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Books Related to Mammals of Britain and Europe David W. Macdonald, Priscilla Barrett - ISBN: 0002197790
Great for home, school or college - Rated
This is a superb book written by David MacDonald. Professor MacDonald is in charge of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Oxford University, and has published very many scientific papers concerned with many mammal species. This book reflects his immense knowledge and experience, but in an interesting and readable form. Included in the book are all the mammals which any-one is likely to see in Great Britain and Europe, as well as useful information about how and where they live.
All this in a hardback format which can be used as a proper field guide. And at a fabulous value for money price - especially when you consider all the information contained in the book. If you are at all interested in mammals, buy a copy for your-self; and a second copy for the school library too. Brilliant!
In need of revision - Rated
I recently bought this book and although agreeing with the comments of other reviewers there are two rather significant omissions: (1) hares in the Iberian Peninsula; (2) the Soprano Pipistrelle. Both are the result of fairly recent species splits. In the former case the Atlas of European Mammals recognises 3 hare species in the Iberian peninsula, the Brown Hare Lepus europaeus in the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains, the Broom Hare Lepus castroveijoi in NW Spain, and the Iberian Hare distributed throughout the peninsula. The Collins guide, only describes the Brown Hare, with a distribution map in agreement with the European Atlas. In the text there is a brief discussion of Mallorcan and Iberian hares, but this only exacerbates the inconsistency of the coverage. The omission of the Soparano Pipistrelle is more forgiveable, as this cryptic species was only discovered in the early '90s. Both issues arise because the book has not been revised since its first publication in 1993, and obviously editing was not at a very high standard in the first place.
I have not tried to check the accounts in much further detail: these were omissions which I discovered within a week or so: the first one because I caught a sight of a hare in the headlights of my car in the Sierra de Gredos, and I wanted to know more. I therefore believe that there are probably other areas of inconsistency & omission, and instead of getting 4 stars, I can only give it 3. A fairly simple revision, perhaps incorporating suggestions of other reviewers, could bring it back to a higher standard
A great field guide for experts and amateurs alike - Rated
Another good field guide from HarperCollins. Detailed colour plates and species descriptions make identification almost as easy as it can be. It misses only two things to be perfect: a key (such as the one in the 'Reptiles and Amphibians') and more detailed drawings and measurements of skulls and teeth, which are very important for distinguishing between species of small mammals (as well as identifying remains from owl pellets). These flaws aside, this is (as well as the other Collins Field Guides) a good choice for all people interested in European animals.
