BOOK 



MARKET 



NCHIUIIdl MMUMMUII • 



Society Field Guide 

 to Tropical Marine 

 Fishes 



. Caribbean 

 Gulf of Mexico 

 Florida 



Bahamas ->.** 

 Bermuda 

 Ht. *V 



research into fascinating reading. 



The articles, most of which are 

 four or five pages long, are arranged 

 into six categories: fish evolution, 

 freshwater fish, threats to freshwater 

 fish, marine fish, the ocean's threat- 

 ened fish, and shellfish and other 

 species. The book offers a balanced 

 mix of natural history, surprising 

 research and environmental concern. 

 Because the articles were originally 

 prepared for a general newspaper 

 audience, the writing style is crisp and 

 the information readily accessible. The 

 drawings that accompany many of the 

 articles are detailed and varied, from 

 realistic representations of particular 

 fish to menacing scenes of underwater 

 threats. 



The Science Times Book of Fish 

 will tickle fish fanciers and science 

 buffs alike. It's a good read whether 

 you start at the beginning and go 

 straight through or skip around from 



one startling fact to 

 another. Did you 

 know that the orange 

 roughy lives to the 

 ripe old age of 150 

 and becomes sexually 

 mature at 30? Or that 

 some tropical fish eat 

 fruit? 



• Poisonous, 

 Venomous, and 

 Electric Marine 

 Organisms of the 

 Atlantic Coast, 

 Gulf of Mexico, 

 and the Carib- 

 bean, by Matthew 

 Landau (Plexus 

 Publishing, Inc., ISBN 

 0-937548-36-7). 



At first glance, 

 the pufferfish seems a 

 benign species with 

 the cute habit of 

 puffing up like a 

 balloon when 

 threatened. But don't eat one without 

 doing your homework. Certain tissues 



of the pufferfish can cause an ugly 

 death in a matter of hours. The puffer is 

 one of numerous species that can affect 

 humans with their toxins or other 

 weapons, and Landau clearly explains 

 each. He even includes animals that are 

 dangerous but not poisonous, venom- 

 ous or electric — for example, sharks, 

 lobsters and even seals (apparently their 

 bites can smart). For each toxic species, 

 Landau explains how intoxication 

 occurs and how to treat it. For example, 

 if you get sponge poisoning, you'll 

 need to have handy some vinegar or 

 isopropyl alcohol, and adhesive tape. 



While the text is clear and direct, 

 many of the drawings are too dark and 

 heavy to be helpful. Some are more 

 impressionistic than realistic. But the 

 book has many other features that could 

 prove useful to fishers, scuba divers and 

 others who spend time in waters 

 inhabited by these species: a list of 

 items to include in a first aid kit, 

 suggested readings and a glossary. 



28 SPRING I99H 



