O., Beech Grove, Station Road, Tring, Herts. HP23 5NR, England.

In the opening paper of this volume, Jacques Blondel notes that the formerly distinct fields of research into the distribution and the abundance of birds have merged into a common discipline. This is due in part to the international conferences on bird census and atlas work that have been held biennially since 1969 in several different European countries. (For a notice of the 1981 conference proceedings, see Condor 86: 186.) Proceedings of the 1983 conference, held in England, are given here. They begin with a thoughtful critique of bird distribution and abundance studies by Blondel, and a summary of such activities in North America by Chan Robbins. There follow 63 papers and abstracts, grouped as to study design and methods, monitoring, habitat and community studies, and atlas and grid mapping studies. Virtually all of them concern land birds or shorebirds, with one paper on seabirds at sea. They are also largely about European species and habitats, but many of their findings transcend such limits. Just as the proceedings of the Asilomar conference on "Estimating numbers of terrestrial birds" (Condor 84:39) have been of wide interest to census and atlas workers, so should these be. They bear out Blondel's final point that "what we need is not to know numbers of birds per se but rather to know them for some definite purpose." Graphs, maps, combined list of references.

The atlas of Australian birds.

M. Blakers, S. J. J. F. Davies, and P. N. Reilly.

1984. Melbourne University Press. 738 p. Hard cover. $60.00. Distributed in North America by International Specialized Book Services, Inc.

Imagine undertaking an atlas of U.S. birds with only a few hundred known field ornithologists and no funds! Undaunted, the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union did the equivalent for Australia, its nearby islands and waters. They organized the project, mustered financial support and a few thousand birders, supervised field work for five years, and produced the results in this book. The volume is large, well thought-out, and attractively designed. Its introduction fully explains the scope and procedures of the atlas project, organization of the book, and the environment of Australia. Accounts are given for all Australian breeding birds and regular migrants, for a total of 656 species. Most species have been allocated one page containing a map, an explanatory text, and a pen-and-ink drawing of the bird. These maps show the grid blocks in which the species was recorded (1° blocks for most species; 10° blocks for the 11 Tasmanian endemics) with color symbols to indicate status and frequency of reporting. (Available at a small charge from the RAOU is a set of six transparent overlay maps that show several kinds of environmental information, an aid to interpreting the distribution maps.) The text "deals mainly with range and movements but also identifies the species' known requirements and, if possible, factors on which these depend." Following are summarized records for 102 uncommon and vagrant species, mostly sea- and shorebirds. Lastly, in the Historical Atlas, data from notebooks, published records, and museum specimens have been sifted to prepare, for 38 species, maps of their known status and distribution during three periods in the past. This atlas contains a wealth of information yet will doubtless arouse fresh research to refine and interpret the patterns of distribution. The RAOU and the atlas participants may well be proud of their immense collective enterprise. References index.

Threatened birds of Africa and related islands. The ICBP/IUCN red data book, part 1. Third edition.

N. J. Collar and S. N. Stuart.

1985. International Council for Bird Preservation and International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Cambridge, U.K. 761 p. Hardcover. Price not given. Source: ICBP, 219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 ODL, England.

Previous Red Data Books for birds (noted in Condor 83:309) were global in coverage, but for updating them the ICBP has decided that "regional" books will be of greater local impact and usefulness. Under that scheme, this volume covers the avifauna of continental Africa plus the adjacent or outlying islands in the Atlantic and Indian oceans. (Next will come a book on the Americas, followed by those on Europe and Asia, and Australasia and the Pacific Ocean, although not necessarily in that order.) A further decision is that, for reasons of time, man-power, and subjectivity, subspecies are henceforth excluded from the Red Data Books, although not from consideration by the ICBP and IUCN. This volume treats 172 species as "threatened," with one more being "out of danger" and four "of special concern"; other categories of threatenedor "near-threatened" species are listed in the appendices. The accounts are organized as to distribution, population, ecology, threats, and conservation measures taken or proposed; each is furnished with references. Treatment is as detailed as possible, in the belief that full information is essential for choosing and carrying out conservation programs. A third innovation in this edition is the inclusion of color plates: 12 fine paintings by Norman Arlott. "Some of the depicted species have never been illustrated before; some of them have not been seen for decades; some, sadly, may never be seen again by any human being; others, it is to be hoped, may be rediscovered, perhaps resulting from stimulation given by this book." Its geographic scope notwithstanding, this grim volume should be of importance to ornithologists everywhere.

South African red data book-birds.

R. K. Brooke.

1984. South African National Scientific Programmes Report No. 97, Foundation for Research Development, Pretoria. 213 p. Paper cover. Free. Source: The Liaison Officer: Nature Conservation Research, FRD, CSIR, P.O. Box 395, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.

This catalogue follows the general purposes and plan of the "red data books" pioneered by the IUCN, but it has been produced under the auspices of a South African national program. It is the revised edition of a work published in 1976, several years before the ICBP and IUCN decided to switch from global to regional treatment. The categories of conservation status follow those of the IUCN, modified for relevance to a limited area. Accounts are given for 102 species of birds that breed on the South African mainland and a further six species for the oceanic Prince Edward islands. The accounts are organized clearly and furnished with distribution maps and selected bibliographies. Their data are usefully combined in several ways: an analysis of major findings; lists of species that call for investigation, monitoring, or conservation action; and a tabular summary. This book includes many species not listed by Collar and Stuart (above) yet, surprisingly, its accounts for the duplicated species tend to be shorter and less detailed. Critical comparison of both books would be needed in order to understand these differences. In any case, South African ornithologists are fortunate--perhaps, more properly, unfortunate--to have so much information about their rare and endangered birds. Appendices, references, indices.