African Wildlife and Environment Issue 67

GENERAL

GOOD READS

Book reviews by Dr John Ledger

Rhino Walker, Conita, with Sally Smith(2017). A Rhino in my Garden. Love. Life & the African Bush. Jacana Media, Auckland Park, South Africa. Soft cover, 24x15, 282 pp, illustrated with a centre colour section. ISBN 978-1-4314-2595-2. R240 Conita is the wife of Clive Walker, pioneer conservationist, author and co-founder of the Endangered Wildlife Trust. Her life begins on a remote missionary station, she survives the WW II bombing of Berlin, witnesses the defeat of repressive political systems in both Europe and South Africa, and ends up in the bush where she successfully rescued and hand reared a number of black and white rhino orphans. In her 50 year marriage to Clive, she has shared the trials and tribulations of trying to conserve parts of wild Africa. She was intimately involved in the establishment of the Lapalala Wilderness School, which has seen more than 80,000 children, teachers and university students pass through its doors. This is a thoughtful and moving story and well worth reading by anyone interested in the challenges of biodiversity conservation in the fast-changing and sometimes depressing world we find ourselves in. Highly recommended as a special Christmas gift.

Fish River Canyon Map Slingsby Maps (2017). Slingsby Maps AH05 Fish River Canyon. Slingsby Maps, Muizenberg, South Africa. A1+ full colour, double-sided map. Scale 1:40 000 (2.5cm = 1km); 10m contours; relief shading; 10” Long/Lat grid; Coords in DDMMSS format at all recognised path junctions; Contact numbers and detailed safety information; Waterproof and tear resistant in plastic

Bird Collectors Dean, WRJ (2016). Warriors, Dilettantes & Businessmen. Bird Collectors during the mid-19th to mid-20th Centuries in Southern Africa. The John Voelker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town. Hardcover, 25x17 cm, 196 pp, colour and B/W illustrations, photos and maps. ISBN 978-1 92060 -204-8. R280 . Printed and Distributed by Jacana Media. This deals with individuals who collected bird specimens in southern Africa in the period

wallet. ISBN 978-1-920377-33-5. Order online at https://slingsby-maps.myshopify.com/products/ants of-southern-africa. R190 Slingsby hiking and touring maps are the gold standard for hikers and adventurers in southern Africa. This latest addition to the extensive collection is the first to cover Namibia’s Fish River Canyon. The double sided A1 sized map covers the entire iconic canyon hike; on the reverse the complete and fascinating geological map of the oldest canyon on Planet Earth matches the hiking map exactly. The map is printed on Duraflex waterproof material and is packaged in a plastic pocket. Data collected over four years has informed the content of this first-ever detailed topographic map of the world famous canyon. The map shows the suggested sides of the river to hike on, all the short-cuts, the usually perennial pools, suggested overnight spots, and more. The map includes distances both down the river and along the recommended route, as well as GPS coordinates, altitudes, and other useful information. allocated to each species. Highly recommended.

between 1850 and 1950, and their contribution to the science of southern African ornithology. It also covers some of the history and the development of ornithology as a science in the region, which has an exceptionally rich bird fauna of some 900 species. It is often difficult to identify closely related species in the field, making it important to build up extensive collections of preserved bird skins and eggs in museums. These collections were used by several authors to provide material for books on birds during the period – Layard, Stark and Sclater, FitzSimons and Gill, to name a few. Austin Roberts, who compiled the first edition of the Birds of South Africa in 1940, extracted much of the original information from bird material that he had personally collected for the Transvaal Museum collection. A scholarly and interesting publication that will be of great value to anyone interested in the history of ornithology.

5 | African Wildlife & Environment | 67 (2017)