33 
Oman Bird News . Issued irregularly. (Oman Bird Records Committee, c/o M. 
D. Gallagher, Natural History Museum, P.O. Box 668, Muscat, Sultanate of 
Oman) 
REVIEWS 
The Birds of Egypt, edited by Steven M. Goodman and Peter L. Meininger, 
with Sherif M. Baha el Din, Joseph J. Hobbs and Wim C. Mullie, paintings 
by Sherif M. Baha el Din, graphics by Edward Khounganian and Peter L. 
Meininger. 1989. 576 pages. Oxford University Press. £75. 
The appearance of this badly needed reference work dramatically increases 
the available information on the birds of Egypt. It brings together not 
only Meinertzhagen 1 s work, and published accounts of other authors, but 
also a vast array of unpublished records, comprehensive breeding-bird 
survey data and details of ringing recoveries, for each species recorded 
in Egypt. For this feat alone, the book is invaluable to anyone with an 
interest in Egyptian ornithology. 
The first third of the book comprises sections on geography, nature 
conservation, bird protection and bird hunting, supported by excellent 
maps and black-and-white photographs which give an introduction to the 
geology and economy of each region and show the characteristic birds, 
mammals and plants. The depressing scale of the bird hunting is hard to 
take in: estimates of between 50,000 and 170,000 Quails Coturnix coturnix 
and between 270,000 and 540,000 small Palearctic migrants killed each year 
are only part of the story. The sections on nature conservation and bird 
protection do however give some encouragement that things are changing. 
Colour plates by Sherif Baha depict a range of the birds characteristic of 
the different habitats, although his unusual style may not be to 
everyone's taste. The inclusion of Egyptian Arabic names for all species 
should be a help for those involved in field work in Egypt. For me, the 
main disappointment with the book is the high price which will undoubtedly 
deter many who would greatly appreciate this excellent and beautifully 
produced work. 
Chris Bowden 
Birds of Madinat Yanbu al-Sinaiyah and its hinterland, by Peter J. 
Baldwin and Brian S. Meadows. 1988. Royal Commission for Jubail and 
Yanbu; Riyadh. 136pp. English. 136pp. Arabic. Price and availability 
unknown. 
This sturdy, well-produced book, printed on thick, glossy paper, is a 
summary of the authors' birdwatching experience between April 1979 and May 
1987 within a radius of 75 km of the city of Yanbu al-Sinaiyah, which lies 
on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. 
