next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
Hi, nature list subscribers- I was asked to look at and review a field guide for herps. Having no formal biology background did not deter me. I looked at the book with the eye of one who loves these "exotic" creatures. Please forgive errors or omissions in this lay person's review. Cheers, Joan FYI *_Reptiles and Amphibians of __Canada___ _* By Chris Fisher, Amanda Joynt, Ronald J. Brooks Edmonton: Lone Pine Publishing. 2007 Reviewed by Joan Czapalay for Laura Yeoman Snakes and their kin are fascinating creatures. We have filled our art and literature with Serpents, and these representations do not favour our understanding and comfort with a number of interesting members of the animal kingdom. Many of our impressions are negative, such as the hair of the witch Medusa, the temptation of Eve in the Garden, the ugly dragons, frogs and toads in fairy tales, and Cleopatra’s death by the sting of an asp. Here is a little book by Lone Pine Publishing which may help to eliminate our prejudices. At first glance the format is right for a day pack, the imagery is sharp in both photos and field drawings, the french names are included in each write up and the first part of the book has "Species at a Glance" pages, with pictures, English name, size in centimeters and page references for all. One opens to page 5 with all nine of our turtles there “at a glance”. How easy is that! Don’t skip the introduction which has interesting notes on forms and distribution. It is written for lay readers, rather than scientists, so will be useful in elementary classrooms and for young naturalists clubs. I look forward to reading about all 93 species of reptiles and amphibians which call Canada home, starting with the Western Skink, to which I first opened the book (pages 50-51). Since I have seen lizards in Nova Scotia only as fossil remains in Carboniferous rocks, I was happy to meet one in this book. (The _Amphibians and Reptiles of Nova Scotia_ by John Gilhen (Halifax: NS Museum, 1984) tells me that no lizards including the Five-lined Skink (p38) were found in Nova Scotia in Bleakney’s 1950 survey. So I began a skink learning journey. The Latin name is given under the English name at the beginning, in this case “Eumeces skiltonianus”. I checked on Spring Peepers, which used to be called “Pink-winks” in southern Nova Scotia, “Hyla crucifer” in our herp atlas, and see that they are now “Pseudacris crucifer”. The authors did their homework. The fine, coloured field drawing of the Five-lined Skink which ran onto the next page was partly obscured by the binding. This was not a problem with the pictures of the frogs, toads and most turtles. I would prefer to see the pictures of the reptiles smaller, rather than split. I appreciated the "Similar Species" pictures, the location map, and many relevant facts. A note of interest tells me that this skink can be found at elevations up to 2133 meters (7000 feet) and that it is listed as a species of special concern by COSEWIC. Just enough information was given for me to want to revisit the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. The 208 page book closes with a Glossary, list of Abbreviations and index. At $18.95 this book is a bargain! Buy it, use it, and report your field sighting to your provincial nature club. Good herping, everyone!
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects