16 THE A UDU BOND BU il ei 
Book Review 
FUNDAMENTALS OF ORNITHOLOGY, by Josselyn Van Tyne and Andrew J. 
Berger. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 440 — Fourth Ave., New York 16, N.Y. 
1959, 624 pages, 252 illustrations, 6” x 9%”, $11.75. 
When the late Dr. Van Tyne, curator of birds of the University of Michi- 
gan Museum of Zoology, originally planned this book in 1946, he envisioned 
an authoritative reference work on the world families of birds. The text 
was more than half completed in 1956 when the senior author underwent 
major surgery. Before the operation he called upon his colleague, Dr. An- 
drew Berger, Fellow of the A.O.U., to finish the book in the event that he 
(Van Tyne) could not do so. The final work, based upon Van Tyne’s meticu- 
lous note, outlines, and manuscript chapters, is a tribute to his memory. 
This is a textbook for the advanced amateur, the student of ornithology, 
the field worker and professional biologist. It provides information on all 
of the families of birds; it is a dictionary of ornithological terms; it 
covers life history, taxonomy, and anatomy of every known family of birds; 
and it includes a guide to ornithological literature. In short, this is a book 
for the serious bird student; it is not for the dilettante, the beginner, or the 
casual bird-watcher. To the person who takes his birding seriously, this 
book is highly worthwhile. 
It is amazing that, in its relatively small size, the text can cover so many 
aspects of ornithology. The chapter headings include Paleontology, Anato- 
my, Plumage and Molt, Senses and Behavior, Voice, Distribution, Migra- 
tion, Flight, Feeding Habits, Breeding, Taxonomy and Nomenclature. 
The most valuable chapter is also the longest: ‘The Classification of 
World Birds by Families.” As the authors point out: “We now recognize 
about 8,600 species of birds. . . No ornithologist can immediately recognize 
all of them. . . Only by grouping like species into larger categories, which 
we call ‘families,’ can we begin to deal with them with any success.” Each 
page covers a separate family, from Spheniscidae (the Penguins) through 
Fringillidae (the Finches). Superb black-and-white drawings by George 
Miksch Sutton, 168 of them, illustrate a representative member of every 
family. Each listing summarizes physical characteristics, range, habits, 
food, breeding, and classification, as well as a number of bibliographical 
references. 
The only criticism that can be made of this book is that it attempts to 
cover too much in too little space. The only recent book of comparable scope 
is J. L. Peters’ Check-list of Birds of the World, which runs to seven vol- 
umes. But the Fundamentals of Ornithology is so well organized, so clearly 
and interestingly written, that the reader will not be disappointed. More 
and more of us are able to fly to all corners of the world for vacation and 
business trips; if we wish to study birds while we travel, this text will 
prove indispensable. 
Paul H. Lobik, 22W681 Tamarack Drive, Glen Ellyn, IIl. 
Ga 2a el 
