Welsh Journals

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Pembrokeshire: Brian John: David and Charles: £ 4.95. This is a book in the British Topographical Series, written from a geographical viewpoint, "concentrating on what can be observed rather than on what can be read or remembered", the author claims. Within this remit he is master of his subject, but he has strayed into other fields in which he has "depended upon earlier published works", some of which are unreliable. The book has not been written with the care one would expect from so eminent a scholar. Scenery ofDyfed(50p)., is one of a series of booklets published by Dr. John in his 'Face of Wales' series: others deal with the oil industry, old industries, old photographs, climate, farming. The booklets are particulary intended for use by school children but they should also appeal to visitors. The South Wales Landscape: Moelwyn Williams: Hodder and Stoughton: £ 5.95. The first book, it is claimed, to concentrate exclusively on the landscape of South Wales one is tempted to say 'South-east Wales', for so many of the examples are drawn from Glam. and Mon. (the author has adhered to the old county names). It is the story of man's impact on the environment from prehistoric pillars to power pylons. We are constantly reminded that the landscape we regard as natural is largely man-made. The process goes on inexorably new lakes, new forests, new roads, new runways, new towns, to meet man's insatiable needs. The landscape ever changes. Oasis: A Magazine of Conservation Gardening: ed. Ken Stroud. As with Farming and Wildlife, so now Gardening and Wildlife, and Naturalists' Trusts are requested to add the subject to their studies. We are told that there are a 'million square acres' (sic) of gardens in England and Wales. The magazine aims to ensure the survival of everyday wildlife in our gardens. It is available for a yearly subscription of £ 2.50 from the publishers: Oasis, PO Box 237, London. SE13 5QU. Bird Observatories in Britain and Ireland: ed. Roger Durman: T. & A. D. Poyser: £ 5.00. There are eight bird observatories in England, and two each in Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Miss Clare Lloyd narrates how R. M. Lockley was tempted to down tools and examine the unusual birds hopping about below him as he repaired the roof of the 'Wheelhouse' on Skokholm in 1927, and how this led him to establish the first bird observatory in Britain there, and to build the kind of trap in his cottage garden that he had seen on the German island of Heligoland. The West Wales Field Society, to which Lockley transferred his lease of Skokholm in 1948, was also instrumental in establishing an observatory on Bardsey, in pursuance of an idea put forward by Rupert Williams Ellis in 1951. Its story is told by Mr. Durman, who followed William Condry as the observatory's honorary secretary, and there are expert narrators to describe the other observatories. There is a comprehensive Introduction by Robert Spencer, deputy director of the BTO, in which he pays tribute to Lockley's pioneering roles. Our Magnificent Wildlife. How to Enjoy and Preserve it: Reader's Digest Association: £ 7.97. A sort of coffee-table red data book to delight the