Holroyd, Geoffrey L.

English

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CULPEPER, N. n.d.  Culpeper’s  Complete  Herbal.  London: W. Foulsham 81 Co. Ltd. (Author lived 1616-54.) HELLER,  C. 1974. Wild, Edible, and  Poisonous  Plants of Alaska.  Fairbanks: University of Alaska Extension Service Publication No. 40. LAVABRE, M. 1988. The  Quality of Essential Oils - Clarification  and Definition. Common Scents l(1). Fair Oaks,  Ca.:  The  American Aromatherapy  Association. Eleanor G. Viereck I707 Red Fox Drive Fairbanks, Alaska 99709 U S A .  ENDANGERED  SPECIES: CANADA’S DISAPPEARING WILDLIFE. By CLIVE ROOTS. Markham,  Ontario:  Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1987.89 p., 59 black-and-white drawings. Hardbound. Cdn$22.50. Endangered species share  a high profile  in  the  public  arena with large  birds and  mammals.  Disappearing wildlife are of  great concern to 84% of society  (Filion et af., 1983).  They are  symptoms of our abuse of this planet. Author Roots claims to “have produced a testament to what  Canada  once  had  and  a  warning of what it  may lose if its legacy  of  life  is not  cherished”  (from  the  jacket cover). Unfortunately  the  testament is  flawed in so many ways that they make this book difficult to recommend. To the  book’s credit, it chronicles  not  only  birds (23  species) and mammals  (27  species), but  the often  ignored amphibians (12 species), reptiles (18 species), and fish (22  species). Unfortunately no plants or insects are  presented.  After  a  one-page  introduction each  species has  a brief  text.  There is no general  discussion  of  endangered  species. The 50 species  of birds and mammals receive most of the  attention for 69 pages, while the  other 52 species are covered in 17 pages. Each species is illustrated with a  black-and-white line drawing by Celia Godkin. Some illustrations are excellent, while others are mis-proportioned. The  author did not  appear to keep a tight definition of the species that are  included. Some  species  are  extinct,  such  as  Passenger  Pigeon, while others  are  common  and  increasing,  such  as  Merlin  and  black bear. Several mammals, such as wapiti, pronghorn and bighorn sheep,  have  well-managed populations  and  cannot  properly  be  con- sidered part of “Canada’s  disappearing wildlife.” The  book  does alert the  reader to  the  major  causes of  declines of species in Canada. Historically  market hunting was a  major factor in the decline of many  species. Habitat loss is the  major  factor today and is identified  as  a  problem  for several  species. Toxic chemical concerns  are  more difficult to identify  as species decline, but they are  a  problem  for  peregrine  falcons  and  implicated  for  burrowing owls. Road kills, introduced  herbivores,  introduced  predators  and egg collectors  are less important.  Disturbance of  wildlife  especially at  the nest  site is not stressed and  should be, for example,  with  White Pelicans. Wildlife  authors  must strive to educate  the  public  and  not  per- petuate  inaccurate  broad  statements. In this  book  hunters  are  iden- tified frequently  but  incorrectly  as  a  threat to several  species.  For example, “Nevertheless, its [Hudsonian  Godwit]  habit of trying to mob  hunters  and  other  predators  makes  [present tense] the  godwit easy prey for  the  shotgun” (p. 10). Why are  hunters singled out as  objects of mobbing  behavior?  Godwits  are  not  under  threat  from today’s hunters.  Historically  market  hunting  for  large  shorebirds was a major concern, but this has stopped and should not be confused with today’s  sport  hunting. Likewise, “Winter  then  does what  clumsy  hunters have failed to finish” (p.  13) to injured Ross’s Goose. One  could  argue that hunters’ kill  is of concern  for  some species, but  hunters have contributed  a  great  deal  to wildlife con- servation.  The  recurrent  theme of hunters  causing species’  declines is unwarranted with today’s wildlife management. The author does  not  present an enlightened view of  wolves. The author states that  the grey wolf “is  feared by reputation,  praised REVIEWS / 179 by legend and often  misunderstood by layman” (p.  52). The last sentence  of this account  does little to create a better understanding. “Usually the result  of starvation or rabies,  such attacks  (on  humans) show that  despite  the wolf‘s resemblance to  the  domestic  dog, it is best left the  beast it is at heart.” Many birds and their nests are protected in Canada by the Migratory Bird Convention Act. There is no endangered species legislation that could  protect  all threatened wildlife. The  Hudsonian Godwit is not  “Protected in Canada as  a  rare  bird” (p.  10). Rather, it is protected  as  a  migratory bird, along  with all other  shorebirds. There is little mention of constructive  action that has been taken to save  wildlife. The  author did not  include  conservation  actions in his  list  of objectives of the  book,  but I feel it would  have  been a  stronger  effort if the  reader  had  learned of some recovery efforts. The  author does not define his use of the terms endangered, threatened  and rare. The  Committee on  the  Status of Endangered Wildlife  in  Canada  (COSEWIC), which  was established in  1977, has created a set  of definitions that now  have broad  national  support. In addition the status of many species has been determined by COSEWIC.  Burrowing Owl is classified as  threatened,  not rare as stated (p. 14). The  Piping Plover is endangered,  not  “considered to be threatened in Canada’’ (p. 29).  At  least  six  species are  said to be extinct  in  regions of Canada. This is a misuse  of the word extinct, which  means to no longer exist  anywhere. The  term extirpated  correctly  describes  the local and regional  disappearance of a species. Some  terminology  should be defined  for  the  general  reader or not  used;  for example, a reference to  the  origins of antelope  from the  “Eocene  Epoch”  does  not tell the  reader that this was  40 to 60 million years ago. The  book  suffers  from  poor editing. Besides  spelling errors, e.g., “racoon” (p. 40) and  “Halioeetus” (p. 22), there is repetition, such as  “they  found  Funk  Island” (p. 4) in two consecutive  sentences and  on page 50 the kit  (swift)  fox’s  alleged inability to flourish where man  has settled is repeated  in  the first and last of four  paragraphs of the swift  fox account. Likewise in the  Burrowing Owl account the first and last of four  paragraphs  discuss why this owl  is rare. The  Burrowing Owl account is also  inaccurate.  This owl  is said to be rare in the first paragraph  “because of its habit of nesting near highways and  airport  runways” (p.  14). While  road kills  may be a local problem, it is not  thought  to be a  major  cause of  declines. Then in the last paragraph of the  account,  “burrowing owls are rare,  victims  of  their  tastes for nesting  sites and  the use  of  agricultural chemicals that, naturally, drain into their  burrows.” The  application of agricultural  chemicals would  never  be at  a dosage that would result in actual flows into depressions. Pesticides are a problem through direct exposure or secondary  poisoning  from insects, par- ticularly grasshoppers. No mention is made of the  shooting of  these owls when ground squirrels are being eliminated. There  are many other  incorrect  statements -the  major drawback of the  book.  Here  are  some examples. Trumpeter Swan populations number 11 OOO to 12 000 (Shandruk, 1987), not several hundred, as stated on page  13. The experimental  fostering of Whooping Cranes to Sandhill  Cranes  has  not  been  successful,  since no whoopers have paired or bred (Kuyt,  1987, and pers. comm.).  Historical  estimates of Whooping  Crane  numbers  are  about 1300 (Allen, 1952), not  “the thousands”  quoted (p.  20). Another  incomprehensible  statement, “John  James  Audubon  bagged seven [Whooping  Cranes] in one day in 1810 - more than all the  chicks that have survived  during decades of conservation and breeding  during this century” (p.  20). In fact over  20 chicks have  survived each year since 1986 (E. Kuyt, pers. comm.).  Whooping  Cranes  mature at age  4  (Kuyt, 1987), not 5 to 7 years. Both Bald Eagle and Golden  Eagle nest in eastern Canada  (Cadman et al., 1987), not just in western Canada  as stated. The  Prairie Falcon  breeds commonly in  Saskatchewan and its popu- lations have not been “decimated by agricultural chemicals,” although  pesticide  residues have been found in these birds’ eggs (unpubl.  data). It is stated that Merlins  “occasionally . . . winter 180 / REVIEWS as far north as Edmonton” (p. 27). In fact Merlins have been a permanent resident of Edmonton for over twenty years, and in December 1986, 40 Merlins were counted  on the Christmas Bird Count, more than in any other count in North America in the history of these counts! It is stated that  the Peregrine  Falcon  is a non-breeder “from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to  the Gulf of Mexico” (p. 27). While this was true twenty years ago, there are  four  pairs in Canada (unpubl. data)  and 56 pairs confirmed on territory in eastern U.S. (Cade and Dague,  1987). Although  many of  these  references and those that follow appeared in 1987, the same year that  the book was pub- lished, the information is available elsewhere in other publications. The statement that  the  “Cougar territory has contracted along with herds of White-tailed Deer” (p. 49) does not agree with pub- lished accounts of the expansion of White-tailed Deer  over most of North America since 1908 (Hesselton and Hesselton, 1982).  Wolf families (packs) rarely mingle in winter, contrary to what is stated (Parasido and Nowak, 1982). Herds of adult elk or wapiti are segregated by  sex in winter, spring and summer (Peek, 1982),  which hardly warrants the conclusion that they are “a clearly male dominated society” (p. 56). In the bison account the numbers are wrong. There are over  2000  Wood  Bison in the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary,  not 500 as stated.  The Wood  Bison has little chance for survival in Wood Buffalo National Park, since over  6000 Plain’s Bison were transferred there in 1925 to 1928 (Reynolds, 1987). The Plain’s Bison left Wainwright before World  War  Two, not  after 1960 (p. 60). I could go on  but there is little need. This  book has a  lofty and admirable objective, which makes it difficult to criticize; but authors, editors and publishers have a responsibility to ensure texts are gramatically correct and factually accurate. They have failed in this book. Consequently, I cannot recommend this book to any audience. REFERENCES ALLEN, R.P.  1952. The  Whooping  Crane. Research Report No. 3.  National Audubon Society. 1-246. CADE, T.J., and DAGUE, P.R. 1987. New  York: Cornell  University Laboratory of Ornithology. The Peregrine  Fund Newsletter No. 15.  16  p. CADMAN, M.D.,  EAGLES, P.F.J., and  HELLEINER, EM. 1987. Atlas of the Breeding  Birds of Ontario. Federation of Ontario Naturalists and Long  Point Bird Observatory.  Waterloo:  University  of  Waterloo  Press. 617 p. FILION,  EL.,  JAMES, S.W., DUCHARNE, J.L., PEPPER, P., REID,  R., BOXALL, P., and  TEILL, D.  1983. The Importance  of  Wildlife to  Cana- dians. Ottawa: Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada. 40 p. HESSELTON, W.T., and  HESSELTON,  R.M. 1982. White-tailed Deer. In: Chapman,  J.A.,  and Feldhamer, G.A., eds. Wild Mammals of North America. Baltimore: The  John  Hopkins University Press. 878-901. KUYT, E. 1987. Whooping Crane. In: Holroyd, G.L., et a/ .  Endangered Species in the  Prairie Provinces. Edmonton: Provincial Museum of  Alberta. Natural History Occasional Paper No. 9. 229-232. PARASIDO,  J.L.,  and NOWAK, R.M. 1982. Wolves. In: Chapman, J.A., and Feldhamer,  G.A., eds. Wild Mammals of North America.  Baltimore: The  John  Hopkins University Press. 460-474. PEEK, J.M.  1982. Elk.  In: Chapman, J.A., and Feldhamer, G.A., eds. Wild Mammals  of  North  America.  Baltimore:  The  John  Hopkins  University Press. 851-861. REYNOLDS,  H. 1987. The  Canadian Wildlife  Service  Program to Restore Wood Bison.  In:  Holroyd, G.L., et al. Endangered  Species  in the  Prairie Provinces. Edmonton: Provincial  Museum  of  Alberta. Natural History Occasional Paper No. 9. 323-328. SHANDRUK,  L. 1987. A Review of the  Habitat Requirements and Management  Priorities  for  the  Canadian Breeding Population of Trumpeter Swans. In: Holroyd,  G.L., et a/. Endangered  Species  in the Prairie Provinces. Edmonton: Provincial  Museum  of  Alberta. Natural History Occasional Paper No. 9. 179-188. Geoffrey L. Holroyd Canadian Wildlge Service 2nd  Floor, 4999 - 98 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6B 2x3 A REVIEW OF ARCTIC GRAYLING STUDIES IN ALASKA, 1952-1982. By ROBERT H. ARMSTRONG. Together with INDEXED BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF THE  HOLARCTIC  GENUS THYMALLUS (GRAYLING) To 1985. By ROBERT H. ARM- Papers of the University of Alaska, No. 23. Fairbanks: University of Alaska, 1986. 110 p., 3 figs., 6 tables. Softbound. No price indicated. This monograph consists of a review  of studies of Arctic grayling in Alaska (1952-1982) and a seemingly exhaustive bibliography (to 1985) of the Holarctic genus Thymallus (grayling). The primary intent of the monograph is to assemble and review the large number of published papers and relatively inaccessible research reports  on grayling, therefore providing the first bibliographical update  on  the genus in approximately 20 years. Armstrong’s review and synthesis of data available on Arctic grayling in Alaska primarily is directed  towards  fisheries management and includes sections on  sport  harvest, stocking, life history, migrations, age and growth, feeding ecology, and  population esti- mation.  A strength of this contribution is the inclusion in the syn- thesis of numerous documents, like  Federal  Aid annual reports, that are not easily obtained elsewhere. This review concludes with a clear statement that identifies major gaps in  knowledge  of Arctic grayling biology and speculates on how this information void  may  severely hamper  future management attempts. Our major criticism of the review stems from the exclusive  use and discussion of literature per- tinent to  the management of grayling. Clearly, the synthesis would have benefited by an attempt to draw parallels and distinctions among Arctic grayling and other  salmonid species. The  major component of this monograph is a 92-page worldwide bibliographic listing of 1314 references on the grayling genus Thymallus. Researchers will find this index most helpful, as  the introduction clearly  describes how to use the various indexed  sections of the bibliography. Even the abstracting services and key words used for  the computer searches are provided, so that researchers could conceivably conduct a similar search of the post-1985 articles not included in the monograph. Although the bibliography is compiled alphabetically by author, key word indices that categorize articles by taxonomy, geography and subject matter are given. These indices greatly facilitate the ease and speed with which the bib- liography can be searched for specific information; however, many of the larger categories would have benefited by the use of sub- headings. Each bibliographic listing includes basic reference infor- mation (e.g., title, author, date, etc.), as well as an indication of whether an English translation or summary of the article is  available. The review  is aimed at researchers specifically interested in the management of Arctic grayling, while the bibliography is designed as a general reference aid for anyone working on the genus Thymallus. Although the audience for this review and bibliography is limited, researchers requiring information on grayling will  likely find the monograph an invaluable, and inexpensive, method for accessing this widespread reference material. STRONG, HAAKON HOP and JULIA H.  TRIPLEHORN. Biological Joseph M. Culp  and  Chris E. Beers Division of Ecology Department of Biological  Sciences University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N IN4 

Endangered Species: Canada’s Disappearing Wildlife, by Clive Roots

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Endangered Species: Canada’s Disappearing Wildlife, by Clive Roots

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