Ter eee Dae OoNg eb ssl ke Tet N 35 
We are told that the Golden Plover, in the early days of this nation, 
was thought to be more abundant than the Eskimo Curlew, whose numbers, 
In turn, exceeded the famed passenger pigeon, which we have been told, 
a dozen times or more, ‘darkened the skies with their numbers.” John 
James Audubon reports that millions of golden Plovers were seen in flight 
near New Orleans, and 48,000 met death in a single day from the muzzles 
ef gunners. Shorebirds, like our birds of prey, have been sorry victims 
of too many careless hunters. Some species will continue to remain on the 
endangered list for a very long time to come. Here and there, the Eskimo 
Curlew is still sighted. 
| The 32 paintings by Robert Verity Clem are reproduced in six colors. 
They present 46 of the commonly seen shorebirds in their natural habitat 
of sand and stone and marsh. An added delight is the grouping of two 
or three species as one finds them on the shore through his binoculars. 
An article on Clem, together with four paintings from the book, appeared 
in the September-October 1967 issue of The Audubon Magazine. 
| Almost half of the book is devoted to Plumage Descriptions and 
Species Accounts by Ralph S. Palmer. He is a professional zoologist who 
received his training at both Cornell and the University of Maine. The 
publishers claim that Mr. Palmer’s Species Account is the most compre- 
hensive of any book on shorebirds of the North American continent. The 
Species Account includes the general physical facts, a description of the 
plumage, the voice and habitat. They constitute a basic reference for any 
serious student of birds. 
“Shorebirds of North America” was inspired by Gardner D. Stout, long 
active in the National Audubon Society. He once led an expedition to the 
Great Barrier Reef in 1962. It was he who selected the three contributors 
to the book. A more exquisite, attractive, vital, useful book on shorebirds 
would be difficult to find. It would make a welcome gift for a special person. 
—Raymond Mostek 
Anyone interested in the outdoors, be it conservation, recreation or beautification, 
will want to have the “Yearbook of Agriculture’ for 1967 entitled OUTDOORS USA. 
Composed of 109 chapters by various authors, with 43 color photographs and some 
200 other photos, the book is a welcome addition to any library. Although not written 
in depth and detail, and with no clear conservation policy, the book gives a look 
at some of the work of the Department of Agriculture which operates the 186 million 
acres of our national forests and grasslands. Copies can be secured for $2.75 by 
writing the Superintendent of Document, Government Printing Office, Washington 20402. 
GUIDELINES TO CONSERVATION EDUCATION ACTION 
Izaak Walton League, Glenview, IIl., 1966. 132 pages. $2.50 
The product of a committee, the book’s preface announces that “this publi- 
cation has but one purpose: to get organized groups and individuals such 
‘as Izaak Walton League of America and the National Audubon Society 
and other groups to get behind worthwhile and much needed action pro- 
grams in conservation education.” The committee portrays the waste of 
‘wars and armed conflict, and admits that part of the blame for our waste- 
ful practices can be laid on our free enterprise system with its planned 
obsolescence. The book’s value lies in its numerous suggestions for local 
projects, many of a simple nature, and easily accomplished, by any club 
. individual. 
—Raymond Mostek 
