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Paléoécologie des ostracodes
BOOK REVIEWS
159
The book really comes alive for me from chapter 18 onwards (Parts V, VI) and here Butzer is at his very best. The scope of his reading has been vast and multilingual, and is reflected in the extensive and up to date list of references. The standard he sets in his own researches even in remote and difficult country, is very high indeed, and he expects an equally high standard of scientific excellence from others before he is prepared to accept their interpretations. For example, much of the early work on the Quaternary in Africa fell far short of his standards, but it was a necessary stage in the progress of knowledge. I think he respects this pioneer work, even if later more detailed study has shown up its limitations. He is much more severe in dealing with later work of dubious validity. Part VI deals with man-land relationships and makes fascinating reading. Butzer has not hesitated to synthesise and even to speculate, but he never allows himself to go beyond what is reasonable, and fact is always distinguished clearly from interpretation. It is only seven years since the first edition of Environment and Archaeology appeared. The second edition shows how much progress has been made in this short time. Professor Butzer has done us all great service by making this progress available in so readable a form. The first edition was somewhat plagued by misprints; the second edition still suffers from this minor irritation but this detracts in no real way from the value of a book of great worth, which is indispensible to all students of the Quaternary. GEOFFREY BOND (Salisbury)
Palko~cologie des Ostracodes. Colloque Pau 1970. Edited by H. J. Oertli. Bulletin Centre de Recherches Pau - Soci6t6 des P6troles d'Aquitaine, vol. 5, suppl. (1971), 953 pp., 144 FF. "Palaeoecology" is currently a fashionable term, widely used for diverse biological and even some sedimentological phenomena as reconstructed or deduced from fossils or rocks. Not infrequently the phenomena have but a remote connection with ecology. It is therefore refreshing to see a book on palaeoecology in which the majority of contributions deal, to varying extent, with true ecological problems. The volume comprises 53 papers prepared for the Colloquium on the Palaeoecology of Ostracodes held at Pau, France. The colloquium was the third in a series of international symposia organized by "ostracodologists". Seven of the papers are in French, three in German and the rest in English. Papers which were discussed at the symposium are followed by a transcript of the discussions. Illustrations include 62 full page plates, with some exceptions of good quality. The extensive index comprises 58 pages. The editor and the publishers are to be congratulated on the rapid production of the impressive and attractive book. Ten of the papers consider general ecological aspects as related to ostracodes and application of statistical methods to ostracode assemblages. 24 papers deal with Recent and Cenozoic, 10 papers with Mesozoic and 9 papers with Palaeozoic (chiefly Devonian)
160
BOOK REVIEWS
ostracodes. It is difficult to select the most outstanding contribution among so many of great interest. A wide variety of environments are discussed including fresh water (also cave and interstitial habitats), brackish, hypersaline and normal marine waters. Several papers deal with the influence of temperature on ostracode assemblages and species. The approach is almost exclusively synecological, if this term can be applied also on ecological considerations based on post-mortem assemblages. Some papers treat the difficulties in distinguishing ecological factors in transported and mixed assemblages of ostracode shells. Biogeography is the main subject of several contributions. The book gives a most useful survey of much of the current work on ecology and palaeoecology of ostracodes. It will be treasured on the shelf of any serious student of ostracodes. VALDAR JAANUSSON (Stockholm)
159
The book really comes alive for me from chapter 18 onwards (Parts V, VI) and here Butzer is at his very best. The scope of his reading has been vast and multilingual, and is reflected in the extensive and up to date list of references. The standard he sets in his own researches even in remote and difficult country, is very high indeed, and he expects an equally high standard of scientific excellence from others before he is prepared to accept their interpretations. For example, much of the early work on the Quaternary in Africa fell far short of his standards, but it was a necessary stage in the progress of knowledge. I think he respects this pioneer work, even if later more detailed study has shown up its limitations. He is much more severe in dealing with later work of dubious validity. Part VI deals with man-land relationships and makes fascinating reading. Butzer has not hesitated to synthesise and even to speculate, but he never allows himself to go beyond what is reasonable, and fact is always distinguished clearly from interpretation. It is only seven years since the first edition of Environment and Archaeology appeared. The second edition shows how much progress has been made in this short time. Professor Butzer has done us all great service by making this progress available in so readable a form. The first edition was somewhat plagued by misprints; the second edition still suffers from this minor irritation but this detracts in no real way from the value of a book of great worth, which is indispensible to all students of the Quaternary. GEOFFREY BOND (Salisbury)
Palko~cologie des Ostracodes. Colloque Pau 1970. Edited by H. J. Oertli. Bulletin Centre de Recherches Pau - Soci6t6 des P6troles d'Aquitaine, vol. 5, suppl. (1971), 953 pp., 144 FF. "Palaeoecology" is currently a fashionable term, widely used for diverse biological and even some sedimentological phenomena as reconstructed or deduced from fossils or rocks. Not infrequently the phenomena have but a remote connection with ecology. It is therefore refreshing to see a book on palaeoecology in which the majority of contributions deal, to varying extent, with true ecological problems. The volume comprises 53 papers prepared for the Colloquium on the Palaeoecology of Ostracodes held at Pau, France. The colloquium was the third in a series of international symposia organized by "ostracodologists". Seven of the papers are in French, three in German and the rest in English. Papers which were discussed at the symposium are followed by a transcript of the discussions. Illustrations include 62 full page plates, with some exceptions of good quality. The extensive index comprises 58 pages. The editor and the publishers are to be congratulated on the rapid production of the impressive and attractive book. Ten of the papers consider general ecological aspects as related to ostracodes and application of statistical methods to ostracode assemblages. 24 papers deal with Recent and Cenozoic, 10 papers with Mesozoic and 9 papers with Palaeozoic (chiefly Devonian)
160
BOOK REVIEWS
ostracodes. It is difficult to select the most outstanding contribution among so many of great interest. A wide variety of environments are discussed including fresh water (also cave and interstitial habitats), brackish, hypersaline and normal marine waters. Several papers deal with the influence of temperature on ostracode assemblages and species. The approach is almost exclusively synecological, if this term can be applied also on ecological considerations based on post-mortem assemblages. Some papers treat the difficulties in distinguishing ecological factors in transported and mixed assemblages of ostracode shells. Biogeography is the main subject of several contributions. The book gives a most useful survey of much of the current work on ecology and palaeoecology of ostracodes. It will be treasured on the shelf of any serious student of ostracodes. VALDAR JAANUSSON (Stockholm)