African Wildlife and Environment Issue 65

GENERAL

GENERAL

GOOD READS

Book reviews by Dr John Ledger

Ants Slingsby, Peter (2017). Ants of Southern Africa . The Ant Book for All *. Slingsby Maps, Muizenberg, South Africa. Soft cover 24x17 cm, 118 pp, illustrated throughout with colour photos, sketches and maps (inside front and back covers). ISBN 978-1-9202 7704 -5. R335. Order online at https:// slingsby-maps.myshopify. com/produc t s /ant s - o f -

Birding History Siegfried, Roy (2016). L evaillant’s Legacy: A History of South African Ornithology . Print Matters Heritage an imprint of Publishing Print Matters (Pty) Ltd, Noordhoek, Cape Town. Soft cover 21x14 cm, 118 pp, illustrated throughout with colour and monochrome photos, sketches and maps. ISBN 978-0-99224 -0301-1. R335 . Limited Edition, available online only from www. printmatters.co.za. The irony of this excellent book is that the author is himself a major role-player in the history of ornithology in South Africa, yet his own part is left out of the main body of the work! Thankfully Dr Morné du Plessis points out in his Foreword that Emeritus Professor Roy Siegfried, former Director of the Percy FitzPatrick Institute for Ornithology at the University of Cape Town, made a major contribution between the 1970s and the mid 1990s to put South Africa on the world map for ornithological expertise, research and training. Francois Levaillant (1753-1824) was a Frenchman who travelled extensively in South Africa from 1872 to 1874, and returned to

Birds at Sea Ryan, Peter (2016). Guide to Seabirds of Southern Africa . Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. Soft cover, 21x15 cm, 160 pp, illustrated in colour throughout with photographs and maps. ISBN 978-1-775 8-4519-5. R180 Worldwide, there are 350 species of seabirds, making up only 3%

France with more than 2 000 bird specimens. He then produced a number of books, including Histoire naturelle des oiseaux d’Afrique (1796–1808, 6 volumes) . Some of the splendid illustrations from these books are reproduced in Siegfried’s excellent and well-written history. This is a valuable contribution to the science of ornithology and should be read by anyone interested in South African birds.

southern-africa. R295 This brilliant new book deserves far more than a short review in African Wildlife & Environment , and we will be asking the author to write an article for our magazine about ants and the incredible amount of work that has gone into producing this excellent piece of work. Peter Slingsby is an artist, writer, cartographer and ‘amateur’ ant enthusiast who has incorporated a lifetime of talent into this exceptional book. The * in the title stands for’*Bewildered Beginners, Excited Enthusiasts and even Puzzled Professionals’. Peter’s enthusiasm for ants, his publishing skills acquired over years of producing the excellent Slingsby Maps, and the outstanding photography of cardiologist Philip Herbst, make this one of the most outstanding natural history publications ever produced in South Africa. Words cannot describe my admiration for what has been achieved here – it is a shining example of what a motivated individual can do to make a mark in the world of natural history citizen science, and go on to do the technical layout and reproduction for an exceptional publication that will stand for a very long time as an example of the impact of the modern era of self-publishing. Well done Peter Slingsby – what an inspiration to all of us!

of total global bird species, yet they occupy over 70% of the world’s surface (the oceans). In Southern Africa there are 132 species, some of which are only accessible to birders who can go to sea, or visit the Atlantic islands and Antarctica. This outstanding and highly recommended book is primarily an identification guide, with multiple photographs of each species, distribution maps, clear ID pointers, plus information on biology and behaviour. There is an excellent introduction that covers many aspects and issues that affect seabirds, like conservation. House Mice were inadvertently introduced to Marion and Gough Islands; then cats were introduced to Marion to kill mice – they went feral and killed masses of seabirds. Cats have now been eradicated from Marion, but the mice now kill many seabird chicks on both islands by eating them alive! Mice must fall…

Reptiles Branch, Bill (2016). Pocket Guide: Snakes and other reptiles of Southern Africa . Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. Soft cover, 18x11 cm, 152 pp, illustrated in colour throughout with photographs, and distribution. ISBN 978-1- 77584 -164-7. R150

Mutant Byrd Guide Dr Jack (2016). Dr Jack’s Third Illustrated South African Byrd Book . Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. Soft cover, 21x14 cm, 72 pp, illustrated by sketches, one bird per page. ISBN 978-1- 77584 -528-7. R120. R120 This little gem is an ideal gift for your bird-watching friends,

especially the twitchers and those who take their birding too seriously. Dr Jack is a highly talented artist whose caricatures of politicians, businessmen, and others in the public eye appear in leading publications. He is also a birder with a genius for turning a bird’s name into a really funny caricature. It is hard to verbally describe the illustrations adequately, but they are very entertaining and very funny, often with a wry social innuendo attached. For example, the South African Shel(l)duck has the petroleum multinational’s shell emblem on its head, and its call is “Frack! Frack!” The Tinkling Cisticola has an expression of blessed relief on its face. The Rock Dove is perched on the neck of a guitar, with a ‘zol’ in his beak. The African Grass Owl is likewise high on the ‘weed’. And the Scarce Swift? Well, being so scarce, the page is blank!

Southern Africa hosts a diverse reptile fauna of more than 600 species, of which nearly 70% are ‘endemic’ to the region, being found nowhere else. This new pocket guide features 276 of the more colourful and conspicuous species, as well as those that are unique or endangered in the region. Dr Bill Branch is a well-known herpetologist who has worked in the field in more than 20 African countries, and has published extensively in his speciality. This handy little book features authoritative text describing key identification features, full colour photographs, and distribution maps showing the range of each species. There are introductory sections on how to use the book, field hints and habitats of southern Africa. The descriptions of the reptiles then follow in the order of snakes, lizards, crocodiles and chelonians. The photos are superb, and this is an outstanding little publication.

Insects Holm, Erik (2017). Insectopedia . The secret world of southern African insects . Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. Soft cover, 21x18 cm, 208 pp, illustrated in colour throughout with photographs and diagrams. ISBN 978-1-7758-4224-8. R290 This is a fully redesigned, updated and revised iteration of its predecessor (2008). It is an excellent book that will be of great value to nature enthusiasts, teachers, students, farmers and gardeners. It explores the fascinating and infinitely varied world of insects, from mating and breeding, metamorphosis and movement, to sight, smell, hearing and adaptations to heat and cold. A chapter on ‘superorganisms’ looks at social insects; another deals with their role

in balancing ecosystems, spreading human disease, and destroying crops. The final 60 pages comprise a field guide to identification of the major groups. The book is very well designed and has numerous excellent photographs. The pages layouts are very innovative and lively, with many ‘fascinating facts’ that catch the eye. The series of photographs showing mating is titled ‘Insect Kama Sutra’. This book is highly recommended, and hopefully will introduce many young people to the wonderful world of insects.

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