fii ie U DUB ON BULERE TIN 27 
“... Not just the setting aside of priceless and irreplacable natural treasures 
and the wisest use of renewable resources, but an honest attempt to under- 
stand the relationship of all living creatures.” 
Paul H. Lobik, 22W681 Tamarack Drive, Glen Ellyn, Ill. 60137 
THE BIRD WATCHER’S AMERICA, edited by Olin Sewall Pettingill, Jr., 
with 50 line drawings by John Henry Dick. McGraw-Hill Book Co., 330 
West 42nd Street, New York, N. Y. 10036. With contributions by 44 
authors; 441 pages; June, 1965; $7.50. 
One would be mistaken if he regarded this book is merely a continuation 
or a digest of the other two well-known guides which Dr. Pettingill has 
published (A Guide to Bird Finding East of the Mississippi and A Guide to 
Bird Finding West of the Mississippi). This new volume, as its editor ex- 
plains, is entirely different in concept, as it covers only the 46 richest wild- 
life areas in and around North America. Each chapter is written by an 
amateur or professional ornithologist who possesses exceptional knowledge 
of and unbounded enthusiasm for that area. 
Every section begins with a note by Dr. Pettingill containing a brief 
sketch of the contributor. You are told how to find the area, what to look 
for, what to avoid, and what makes this area unique; most of all, you get 
the flavor of the particular landscape or seascape — and this is a treat for 
bird watching browsers of the armchair variety. 
Each of the 44 contributors, writing in his or her individual style, tells 
of the ornithological attractions of his favorite wildlife haunt. There are 
little personal yarns, quiet touches of humor, serious warnings of conserva- 
tion problems, on-the-spot reports of thrilling discoveries, and tingling 
accounts of sudden adventures. In eight or ten pages of text, aided in some 
instances by Mr. Dick’s vivid drawings, the naturalist tells you why he 
loves to return to his chosen area again and again. 
The authors are well-known ornithologists or Audubon Wildlife Film 
lecturers. Just a partial sampling of their names and the titles of their 
chapters gives you an idea of what to expect: “Bonaventure Island,” by 
Hugh M. Halliday; ‘Down East in Maine,” by Allan D. Cruickshank; ‘“Bull’s 
Island, South Carolina,” by Alexander Sprunt, Jr.; “The Florida Keys: 
Past and Present,” by Robert P. Allen; “In Northern New Hampshire,” by 
Tudor Richards; “In Colorado — Land of the Long Spring,” by Alfred M. 
Bailey; “The Black Hills of South Dakota,’ by Herbert Krause; “The 
Pribilofs,” by Roger Tory Peterson; “Arctic Alaska,’ by Olaus J. Murie; 
“An Iowa Marsh,” by Paul L. Errington; “Malheur and Klamath Lakes,” 
by Ira N. Gabrielson; “A Virgin Prairie in Minnesota,” by Walter J. 
Breckenridge; “The Black Mesa Country of Oklahoma,” by George Miksch 
Sutton; “At Point Pelee in the Spring,” by John A. Livingston; “At Hawk 
Mountain Sanctuary,” by Maurice Broun; “In Kirtland’s Warbler Country,” 
by Harold Mayfield. 
Dr. Pettingill notes that in just the three years that have elapsed 
between the concept of the book and its publication, three of the authors 
have died: Robert P. Allen, Paul L. Errington, and Olaus J. Murie. Their 
chapters represent almost their last written works. 
The Bird Watcher’s America is especially rewarding because it can 
give even the most sophisticated bird watcher a new zest for his hobby. 
If you could only find the time, how wonderful it would be to explore all 
of these places! Here is experience you can share with relish at your fire- 
side — and here is a book — like your Peterson’s Guides — that you will 
want to take with you on your own travels. 
Paul H. Lobik, 22W681 Tamarack Drive, Glen Ellyn, Ill. 60137 
