Book Reviews

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="096d4c00dduajq.gif"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="95" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 46 WIDTH="91"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="46" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="91" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id81.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ro Wauer"><U>Ro Wauer</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#003333" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Best of Texas Nature Writing . . . </B></FONT>     |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Best of Texas Nature Writing . . . "><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id116.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Current Column"><U>Current Column</U></A>   |   <B>Book Reviews</B>   |   <A HREF="id130.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Archives 1: 2003"><U>Archives 1: 2003</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id172.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Archives 2: 2004"><U>Archives 2: 2004</U></A></div> <div> Book Reviews</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Mammals of North America</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <div>  © <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >2003 Ro Wauer</FONT></div> <bR> <div>      "Mammals of North America," a new Princeton Field Guide by Roland Kays and Don Wilson, is a most welcome reference book for anyone interested in wildlife. All of North America's 442 mammal species that occur north of Mexico, along with an abundance of good to excellent illustrations, are included in this 5x8-inch field guide. It contains all of the common and scientific mammal names, many that have been changed by the scientific community since the last comparable field guide hit the market many years ago. Because of its currency, this book is a must for layman and scientists alike. It is a marvelous addition to our field guides that undoubtedly will become well used both at home and on the road. </div> <bR> <div>      When traveling, one of the most appealing of all small mammals is the chipmunk. But did you know that there are 22 species in all? Seven occur in the Southwest, three in the East, three in the Rocky Mountains, five in Southern California, six in the Northwest Inland area, and five in the Northwest Coastal area (some overlap). There are no chipmunks in South Texas. All are well illustrated and described in this new field guide that uses the most recent taxonomy and common names. </div> <bR> <div>      The authors begin "Mammals of North America" with some worthwhile introductory materials, including an extensive "Quick Mammal ID Chart." The 108 color and five black-and-white plates of illustrations start with opossums and armadillos and are followed by several plates of shrews, rodents, and then all the higher mammals such as the carnivores, coyotes, cats and skunks; ungulates, such as deer and elk; and eventually the bats and the marine mammals, such as seals and whales. Plate 96 includes exotic ungulates such as fallow deer and Barbary sheep. The whale plates are divided into the large whales without dorsal fins and those without dorsal fins. Plates 105 and 106 include bow-riding dolphins and whales illustrated as one might see them from the bow of a boat. And Plates 109 and 110 illustrate whale and dolphin dive sequences. Really good stuff for anyone spending time offshore. And as might be expected, there are several that include a variety of scats, ranging from carnivores to cottontails and even bats. Mammal tracks are included on the backsides of the front and ending pages. An excellent index and a glossary are included, as well.</div> <bR> <div>      The book is well organized. Descriptive narratives and range maps are included directly across from each illustration, providing an excellent overall perspective of each species. For example, Plate 78 includes the larger foxes: red, gray, and island gray. The maps for both the red and gray foxes show that both of these species occur in east Texas, with the range of the gray fox extending into all of South Texas, while the range of the red fox reaches only the northeastern half of the state, but not too far away for the Central Gulf Coast. The treatment for the bats is also excellent. The authors illustrate all the species on ten plates, with an additional plate including heads only of the confusing cave bats. A fascinating touch that can be very helpful. There are numerous other worthwhile hints. For instance, a pen and ink sketch of a skull shows how to separate the look-alike eastern and New England cottontails. </div> <bR> <div>      "Mammals of North America" is available from Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, NJ 08540, for $19.95 paper or $49.50 cloth. I ordered mine online by going to <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><U>www.google.com</U></FONT> and pulling up Princeton University Press. I have not found the book as yet in bookstores. The 240 pages are well worthwhile. It is a must-buy for sportsman, hikers, naturalists, and other outdoor people. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Trees of Texas</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <div>  © <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >2003 Ro Wauer</FONT></div> <bR> <div>      The new book - Trees of Texas by Carmine Stahl and Ria McElvaney - is a winner! This book is a very different from any of the other tree books for Texas because it contains life-sized images of leaves so that anyone can easily compare them with the real thing, making tree identification easier than ever before. The new Trees of Texas will be extremely helpful for students, teachers, field naturalists, and just about anyone interested in identifying and learning more about Texas trees. </div> <bR> <div>      This book uses a very simple two-step process for tree identification. I tried it with leaves from my yard and found it very, very easy. For instance, one of my yard leaves contained several large pointed leaflets (compound leaf) with rough edges. The book's key to leaf shapes instructed me to turn to pages 182-197. I then compared my leaf with the images on those pages, and I readily found a match on page 186: Mexican buckeye. Page 186 not only contains exact images of the leaf, but also of the tree's flowers and seed-pods, along with a descriptive narrative. </div> <bR> <div>      The author's narrative: "Mexican buckeye produces rich foliage and pretty spring blossoms that resemble the fuchsia clusters of redbud (p.127) flowers except that they are larger and sparser. The interesting seed-pods consist of three compartments, each holding a round, marble-sized black seed. These seeds are toxic to humans, but rural children found a use for them long ago - as marbles...This attractive small tree often develops a shrublike form with several trunks. Despite its common name, it is not a true buckeye (p.211) but rather a cousin of the western soapberry (p.178)...Mexican buckeye thrives in Central, South, and West Texas, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. It has recently received more recognition as an ornamental, and today its admirers often plant it in landscapes outside its native range." Good information, but not too technical or detailed.</div> <bR> <div>      This new book contains more than 200 Texas trees, all with images and narratives like the one above for the Mexican buckeye. The majority of the 200 species are native trees, but several "naturalized" trees are included as well. But there is more. The book also includes extensive lists of "Tree Families," with all of the known Texas tree species, as well as a second list of the "Scientific and Common Names." Additional lists include "Introduced Species," 25 species; "Trees by Region," including all ten vegetation regions of the state; "Butterfly Host Trees," only nine, such as hackberry, ash, and willows; "Light and Water Requirements;" "Recipes for Wild Edibles," including pecan pie, acorn bread, mayhaw jelly, and yaupon tea; "Glossary," and "Bibliography." The bibliography includes books and an extensive list of electronic sources. I checked out some of the web pages and discovered tons more of really great information about trees and plants in general.</div> <bR> <div>      The two authors include a naturalist and forester, Carmine Stahl, who recently retired from Mercer Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, and Ria McElvaney, an attorney and illustrator. The idea for the book originated with Ria's frustrations in her attempt to learn more about trees. Trees of Texas, with a subtitle "An Easy Guide to Leaf Identification," was published by Texas A&M University Press. It contains 338 pages, 270 b&w photos, and 18 color photos. It is available only in hardcover at $29.95. It should be available in most bookstore, or it can be ordered direct from Texas A&M University Press at 1-800-826-8911. </div> <bR> <div>      I personally recommend this marvelous, new book to anyone with even the slightest interest in what trees grow in their yards, students interested in good grades in science or plant taxonomy, or those of us with a curiosity about our great outdoors. - Ro Wauer</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>The Butterflies of North America</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <div>  © <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >2003 Ro Wauer</FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div>     The new "Butterflies of North America," a Kaufman Focus Guide by Jim Brock and Ken Kaufman, is without doubt the very best of the numerous butterfly field guides on the market today. This book is a must for anyone interested in butterflies, whether they are a novice or a long-time enthusiast. No other butterfly field guide covers all of North America's abundant species, including those found only in Texas. The authors utilize more than 2,300 images in natural lifelike poses to illustrate the North American butterfly fauna. This is one marvelous book!</div> <bR> <div>     The butterflies are grouped by families or subfamilies and all keyed to a pictorial table of contents in the first four pages. This system helps considerably when searching for various species. The illustrations within the pictorial table also provide the novice with a quick first-cut idea of the various groupings. Once a proper grouping is found, the illustrations, almost all from photographs taken in the field, usually include several views of each species. These include a typical view as one might see it in the field, as well as an underside or upperside view not usually visible. At times, when a species may appear somewhat different in various parts of the country, or when males and females look different, two or more images are included. At other times, a grouping will include a look-alike species, such as the Monarchs and Viceroys, to help the user separate those species.</div> <bR> <div>     Most of the illustrations are similar to the true size of the actual butterfly, large for the larger swallowtails and small for the smaller blues and crescents. When groupings do not permit the necessary space, an "actual size" silhouette is included in the upper right corner of the page. With rare exceptions, this method works very well. Another valuable technique used with many of the illustrations is a pinlike pointer that points out key field marks. This technique helps one zero in on the field mark(s) that is extremely helpful in identifying a particular species. </div> <bR> <div>     Illustrations, however, are only one part of a useful field guide. The other is the text. And the quality of the narratives in this new field guide equal that of the illustrations. The layout of the book includes narratives, along with range maps, directly across from the pertinent illustrations. All of these are well done. They discuss the major characteristics, larval foodplants, as well as other useful information. For example, the text for Rounded Metalmark includes the following: "South Texas only, common in lower Rio Grande Valley, where it flies all year (multiple broods). Difficult to separate from Fatal or Rawson's metalmarks. Forewings may look subtly more rounded, with fringes less clearly checkered." All three are possible in our area. </div> <bR> <div>     The range maps are generally very well done, certainly well enough for the majority of regions across North America. For South Texas, however, because it is an area where tropical species often occur as a temporary colonist or stray only, the maps occasionally are less exact. The authors have done an admirable job in addressing this situation by including a dotted line that illustrates the potential larger area. More often than not, they are right on! </div> <bR> <div>     Another portion of the Brock-Kaufman book is the introductory section that includes narratives on identifying butterflies, finding butterflies, the butterfly's life cycle, how butterflies are classified and named, and other activities involving butterflies. Instead of being boring, as these topics often are in field guides, the authors have done a remarkable job in keeping the narrative interesting and informative. Another plus!</div> <bR> <div>     I am sure that by now that the reader is wondering how much such a field-friendly book might cost. And that is still another plus! This 5x7.5-inch book (its fits perfectly in my back pocket), with 384 pages, a plasticized cover, and quality binding, sells for under $25.00. You can't go wrong! All good nature bookstores are selling this class A product!</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <div> © <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >2003 Ro Wauer</FONT></div> <bR> <div>        Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica, by Carrol L. Henderson, is a good reference for anyone planning on visiting this marvelous country in Central America. The book is filled with color photographs of wildlife and scenery and numerous maps. The diversity of wildlife photographs range from butterflies to mammals, most of which are first class images taken by photographer Steve Adams. Nearly 300 species are illustrated. And the 275 full-color shots of the country's great scenery and maps provide good insight into the biogeography of the country. </div> <bR> <div>        Henderson's Costa Rica book is most valuable as a pre-trip reference on the country and the key wildlife viewing sites. It includes excellent background on Costa Rican research, conservation, environmental education, and nature tourism. And it also provides the reader with a good perspective on Costa Rica's major biological zones. These include tropical dry forest, southern Pacific lowlands, central plateau (central valley), Caribbean lowlands, highlands, and coastal beaches and mangrove lagoons. This 559-page book, published by the University of Texas Press, sells for $39.95 paperback (ISBN 0-292-73459-X) or $95.00 library edition (ISBN 0-292-73128-0).</div> <bR> <div>          Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica is less a field guide than a grand picture book. Nearly two inches thick, it is not a book I would want to take into the field. And the abundant illustrations are of the more common species only, including several that are commonplace in the United States. To be most useful as a field guide would require illustrations of Costa Rica's more unique species, those that are not already illustrated in numerous other guide books. For instance, of 16 butterflies that are illustrated, only five are not also illustrated in various other butterfly field guides. Of 183 bird species illustrated (of a grand total of 878 possible species), only a few of Costa Rica's specialties are included. Instead, species also common in the United States, such as the brown pelican, turkey and black vultures, white ibis, roseate spoonbill, black-bellied whistling-duck, green heron, broad-winged hawk, acorn woodpecker, great-tailed grackle, and Baltimore oriole, are included. Only a handful of the specialty birds are illustrated. These include great shots of king vulture, double-toothed kite, white hawk, sunbittern, spectacled owl, purple-throated mountain-gem (hummingbird), bicolored antbird, spot-crowned euphonia, and speckled and silver-throated tanagers for example. </div> <bR> <div>         The selection of 32 mammals, of a possible total of 228 species, also contains a number of species that seldom are illustrated in books. Examples include prehensile-tailed porcupine, sac-wing and tent-making bats, red-backed squirrel monkey, tamandua or collared anteater, paca, tayra, kinkajou, and Baird's tapir. But also included are white-tailed deer, armadillo, collared peccary (javelina), and humpback whale.           </div> <bR> <div>           Additional highpoints in this Costa Rica book include an excellent glossary of terms, good literature cited listing following each section, a section that briefly describes 52 wildlife-viewing sites (this may be one of the more worthwhile sections), and a good index. The author, Carrol Henderson, is a professional wildlife biologist living in Minnesota. He has made over 25 trips to Costa Rica since 1969, and has led over 35 birding and wildlife tours there and throughout Latin America. The value of this book is providing much worthwhile information for anyone planning a wildlife trip to Costa Rica.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Texas Mountains & Herbs for Texas</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <div> © <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >2003 Ro Wauer</FONT></div> <bR> <div>          Two truly outstanding books appeared last year that received little attention at the time. But both of these marvelous books - Texas Mountains and Herbs for Texas - deserve considerable praise. Texas Mountains contains 120 color photographs of mountain scenery and subjects by one of the country's really superb photographers, Laurence Parent. His photography, accompanied with a text by Joe Nick Patoski, offers breathtaking views of Texas mountains, including the well-known Guadalupe, Davis and Chisos Mountains, as well as lesser-known ranges such as the Sierra Diablo, Eagle, Chinati, Beach, and Christmas Mountains.</div> <bR> <div>         We have all seen Parent's photographs in almost every issue of Texas Parks & Wildlife, Texas Highways, and Texas Monthly, as well as numerous national magazines, but Texas Mountains provides a marvelous showcase for his talent. I am especially impressed with the many shots of the Big Bend Country. Having spent a good part of my life in this wild West Texas setting, I can truly appreciate the beauty of Parent's photography. Each individual picture offers insight into the place and into Parent's obvious patience to capture just the right mood. For anyone who loves West Texas, this book is a must buy. It is almost as good being there at all the right times.</div> <bR> <div>           Herbs for Texas is a very different kind of book. Written by well-known botanist Howard Garrett, with veteran herbalist Odena Brannam, instead of containing great scenery, this book contains almost anything anyone would want to know about 150 Texas herbs. Each entry includes a photograph and a narrative that offers ideas for using each herb in gardening and cooking (with occasional recipes) as well as its medicinal uses and instructions for making teas. In addition, Garrett sets forth the basics of organic gardening, including pest control, and discusses how to design an herb garden. He also discusses how to raise roses, pecans, and fruit trees without chemicals.</div> <bR> <div>          This herb book contains an amazing amount of information that is not available in any other single source. It is a great book for homeowners, gardeners, landscapers, chefs, herbalists, and health care providers. I found it to be a marvelous reference for any Texas herb. Alfalfa, allspice, aloe vera, basil, blackberry, chives, clover, coriander, dill, fennel, garlic, ginger, horehound, lavender, lemongrass, licorice, Mexican oregano, mint, mustard, parsley, peppergrass, rose, sage, St. John's wort, thyme, and yarrow are only a few of the herbs discussed in this book. </div> <bR> <div>        Both these books are products of the University of Texas Press, P.O. Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819. Texas Mountains contains 156 pages and sells for $39.95, hardcover (ISBN 0-292-76592-4); it is a wonderful coffee table book. Herbs for Texas contains 258 and sells for $29.95, paperback (ISBN 0-292-72830-1), or $60.00, hardcover (ISBN 0-292-78173-3); it is an excellent reference book.              </div> <div>  </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>"</B><B>The Road to El Cielo"</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>is About a Superb, Isolated Place in Nearby Mexico</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <div> © <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >2003 Ro Wauer</FONT></div> <bR> <div>        This marvelous book is subtitled "Mexico's Forest in the Clouds," providing a clue to an area in Tamaulipas that is considered the northernmost cloud forest. Although it seems remote and distant, the entrance to this unique region it is only a day's drive from the Border. The nearest village is Gomez Farias, about two hours south of Cd. Victoria. </div> <bR> <div>       "The Road to El Cielo," written by Fred and Marie Webster of Austin, contains some truly wonderful descriptions of the region, including details of the routes to the heart of the El Cielo area, Rancho del Cielo. This site is surrounded by forest, where Marie conducted a series of breeding bird surveys during the 1940s and 50s. Since then, Christmas Bird Counts have been undertaken in the area almost every year. Four years ago, I participated in one of those counts, staying at the rather rough accommodations at the Rancho. It was a great experience there among oak-sweetgum woodlands in the highlands on the Sierra de Guatemala.    </div> <bR> <div>          Fred and Marie first visited Rancho del Cielo in 1964, where they met a Canadian immigrant Frank Harrison, who had settled there and carved out a small clearing where he raised his own food. They fell in love with the area on that first trip and returned on many occasions. Their book discusses their various trips and the changes that occurred within the region. They document the invasion of loggers and farmers that began to severely impact the wild character of the landscape. Harrison was eventually murdered by a party of the "agrarians." </div> <bR> <div>          The Websters tell a fascinating story about the efforts to protect this unique environment. In spite of the difficulties of protecting land in Mexico, the State of Tamaulipas eventually established a 360,000-acre El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, a United Nations designation. A Biosphere Reserve includes a fully protected core area and surrounding land with villages and activities that provide work related the protection of the core resources. </div> <bR> <div>         For birders and other nature lovers, "The Road to El Cielo" is a must-read. It offers an entertaining and informative account of a magical place. Their descriptions of the bird life, the abundant mammal predators that roam the forest, and the vegetation offer insights into an area of Mexico that few Norte Americanos have any knowledge about. Their adventures into the mountains, their struggle to help preserve the land, and their contacts with the friendly and not so friendly folks of the area make it a most enjoyable read. </div> <bR> <div>         "The Road to El Cielo" contains a forward by an eminent scientist who has studied the region, Dr. Paul Martin, as well as 27 line bird drawings by Nancy McGowan who also provided excellent drawing for a couple of my book. This book ($34.95, hardcover) was published by the University of Texas Press (ISBN 0-292-79149-2), but is available in Victoria at Tricia's Antiques and Gifts at 117 John Stockbauer.      </div> <bR> <div>        The Websters firsthand reporting, enlivened with vivid tales of the people, land, and birds of El Cielo, adds an engagingly personal chapter to the story of conservation in Mexico.                    </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>The Purple Martin</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <div> © <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >2003 Ro Wauer</FONT></div> <bR> <div>        The Purple Martin, by Robin Doughty and Rob Fergus, arrives at a must appropriate time, when these large purple swallows are again taking up residence in our yards. This lovely little book can answer every question you ever had about purple martins. Chapters cover purple martin taxonomy, migration and range, the history of people's interest in martins, conservation, life history, and even purple martin landlords.  </div> <bR> <div>        The authors present a concise natural history of the bird and its centuries-long companionship with people. They relate stories of how Native Americans and European colonists attracted purple martins, and also how Americans throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries helped martins survive the loss of natural nesting sites by providing houses for them. There are as many as 6 million martins living in more than a million colonies in North America.</div> <bR> <div>          Did you know that there are seven species of martins in the Americas? But only the purple martin (Progne subis) occurs in the United States. The authors point out that the common name - martin - is derived "from the Latin "Mars," the Roman God of War. The diminutive "ten" or "tin" is a pet name, leading to speculation that "little mars" refers to the first moth of the yearly calendar - the warring season, when the first so-called scouts arrive in the United States." </div> <bR> <div>         Although principally a bird of the eastern half of the U.S., it also breeds in central Canada, a portion of the Sonoran Desert, where it nests in saguaro cacti, and along the West Coast. In winter, all the North American birds occur in South America. The authors discuss records of birds banded in Duncanville, Denton, and Spearman, Texas that have been recovered in Sao Paulo, Brazil. One bird banded in Oregon was recovered some 6,700 miles away in southeast Brazil. </div> <bR> <div>         They also include a map that illustrates the various roost sites, places where martins gather before their southward migration. Several of these staging areas can be found in Texas, such as the well-known site at Lake Livingston. The largest know roost site of 700,000 martins is located on a small island in Lake Murray, South Carolina. Another site is situated on the south side of the Causeway Bridge across Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans, where numbers have been estimated on excess of 200,000 birds. Although many of the eastern birds migrate over the Gulf of Mexico, either from the tip of Florida or from Louisiana, the majority passes through Texas. </div> <bR> <div>          In the life history section of this informative book, the authors list an amazing variety of "Martin Foods" that include every kind of insect imaginable. They include a photo of a photo of a sign near Griggsville, Illinois that reads "America's Most Wanted Bird - Can eat 2,000 mosquitoes a day." They also list nest competitors: European starling, house sparrow, house wren, and tree swallow. And the most frequent predators include raccoon, great horned owl, barred owl, eastern screech-owl, and four snakes species: black and yellow rat snakes, corn snake, and fox snake.</div> <bR> <div>         Another fascinating section of the book is on martin vocalizations. The authors list and describe eleven vocalizations, ranging from their well-known dawn song to a subsong, croak and chortle songs, cheer and choo calls, to a juvenile call. Their dawn song is thought to attract other martins to a nest site in order to enhance colony formation.  </div> <bR> <div>        This is a great book, and anyone even slightly interested in purple martins cannot help but thoroughly enjoy this comprehensive publication. It includes 128 pages, 16 color and 4 black-and-white illustrations, and four maps. And with a moderate price of $19.95, it is sure to be another success for the University of Texas Press. The ISBN is 0-292-71615-X. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>God's Country or Devil's Playground</B></div> <div> <B>edited by Barney Nelson</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <div> © <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >2003 Ro Wauer</FONT></div> <bR> <div>        This is a book especially for all those who love West Texas, particularly the Big Bend Country and the adjacent wild lands of northern Mexico. It contains a marvelous selection of short and longer articles by a wide assortment of authors, from Edward Abbey to O.W. Williams to your's truly. Article dates extend from John Bartlett's 1850 piece, "Horse-Head Crossing to Delaware Creek," and William's 1908 "The Lobo," to Mary Austin's "Jornada del Mureto," published in 1924, to Kirby Warnock's 1982 piece, "Ghost Lights," above the Marfa lights.</div> <bR> <div>        "God's County or Devil's Playground" covers a huge diversity of topics, from geology, such as Kenneth Ragsdale's fascinating article, "Cinnabar," and Walter Prescott Webb's "Wrecked Earth;" various animals, such as Frederick Olmsted's classic "The Mustangs;" to various plants, such as Keith Elliott's "The Marvelous Maligned Mesquite."  Other animal articles include some of my long-time favorites, some that I read years ago, but somehow got away. Evelyn Mellerd's 1977 piece on scaled quail - "They Live Here Too - Our Quail" is a favorite, as is Virginia Madison's "Pronghorn," and Vernon Bailey's 1905 classic: "Mexican Bighorn."  Of course, William's "The Lobo" is one that should be read by anyone who loves the outdoors. Plus, Roy McBride's "Las Margaritas," about a Mexican wolf that eluded him for years, is one that I had never before read. And I suppose to counterbalance those two wolf pieces there is John Duval's "Mr. Cooper was a Humbug," about being attached by wolves and his incredible escape by climbing into a high snag for the night. </div> <bR> <div>           Barney Nelson's selection also includes a few articles that are centered in northern Mexico. The best of all these, of course, is a chapter - "Maderas del Carmens" - from my book, "Naturalist's Mexico." It covers several trips that I took into the highlands of Mexico's Sierra del Carmens. Barney also includes a marvelous 1949 article by Aldo Leopold, "Guacamaja," about his search for the thick-billed parrot. Bob Burleson and David Riskin's "Rural Housing" includes fascinating descriptions of Mexican frontier housing. In addition, Joe Graham's article - "Candelilla Wax" - offers the reader a really good perspective of the candelilla wax industry, including the processing and transportation. And a new translation of Antonio de Espejo's 1583 article, "Exploring the Rios" is also included.         </div> <bR> <div>         Several articles that might be lumped into an adventure category are included, as well. My favorite is Robert Hill's "Running the Canons of the Rio Grande," a true classic. And "My Final Trip," an article Fred McCarty, describes a near fatal river trip through Santa Elena Canyon. Louis Agassiz Fuertes's "A Letter from the Chisos Mountains, " Herbert Brandt's "Birding at Boot Spring" are two favorites. And Nelson has even included William H. Echols's 1860 article, "The Camel March," about the Army's early experiments on using camels in desert areas. </div> <bR> <div>           From the above you can readily see that "God's Country or Devil's Playground" contains a bunch of articles that truly express the essence of the Texas Big Bend and adjacent Mexican frontier region. Nelson, professor at Sul Ross State University at Alpine, introduces six sections of articles with her own perspective. Her anthology contains nearly 60 articles that she believes are the very best nature writing from the Big Bend of Texas. The authors include several well-know writers as well explorers, trappers, cowboys, tourists, historians, and waitresses. Her selection is excellent!</div> <bR> <div>          "God's Country or Devil's Playground" was published by the University of Texas Press (ISBN 0-292-75580-5). It contains 347 pages and is available both paperback (at $22.95) and hardcover (at $60.00).  </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>The Behavior of Texas Birds</B></div> <div> <B>Ro Wauer</B></div> <div> © <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >2003 Ro Wauer</FONT></div> <bR> <div>        This book - The Behavior of Texas Birds - is the first of its kind. It is a superb book! Anyone interested in birds, whether they are avid birders or only watch yard birds, will want to own this one. Written by Kent Rylander, Professor of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University, this book will serve as an excellent resource for all of us that want to know more about bird behavior, beyond the basics included in field guides. It is very obvious that the author has acquired years of good data, and he has been able to compile that information into an easily usable reference.</div> <bR> <div>         Rylander begins by explaining the principals of animal behavior and illustrating how they can be applied to interpreting bird behavior in the field. Then he goes about discussing the behavior of more than 400 of our Texas birds. Each species account describes such behaviors as feeding, courtship, parenting, and other behaviors that are significant for that species. He also incorporates significant references, all of which are listed after the species accounts by bird groups.</div> <bR> <div>         To illustrate how useful this book is for my readers, here are a few examples. He points out that grebes feed principally on fish, but they also consume lots of feathers. They even "feed feathers to their young. It was formerly thought that feathers protect the intestinal walls from being injured by fish bones, but more likely grebes ingest feathers as a way of recycling oils and other nutrients." For wood ducks, Rylander explains that they walk erect on can even run on the forest floor "where they consume more acorns than any other waterfowl." He also explains why ducks possess a more complex courtship display than most birds: ducks usually select a new mate each year, and one way she is able to select a mate of her own species is not by the drake's appearance as much as by its unique courtship display. </div> <bR> <div>           Three raptor characteristics seemed fascinating: Bald eagles seem to play a good deal. "For example, several birds spiral high into the air while following a bird that is carrying a stick. When the bird drops the stick, another bird catches the stick before it reaches the ground, and then this bird flies up and drops the stick." Red-tailed hawk eyesight is remarkable, "capable of focusing on potential prey at 500 feet or more." And the mate selection of American kestrels is determined by the female that copulates with several males: "This behavior is sometimes explained by the mate assessment hypothesis, which maintains that birds assess the genetic potential of other birds by frequently copulating with them."</div> <bR> <div>          Did you know that our common Inca dove roosts in pyramids during cold weather? Rylander wrote: "Frequently, 50 or more birds flock together in winter. In cold weather a dozen or more perch on each others' backs to form a pyramid two or three tiers deep. They remain like this for about an hour during the day, evidently to maintain body warmth."  And our little Eastern screech-owl brings live worm snakes to its nest. "These small, wormlike snakes are released in the nest's debris, where they burrow out of sight and eat insects and mites. Owlets in nests with these snakes grow faster - and have a lower mortality - than those raised without snakes."</div> <bR> <div>          The Behavior of Texas Birds is filled with such fascinating information. Rylander mentions that a pair of scissor-tailed flycatchers placed their nest on a working oil pump and "successfully raised their young in spite of the incessant up and down movements." And did you know that female cardinal (redbirds) "with brighter underwing plumage spend more time feeding their offspring than those having duller underwing plumage. This relationship supports the good-parent hypothesis, which proposes that color brightness signals to a potential mate how well she will care for her offspring."</div> <bR> <div>         This is an amazing book, filled with lots of fascinating tidbits. Published by the University of Texas Press, it sells for $26.95 paperback, or $60.00 library edition. In the Texas Coastal Bend, it can be purchased at Tricia's Antiques and Gifts, 117 John Stockbauer, in Victoria.   </div> <div>  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>