from the map is understandable. The final appendix consists of meteorological 
graphs; there is also a neat bibliography. 
The photographs are excellent, the book well designed and the print comfortable 
to the eye. This publication can be recommended, not only to birdwatchers in 
eastern Arabia but also to any ornithologists with an interest in the Middle 
East. I suspect that this product has been in the pipeline for many years, 
fortunately it has emerged in a highly refined state. 
Tom Nightingale 
The Torgos Vol/8, 1(16) Winter 1989. Eds O Bahat, Dr R Frumkin and Y 
Leshem. Ministry of Defence Press. Annual Subscription $20. 
This publication, the bi-annual production of the Israeli Raptor Information 
Center, is a special edition commemorating the group's tenth anniversary and 
its merger with the SPNI Ornithological and Raptor Information Centers. 
Virtually the entire text is in Hebrew, which must seriously detract from its 
ability to fully engage a non-Israeli audience. English summaries are, however, 
provided for all of the 13 papers and a particulary welcome innovation is the 
incorporation of a new feature entitled 'Bird News', which is printed in its 
entirety in both languages. This section contains among other items an update 
on the project to save the Israeli population of the Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos 
tracheliotus negevmsis, from which the journal derives its name. In addition, the 
journal has an English editorial and all illustrations and diagrams have English 
captions. 
Naturally most of the papers concern birds within Israel, especially raptors, 
which account for six of them and migration studies which occupy another 
four. The only exeption is a paper by Ron Frumkin that analyses the post- 
fledging and parasitic behaviour of the Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, based on 
a study made in the UK. 
The real highlight of the journal for me was the large number of stunning 
photographs, taken in the main by Israeli photographers, which are liberally 
interspersed with a number of almost equally impressive line drawings. For 
serious students of Israeli ornithology and arguably its most important aspects 
(its raptors and its migrations), a subscription to The Torgos is a must. 
Unfortunately, the relative lack of English language material, in comparison 
with journals such as Dutch Birding, is liable to prevent it from becoming more 
widely read. This would be a great pity, for The Torgos stands as due testimony 
to the current strength, vitality and expertise of Israeli ornithology. 
Guy Kirwan 
39 
