Welsh Journals

caused by acid rain. The inclusion of details relating to the birds of the Thames in the urban section is somewhat surprising. The authors make no pretence at providing any sort of field guide or scientific work for the serious ornithologist but in general the book is well written, easily read and superbly illustrated with some very fine colour and black and white drawings. Richard Herbert The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Edited by John Heath and A. Maitland Emmet. Harley Books, Colchester. Vol. 2: Cossidae Heliodinidae. 460 pp., illus. 1985. £ 45.00. ISBN 0 946589 02 X Vol. 10: Noctuidae (Part II) and Agaristidae. 459 pp., illus. 1983. £ 40.00. ISBN 0 946589 01 1 The first volume in this series appeared in 1976, volume 9 in 1979, to be followed, after a long wait, by volumes 2 and 10. In the meantime Bernard Skinner's Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles has appeared and at £ 20 has captured a big slice of the market. It has to be admitted that many of Skinner's plates have better colour reproduction; the Copper Underwing definitely looks more coppery though Heath's Forester is much more successfully green. So, for more than double the price, what have Heath's volumes to offer? The major bonus is a map of each species which at a glance indicates the present knowledge of its distribution and gives an idea of its scarcity or otherwise. Of considerable additional interest are the introductory chapters on different topics in each volume. Volume 2 contains an important contribution by Miriam Rothschild on British Aposematic Lepidoptera in which she discusses the significance of warning colours adopted by the Tiger moths, the Death's-head Hawk moth, the Cinnabar and many others. The close relationship between the insect and its food plant is brought out in a discussion of the chemical nature of the defence mechanisms especially in highly coloured Lepidoptera. In volume 9, R. F. Bretherton writes on, 'The Incidence of Migratory Lepidoptera in the British Isles', a topic which has increasingly interested Lepidopterists, both amateur and professional, during the last 50 years. Black and white drawings of genitalia and other features by Brian Hargreaves and other artists will be a valuable aid for separating difficult species. M.J. Morgan The life of the fields. Richard Jefferies. Oxford University Press, 1983. (First published 1884) vii + 266pp. Oxford University Press Paperback, £ 2.95. ISBN 0-19-281358-7. Field and hedgerow. The last essays of Richard Jefferies. Collected by his Widow. Oxford University Press, 1982. (First published in 1889) vi + 329pp. Oxford University Press Paperback, £ 2.95. ISBN 0-19-281355-2. A century ago Richard Jefferies (1848- 1887) was writing essays on the countryside for magazines and newspapers, recording scenes from the working lives of humble country people and the seasonal changes of the trees, the wild flowers and the animals in the woods, the fields or the rivers. He loved all aspects of nature and would pause and study the infinite variety of a field of grasses or wheat, gaze up into the heavens and marvel at the beauty of the clouds, or watch the changing effects of light on a landscape, so that one wonders why one had not noticed all these simple things more clearly for they are still there for all to see. The cottagers who toiled in the fields for so little reward are inhabitants of a world whose way of life has long gone. When their strength failed there was only the dreaded workhouse to give shelter during their last days. But this was not a perfect, idyllic world as the moving story of the dreaded rick- burners reminds us. There was little thought for conservation of the countryside and many birds and mammals were ruthlessly destroyed by farmers and gamekeepers, especially where pheasant rearing and shooting had priority. Otters, kingfishers, moorhens were slaughtered to protect the trout fishing, young birds were taken from the nest and killed for boyish sport. The Life of the Fields was originally published in 1884 and Field and Hedgerow in 1889 after Jefferies' death and both have now been reprinted as Oxford paperbacks. It is good to have the opportunity of reading these classic essays which will introduce many new readers to this well known writer, naturalist and conservationist of the last century. M.J. Morgan British Red Data Books 1. Vascular plants, 2nd edition. Compiled by F. H. Perring and L. Farrell. The Royal Society for Nature Conservation, Lincoln/Nature Conservancy Council/World Wildlife Fund, 1983. [iv] + xxviii + 99pp. £ 7.00. ISBN 0 902484 04 4. ISSN 0140-1122. The first edition of this book was published in 1977, drawing attention to the endangered state of many British flowering plants and ferns. This new edition re-assesses the situation and includes all the data available at the end of 1980 on 317 species whose scarcity is a cause for concern. The authors point out in their introduction that there are '51 species in danger of extinction. The combined efforts of all conservationists will be needed if these are to be saved.' This is an essential reference book for all who are concerned to maintain the diversity of the British flora. M.J. Morgan The Spiders of Great Britain and Ireland. Michael J. Roberts. Harley Books, Colchester. Vol. 1: Atypidae to Theridiosomatidae. 229pp., illus., 1985. £ 45.00. ISBN 0 946589 05 4. Vol. 3: Colour Plates Atypidae to Linyphiidae. £ 55.50. ISBN 0 946589 07 0. Price £ 85.00 together. About 15 years ago a young doctor in Buckley, Flintshire, asked for permission to collect spiders on some of the Reserves of the North Wales Naturalists' Trust. This was readily given as virtually nothing was known of the spider fauna and arachnologists are a rare species in North Wales. Within a few months long lists were received from Cors Goch, Anglesey, and Ddol Uchaf, in Flints. and Dr. Roberts became well known amongst Trust members for his enthusiasm and boundless energy. An Annual General Meeting of the Trust was treated to a display of his paintings of spiders, a veritable art gallery of exquisite illustrations introducing an amazing variety of creatures with every detail meticulously shown. How ever did a hard-working GP find time to produce them all?