l•g] 369
REVIEWS
Zoogeography: The Geographical Distribution of Animals.--Philip J.
Darlington,Jr. 1957. xi •- õ75 pp., 80 text figs. John Wiley & Sons,Inc., New
York. $15.00.--Azoogeographer must have an unusuallybroad background:he
mustknow many regionsof the world (preferablyfrom havingstudiedthem first
hand); he musthavea specialized knowledge of the systematics
and distributionof
one group of animalsand a broad knowledgeof both plants and animals;he
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musthavean historicalviewpoint,not only with respectto animal distributionbut
also with respectto geography,climate, and evolution; and he should be in a
positionto broadenhis backgroundthrough closecontactwith specialists in other
groupsof organismsthan his own. On thesebases,the author of the presenttext
is admirably qualified, and it is gratifying to find that he has produceda book
in which a tremendousquantity of useful information is collated.
Following the introduction, are chapterson the distribution of the fresh-water
fishes,amphibians,reptiles,birds, and mammals. The secondhalf of the book
containsdiscussions of continentalpatterns and faunal regions,island patterns,
evolutionof the geographicalpatterns,the past in the light of zoogeography, the
principlesof zoogeography, and the geographicalhistoryof man. The writing is
straightforward, if at timessomewhat ponderous, and the readeris frequentlyreferred
to other parts of the book for informationbearingon the matter being discussed.
It is a book to be studiedrather than read for pleasureor casualinformation.
This, I think, is an appropriate place to protest the repeated statementsto the
effectthat fossilbirds can tell us little about either the phylogenyor past distri-
bution of the group. Such statementsby influential biologistsare often based
on lack of knowledgeor interestin the field and have been responsiblefor delaying
important and much needed work in paleornithology. While fossilsof birds are
far fewer and often less completethan those of mammals, there are now in
museumsthousandsof unstudied bird fossils. Nor are these by any meansall from
Plioceneor Pleistocene deposits;there are, for instance,many hundredsof beauti-
fully preservedbird bonesfrom late Oligoceneor early Miocenedepositsin Europe,
the study of which will undoubtedlyadd valuable information on the phylogeny
of severalgroups.
Darlington's mistaken attitude toward paleornithologyhas resulted in the most
seriouserrors and omissionsin the chapter on birds. Gregory'simportant study
(Condor, $4-' 73-88, 1952) showingthat the jaws attributed to Ichthyornis were
in reality thoseof a mosasaur
wasevidentlyoverlooked,
for the Ichthyornithesare
listed as toothed birds. Another omissionwas Miller's study of the Miocene
hoatzin (Hoazinoides)suggesting relationshipsof that group to the cracids (Auk,
70: 484--489,1953). Mancalla, which was approximatelythe size of a murre, is
said to have been "comparableto the Great Auk in large size and in reduction
of wings." Actually,Mancallahad goneconsiderably
beyondthe GreatAuk in the
approachto a penguin-likeflipper. (And it should be added that those who
have carefullystudiedthis fossilagreethat it is distinctenough,not only in the
structureof the wing but alsoin the leg and other structures,to merit family rank.)
Anotherfamilynot recognized is that of the straight-billed
relativesof the flamingos,
the Paloelodidae. This is one of the best-knownfossilgroups (four Oligoceneor
Miocenespeciesalone are representedby hundredsof well-preserved bones)and is
universallyrecognized by studentsof fossilbirds. Includingit in the Phoenicopteri-
dae and omitting the Telmabatidaealtogetherwill be responsible for any failure
[' Auk
370 Reviews tVol.76
to givethe studentan understanding
of the widespread
radiationof the flamingo-
like birds in the early Tertiary.
Consideringthe extent to which a zoogeographer must rely on others for col-
lectingand evaluatinghis factualmaterial,Darlington'sbookis well preparedand
containsfewer errors than the first editions of most texts. Tighter organization of
the materialwould havemadespecificinformationeasierto locateand, by reducing
the numberof pages,wouldhavemadethe booklessexpensive.--RoBERT W. STOP•R.
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Wild Paradise. The Story of the Coto Dofiana Expeditions.-'-Guy Mountfort.
1958. 240 pp., 130 [Link] Eric Hosking;text figs. HoughtonMifflin
Co., Boston, Mass. $7.00. Originally published in England as "Portrait of a
Wilderness",this is an enjoyablereport of three trips by an international group
of distinguished
bird studentsto an area on the southwestcoastof Spain,between
the vast marismas (salt marshes) at the mouth of the Guadalquivir and the
Atlantic. The Coto Dofiana, a private estateof some67,000acres,is one of the
last comparativelyunspoiledlowland districtsremaining in westernEurope. It
is sandy country, with heaths, pinewoods,cork-oaksavannahand marshland,
remarkably rich in birds. About half the birds known [Tom Europe have been
observedin this region. Ecologicallyit is much like the well-known Camargueof
the Rhone Delta, but the scantinessof the human population, the protection
affordedby its aristocraticowners,and the proximity to Africa have preservedin
the Coto Dofiana a greater variety of breeding species,especiallyherons, ducks,
and birds of prey. Raptors of 11 speciesarc reported to breed regularly and
27 have been observed. Among the many splendid photographs,those of several
speciesof rare birds of prey are notably fine. Though designedas a popular,
informal account, the book contains much significant information on behavior,
ecologyand identificationaids, as well as lists of all tetrapod animals noted. An
ecologicalchapterby E. M. Nicholsonis very good.
The future of the marismas,with their great water-bird colonies,is far [TOm
secure. Unless large areas arc soon set aside as permanent sanctuariesbefore the
pressuresfor modernization become insuperable, Europe and the world--not
merely Spain--will lose a preciousand irreplaceablenatural resource. In these
times of rapid change,the enlightenedconservationinterest of the present Coto
Doffaria ownersgives no assuranceof permanent protection for even that area.--
E. EISENMANN.
Bird Hybrids. A Check-Listwith Bibliography.--AnnieP. Gray. 1958. x -{- 390
pp. CommonwealthAgricultural Burcaux, Farnham Royal, Bucks,England. Price
50 s. This bookis a veryusefulcompilationof recordedavianhybrids. The overall
organizationof the book is good. Hybrids are listed under the name of each
parental form, generally following the Wetmore classificationas to order and
family, but with the generaand specieslisted alphabeticallyunder each family.
For each reportedcrossthe author givesthe sex of each parent (when known),
information on the fertility or sterility of the F:'s, backcrosses
(if any), and literature
references(with indication of whether the hybrid is pictured). Lack of success
in attempts to obtain hybrids is also reported in many cases. The author shows
extremecare in dealing with the reliability of the reported hybrids,the text being
repletewith suchphrasesas"presumedhybrid,""allegedhybrid,""reportedhybrid,"
"reputed hybrid," etc.
The greatestnumberof hybridsare reportedfor the Anatidac (covering69
