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BOOK REVIEWS 
BIRDS OF THE WORLD, by Oliver L. Austin, Jr., with illustrations by Arthur 
Singer. Golden Press, Inc., 680 Fifth Avenue, New York 20, N. Y. First 
edition, October 1961. 316 pp., 300 full color paintings and numerous 
distribution maps; 10%” x 13%”, clothbound. $14.95. 
We imagine that a complete presentation of the natural history of every 
bird species in the world would cover more than the traditional five-foot 
shelf — even in books with pages as large as those of Birds of the World. 
This text, then, is not a detailed review of each species, but rather a sweep- 
ing survey of world birds by family and sub-family groupings. The 27 
orders and 155 families of birds are discussed in sequence, from those birds 
with the most primitive anatomy to those most highly developed, following 
the basic classification outlined by Alexander Wetmore. 
The book is divided not into chapters but instead into sections covering 
each family, with one ov more species illustrated in each section — more 
than 700 different birds. You will be delighted to see such exotic specimens 
as the Black-necked Red Cotinga, Three-wattled Bellbird, Lovely Cotinga, 
Ornate Umbrellabird, Cock-of-the-Rock, and Pompadour Cotinga on a single 
spread of pages. We are inclined to believe that the choice of illustrations 
was based not upon the birds most typical of a family according to ana- 
tomical characteristics or behavior, but rather upon those birds that possess 
the most striking plumage. In view of the breath-taking results and the 
artistry of Mr. Singer’s paintings, we can find no quarrel with the selec- 
tions used. 
Dr. Austin’s text is authoritative, concise, and to the point — as it has 
to be in a book covering so broad a scope. His style of writing is lively, in- 
teresting, and readable — never ponderous with abstruse terminology. In 
many cases the life history of a species is presented, although not in the 
minute detail found, say, in Forbush’s Birds of Massachusetts. Careful at- 
tention is paid to distribution of each family, its variations, its evolution, 
and the relationships of the birds to one another and to their environment. 
The author, who is Curator of Birds at the Florida State Museum in 
Gainesville, has drawn his data from an impressive list of ornithological 
texts and journals, as shown by the bibliography. Incidentally, he refers 
to Dr. R. M. Strong’s A Bibliography of Birds as “an exhaustive list’ of 
books and papers on world ornithology. 
Birds of the World is a comprehensive guide for the naturalist who 
wishes to obtain accurate information on all of the different sorts of birds 
on our planet. The price places this book out of the range of the casual 
collector of books on bird lore. But for the advanced student who can afford 
an exceptionally beautiful book — or for someone who desires to present 
a truly impressive bird book to a nature-loving friend or relative — Birds 
of the World deserves serious consideration. 
Paul H. Lobik, 22W681 Tamarack Drive, Glen Ellyn, Ill. 
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