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Natur als Erlebnis. Die nationalparke in Mitteleuropa
Biological Conservation 19 (1980-81)317-20
BOOK R E V I E W S
A Dictionary of the Natural Environment. By F.J. M onkhouse and John Small. Edward Arnold, London. 1978. 320 pp,, 23 × 15 cm. 1SBN 0 7131 5958 8. Price: £2"95 (paper), £8"95 (boards). This new addition to environmental literature is a first-rate production based on material originally compiled by the late Professor Monkhouse as part of his Dictionary of Geography. Dr Small has very skilfully added his own ideas and further definitions to the dictionary so that it is equally useful to geographer and biologist. A special feature of the book are the numerous diagrams and photographs, which make it very easy to use by the non-specialist. E.D.
Ecology and Design in Amenity Land Management. Edited by S.E. Wright and G.P. Buckley, Wye College and Research Group, 1979. 244 pp. 29.5 × 20 cm. Price: £3"85 This volume is designed to improve communication among academics, practitioners and policy makers in a field which has traditionally kept these constituencies apart. Half the volume reports original research on the management of habitats as diverse as exotic forest crops and flowing waters. The other, more varied half includes several contributions which are genuine attempts to assess the relevance of ecological and design principles to the formulation and implementation of management policies for amenity land. If a wide audience reads, reflects on and applies some of these latter ideas, then the volume will have some chance of achieving its objective. CAROLYN HARRISON
Natur
als
Erlebnis.
Die
Nationaiparke
Zimmermann. DRW-Verlag Stuttgart. ISBN 3 87181 196 3. Price: DM: 49-00. 317
in 1979.
Mitteleuropa. 156
pp.
Biol. Conserv. (19) (1980-81)---© Applied Science Publishers Ltd, England, 1981
Printed in Great Britain
By GiJther 24.5×23 cm.
318
BOOK REVIEWS
This attractive volume describes National Parks, proposed National Parks and Nature Protection Areas of German language Europe---West Germany, East Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It is beautifully produced and illustrated by colour photographs of the highest quality, The selection includes some of the most interesting wildlife areas in central Europe and although the legislation for the protection of some is notoriously weak, the publicity given to them in this book can do nothing but good. In the statutory sense, there are very few National Parks in the area covered, for example only two in West Germany, one in Switzerland, and none in Austria. Nevertheless, there are many areas which deserve this status and public opinion is swinging in their favour. Top of my list would be the Neusiedler See in eastern Austria, one of the finest wetland areas in Europe. In spite of its large size, it is ringed by towns and villages and under heavy public pressure in the summer. National Park status would perhaps help to maintain a balance between the needs of conservation and the demands of the tourist. Each entry in the book is accompanied by a map and useful information such as addresses, literature, and how to get there. On the last two pages the National Parks and proposed National Parks of 25 European countries are listed by name. E.D. The Ethology of Predation. By Eberhard Curio. Zoophysiology and Ecology 7. Springer-Verlag. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York. 1976. 250 pp., 25.0×17.0 cm. ISBN 3 540 07720 0 Price: cloth DM 72.
Professor Curio uses five chapters, with 93 sub-headings, to review predatory behaviour in animals ranging in complexity from single-celled paramecia to large social mammals. This is such an extensive subject that he has not attempted to mention every study, but to describe the examples best known to him. Even so, the first chapter, which covers food catching, prey choice, 'switching', 'swamping', predatory rhythms and other aspects of predator 'hunger', is sometimes a bit too full of examples for easy reading. The following three chapters discuss predatory search techniques, prey recognition, and selection of old, young, defective or odd prey, with consideration being given to the evolutionary impact of the predator's behaviour on its prey. The final chapter is entitled'Hunting for prey', which is taken to include not only aspects such as stalking, ambushing and kleptoparasitism, but also 'mutilation' in which animal prey is damaged but not destroyed. These last four chapters are much easier to read than the first and will fascinate any reader. There is some peculiar punctuation and phraseology: for instance, 'hunting by profitability' is better known as 'optimal foraging', and a more accurate title for the last chapter would be 'Attacking prey'. However, these minor problems resulting from the book's German origin are of little consequence compared with its major advantage, in bringing some good untranslated studies to the attention of English readers. As a student text or as a source of background information on predation The Ethology
BOOK R E V I E W S
A Dictionary of the Natural Environment. By F.J. M onkhouse and John Small. Edward Arnold, London. 1978. 320 pp,, 23 × 15 cm. 1SBN 0 7131 5958 8. Price: £2"95 (paper), £8"95 (boards). This new addition to environmental literature is a first-rate production based on material originally compiled by the late Professor Monkhouse as part of his Dictionary of Geography. Dr Small has very skilfully added his own ideas and further definitions to the dictionary so that it is equally useful to geographer and biologist. A special feature of the book are the numerous diagrams and photographs, which make it very easy to use by the non-specialist. E.D.
Ecology and Design in Amenity Land Management. Edited by S.E. Wright and G.P. Buckley, Wye College and Research Group, 1979. 244 pp. 29.5 × 20 cm. Price: £3"85 This volume is designed to improve communication among academics, practitioners and policy makers in a field which has traditionally kept these constituencies apart. Half the volume reports original research on the management of habitats as diverse as exotic forest crops and flowing waters. The other, more varied half includes several contributions which are genuine attempts to assess the relevance of ecological and design principles to the formulation and implementation of management policies for amenity land. If a wide audience reads, reflects on and applies some of these latter ideas, then the volume will have some chance of achieving its objective. CAROLYN HARRISON
Natur
als
Erlebnis.
Die
Nationaiparke
Zimmermann. DRW-Verlag Stuttgart. ISBN 3 87181 196 3. Price: DM: 49-00. 317
in 1979.
Mitteleuropa. 156
pp.
Biol. Conserv. (19) (1980-81)---© Applied Science Publishers Ltd, England, 1981
Printed in Great Britain
By GiJther 24.5×23 cm.
318
BOOK REVIEWS
This attractive volume describes National Parks, proposed National Parks and Nature Protection Areas of German language Europe---West Germany, East Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It is beautifully produced and illustrated by colour photographs of the highest quality, The selection includes some of the most interesting wildlife areas in central Europe and although the legislation for the protection of some is notoriously weak, the publicity given to them in this book can do nothing but good. In the statutory sense, there are very few National Parks in the area covered, for example only two in West Germany, one in Switzerland, and none in Austria. Nevertheless, there are many areas which deserve this status and public opinion is swinging in their favour. Top of my list would be the Neusiedler See in eastern Austria, one of the finest wetland areas in Europe. In spite of its large size, it is ringed by towns and villages and under heavy public pressure in the summer. National Park status would perhaps help to maintain a balance between the needs of conservation and the demands of the tourist. Each entry in the book is accompanied by a map and useful information such as addresses, literature, and how to get there. On the last two pages the National Parks and proposed National Parks of 25 European countries are listed by name. E.D. The Ethology of Predation. By Eberhard Curio. Zoophysiology and Ecology 7. Springer-Verlag. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York. 1976. 250 pp., 25.0×17.0 cm. ISBN 3 540 07720 0 Price: cloth DM 72.
Professor Curio uses five chapters, with 93 sub-headings, to review predatory behaviour in animals ranging in complexity from single-celled paramecia to large social mammals. This is such an extensive subject that he has not attempted to mention every study, but to describe the examples best known to him. Even so, the first chapter, which covers food catching, prey choice, 'switching', 'swamping', predatory rhythms and other aspects of predator 'hunger', is sometimes a bit too full of examples for easy reading. The following three chapters discuss predatory search techniques, prey recognition, and selection of old, young, defective or odd prey, with consideration being given to the evolutionary impact of the predator's behaviour on its prey. The final chapter is entitled'Hunting for prey', which is taken to include not only aspects such as stalking, ambushing and kleptoparasitism, but also 'mutilation' in which animal prey is damaged but not destroyed. These last four chapters are much easier to read than the first and will fascinate any reader. There is some peculiar punctuation and phraseology: for instance, 'hunting by profitability' is better known as 'optimal foraging', and a more accurate title for the last chapter would be 'Attacking prey'. However, these minor problems resulting from the book's German origin are of little consequence compared with its major advantage, in bringing some good untranslated studies to the attention of English readers. As a student text or as a source of background information on predation The Ethology