32 ILLINOIS AUDUBON BULLETIN 
BOOK REVIEWS 
THE POLITICS OF EXTINCTION: THE 
SHOCKING STORY OF THE 
WORLD’S ENDANGERED WILDLIFE 
by Lewis Regenstein 
Macmillan, New York 
1975, 280p., 33 b-w photos, $9.95. 
The Politics of Extinction is a hard-hitting, 
sometimes biased censure of politicians, gov- 
ernment agencies, and even ‘‘conservation’’ 
organizations for failing to take a firm stand to 
protect supposedly protected species. Public 
officials — presidents, senators, heads of state 
departments and conservation personnel — are 
named and their sins of omission or commis- 
sion exposed in detail. The World Wildlife 
Fund, National Wildlife Federation, National 
Park Service, the International Union for the 
Conservation of Nature, and even the National 
Audubon Society at times come in for criti- 
cism. Often it is a question of complete pro- 
tection vs ‘‘harvesting’’ and ‘‘managing’’ an- 
imal species. We ‘‘manage’’ animals that we 
want to hunt, trap, or utilize for our own 
selfish purposes. 
In spite of its invective — take heed hunters 
— there is much solid truth in this book. 
Regenstein, executive vice president of the 
Fund for Animals, has gone behind the scenes 
and ferreted out provocative, often shocking, 
data on the neglect or foot-dragging of re- 
sponsible agencies in failing to do their duty. 
Endangered and declining species — whales, 
seals, polar bears, grizzlies, ferrets, wild 
horses, mountain lions, even kangaroos (Re- 
genstein sometimes goes far afield) are still in 
danger; their hunting or ‘‘harvesting’’ is often 
condoned and even supported by the agencies 
supposed to protect them. Unfortunately there 
is no bibliography, which weakens the validity 
of Regenstein’s claims. 
Gathered in the center of the book, on 
glossy pages, are 16 pages (33 pictures) of 
excellent black and white photographs, mostly 
of endangered species. 
—George J. Wallace 
THE ECONOMICS OF NATIONAL 
FOREST MANAGEMENT 
by Marion Clawson 
Published by Resources for the Future 
Distributed by Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 
Baltimore 
1976, 117p., Illustrated with figures and 
tables, $4.50. 
This book concentrates upon national forest 
management. It analyzes all outputs of the 
forests, giving each equal consideration, but 
valuing all in economic terms. In the author’s 
view, economics does not mean only values 
which are measured in dollar terms. Non- 
marketplace items are included. 
—Lonnie Williamson 
PARENT BIRDS AND THEIR YOUNG 
by Alexander F. Skutch 
Univ. of Texas Press, Austin 
1976, 503p., 116 b-w photographs, 18 
tables, 19 figures, $27.50. 
Alexander Skutch is certainly one of the 
most knowledgable field students of the 
breeding biology of birds in the world today. 
This large volume summarizes, in a non-tech- 
nical presentation, what is known of the family 
life and reproductive behavior of the world’s 
birds. As an overview it is as comprehensive 
as is feasible within one volume. Further ref- 
erence is possible through the bibliography of 
over 800 titles. The chief fault, in the eyes of 
this reviewer, lies in the size of the finished 
product. The 8%” x 11” size and 1%” of 
thickness were necessitated by the double col- 
umn format and wide margins. This results in 
a high price for a book that is without color 
illustrations. It is still a fine book but perhaps 
out of the reach of many who would otherwise 
benefit from it. 
—Peter C. Petersen 
