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Volume 29, Number 1
73
BOOK REVIEWS
Emperor Moths of South and Central Africa, by Eliot Pinhey. 1972. C. Struik, Cape Town, xi + 150 p., illus. + 43 plates (15 in color). Price $12.95 (U.S.).
Emperor moths, Saturniidae, are well-represented in Africa south of the Sahara, and almost everywhere a rich variety of species can be expected. This book is essentially a guide to the identification of species found in southern Africa, north as far as Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. Emperors are large and conspicuous and thus attract the attention of collectors. As a result the life histories of many species are well-known, which is certainly not true for the bulk of African moths. The caterpillars and their foodplants are described and documented, and there are introductory sections on structure and classification. The caterpillars of a quite remarkably large number of species appear to have become adapted to introduced plants. A few are pests, and some are utilized as human food.
The book is intended primarily for the collector. There is little emphasis on ecology, behavior and conservation. The text is rather long-winded and anecdotal, but includes an amusing list of derivations of scientific names. The plates, together with numerous drawings of male genitalia, should facilitate the identification of species in southern Africa, and will certainly help in placing specimens from the more tropical parts of the continent.
D. F. Owen, Department of Zoology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002.
Watching Washington Butterflies, by Robert Michael Pyle. 1974. Seattle Audubon Society, Joshua Green Bldg., Seattle, Washington 98101. 109 p., 64 color and 2 black-and-white photographs, 1 line drawing, 1 map; foreword by Roger Tory Peterson. Price: $3.95 (U.S.) plus $.30 shipping charge for first copy, $.20 for each additional copy.
This charming book, put out as a companion to Washington Wildflowers in the same series, represents the first full-scale treatment of the butterfly fauna of any northwest state, and is the author's thesis for his Master of Science degree in Nature Interpretation. In obtaining accurate data he has enlisted the help of a goodly number of prominent lepidopterists both in and out of the State of Washington. The book is unusual in that it places the emphasis on watching rather than collecting butterflies, and the color photographs taken by the author of the living insects reflect this attitude. It is aimed primarily at the amateur nature walker, but the serious student will find in the detailed descriptions very professional information on field identification, habitat, egg, larval and pupal characters; and the habits and natural history of each species. It is one of the few books I know which combines the simplicity attractive to the novice, with scientific documentation making it a necessary addition to the professional's library. Descriptive information on the life histories is relatively complete and includes all appropriate botanical and clinal references. Sections are included on perceiving butterflies, photography, breeding, creating butterfly gardens, a list of helpful books and collections, and a check list. A detailed chapter on the butterfly ecology of the State of Washington includes divisions on zoogeography, physiogeography, and the life zones and vegetational units of the state, with a map of the geographic provinces described. In the latter section the author takes the reader on a vicarious tour of the State of Washington, through each of these major areas, in a most delightful manner with many suggestions