42 PE AUS Ds B*O NS 29 Uae, eh ieee 
ravages by trade, ship-borne in the earlier days, which demanded dredg- 
ing, draining and channel straightening (as of course today, though ac- 
celerated). At the same time occurred the near elimination of mammals, 
birds and reptiles by sport in addition to commercial shooting, trapping 
and “night-bagging.” Only late in the nineteenth century did some state 
laws prohibit night capture of birds and slaughter “at any time except 
in spring and fall.” Then some were near extinction. 
Later came the destruction of habitat for cattle and sheep grazing, 
hog pasturing, and then plow and harvester farming. In due course, resort 
and residential housing came, and, at last, industry! 
The “Death” chapter follows the nearly universal course of DDT treat- 
ment of mosquitos, spraying of weed killers, the inevitable run-off of 
farm fertilizers; then the building of marinas, with deeper dredging and 
higher spoils piles, restriction of tide flow by bridges, and as urbanization 
pressures encroached, pollution by liquid sewage and dumping of solid 
wastes. 
At last came a “contractor” who wanted the site for an industrial 
park. The property was put up for sale. “The history of the marsh was 
over ... to scores of animal species it had meant life. To the Indians it 
had meant food. To the first Deacon, it meant open space, a grassland in 
the wilderness, and sweet ground on which to found a dynasty. To the 
last Deacon, it meant money!” 
Although not in the book, we append this verse by Gerard Manley 
Hopkins: 
“What would the world be, once bereft 
Of wet and wilderness? Let them be left, 
O let them be left, wilderness and wet: 
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.” 
—Ray M. Barron 
A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF SOUTH AMERICA, 
by Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee 
Livingston Publishing Co., 18 Hampstead Circle, Wynnewood, Pa. 19096. 
470 pages. $20.00. 1970. Illustrated. 
Over 2,900 species of birds of our southern continent are listed in this 
new guide. The author is Curator of Birds at the Academy of Natural 
Sciences, Philadelphia. He suggests that though birds have been studied 
in South America for more than two centuries, the avifauna still present 
a tremendous challenge to the ornithologist. Evidently, little is known 
about their behavior and food habits. The continent suffers from a lack 
of Audubon clubs and natural history societies. 
Each family is given a short account, usually limited to a paragraph 
or two. Brief paragraphs are given to each species: the first describes 
the bird, the second indicates its range. 
Fifty plates in both color and black and white add value to the book, 
for at least one member of each family is shown; however, only a little 
more than one-fourth of the species are illustrated. The work of illustrat- 
ing the book was neatly divided: thirty plates were done by John R. Quinn. 
He depicted birds found chiefly in the south. The balance of the work 
was done by Earl Poole, portraying birds found in the north. Dr. George 
M. Sutton is credited with drawings of 22 species. 
—Raymond Mostek 
