BOOK REVIEWS 
PHOTOGRAPHING NATURE 
by Claude Nuridsany and Marie Perennou 
Oxford University Press, New York. 
1976, 157 pp., illustrated with photographs, 
$17.95. 
In addition to presenting intriguing infor- 
mation on plants and animals, this book is a 
practical guide that helps amateur photogra- 
phers with simple equipment to take their first 
steps into the world of macro-photography and 
experienced photographers with more sophis- 
ticated equipment to perfect their knowledge. 
The authors discuss the type of photogra- 
phic equipment to use, how to take good shots 
in field and in the home, color temperatures, 
flash/subject distances, and even how to build 
aquariums for ‘‘underwater’’ photographs. 
— Lonnie Williamson 
CHECKLIST OF THE WORLD’S BIRDS 
by Edward S. Gruson 
Quardrangle/The New York Times Book 
Co., N.Y. 
1976, 212 pp., $10.95. 
CHECKLIST OF THE WORLD’S BIRDS 
is a one-volume complete listing of all of the 
known bird species in the world. The usual 
nine to fifteen volumes have been computer- 
slimmed into one — a job too onerous before 
computer techniques. 
This handy reference work provides the 
scientific and English common names of each 
species as well as the zoogeographic regions in 
which the bird may be found. For each entry 
there is a reference to other sources containing 
additional details. 
For bird watchers, travelers and others, this 
checklist is a valuable volume. It is useful 
anywhere in the world. 
— Lonnie Williamson 
A GUIDE TO BIRD-WATCHING IN 
EUROPE 
by James Ferguson-Lees 
Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York 
1975, 334 pp. many maps and line draw- 
ings, $9.95 
The birder planning to visit Europe will find 
this book a quite useful reference to locate the 
various European birds. Sixteen authors, in 
addition to the three editors, have contributed 
sections on the various countries. Some au- 
thors cover the various locations listing the 
prevalent species at different seasons while 
others tell where to look for a particular spe- 
cies. They also give an insight into the general 
geological and biological features of their 
areas. The maps locate the best birding areas. 
Of great value is a table giving the status of the 
432 species to be found in Europe in each of 
31 countries and regions using twelve catego- 
ries. The U.S.S.R. is not covered at all. Ref- 
erences to local societies are included. Alto- 
gether this is a good book well-suited to its 
purpose. 
— Peter C. Petersen 
POTOMAC: THE NATION’S RIVER 
by Frank Graham, Jr. 
Lippincott Publishers, New York 
1976, 128 pp., color photos, $15.95. 
This handsome book takes the reader on a 
photographic exploration of the entire length 
of the Potomac River and its environs. The 
area is beautiful with great historical and re- 
source importance. 
Beginning at the river’s mouth on Chesa- 
peake Bay, the book’s story proceeds up the 
estuary where the capital was built, along the 
C&O Canal, by Harper’s Ferry, and to the 
source in the Allegheny Mountains of West 
Virginia. 
—Lonnie Williamson 
WATERFOWL OF NORTH AMERICA 
by Paul Johnsgard 
Indiana University Press, Bloomington 
1975, 640 pp., 64 line drawings 
32 color & 96 b-w photographs, 46 range 
maps, $25.00. 
There are many books on North American 
waterfowl, but this one tops them all. Consid- 
ering the price of other new books it must be 
considered a bargain. It deals with 55 species 
and truly covers North America, all areas from 
Panama north. For each species the distribu- 
tion, weights, measurements, identification 
marks, sex and age criteria, preferred habitat, 
food, ecology, migratory movements, social- 
ity, age at maturity, nest location, clutch size, 
incubation, fledging periods, pairing and 
flocking behavior, and copulatory, nesting, 
brooding and postbreeding behavior are given. 
The introductory section deals with general- 
ized migration and distribution patterns, hunt- 
ing and recreational values and waterfowl bi- 
ology in general. The birds are illustrated by 
line drawings, color and black-and-white pho- 
tographs. Range maps are included for all 
breeding species. 
— Peter C. Petersen 
