Under The Microscope

NEW ZEALAND FROGS & REPTILES, by Brian Gill & Tony Whitaker; Bateman Fieldguides, 1996; 112 pages; $24.95

Reviewed by Margaret Boyd

Written by scientist and ecologist Tony Whitaker and museum curator and author Brian Gill, this paperback book is ideally sized for a field guide. It fits snugly into a pocket or pack for that tramping weekend, bush walk or field study.

Besides frogs, this book covers tuataras; geckos; skinks; and marine reptiles -- the turtles and sea-snakes. Almost unbelievably 59 of these native and introduced creatures live in the wild in New Zealand; I have seen only the three on the covers. Tortoises and such kept in captivity are not dealt with.

The general introduction has a helpful table classifying the genera and families. Each species is described comprehensively and located, and superb photographs accompany the text. Throughout the book keys, sets of paired either/or questions, aid in identification in the field. Clear diagrams show important small differences between species, for example in the carapace of turtles.

Many endangered native species are listed, emphasising the necessity of DOC efforts to repopulate offshore islands, with skinks in particular. The section on recently extinct species is sobering reading. Interestingly, an extinct gecko is pictured: a stuffed specimen, thought to be the kawekaweau of Maori legend, resides in a museum in France.

The photography credits are all clumped together in the back of the book, without relevant page numbers. I prefer individual credits by the photographs, but that is a minor point. Further reading lists and the index make this book easy to use.

Students in particular would find this book valuable, as well as trampers, visitors and those seeking to complete a home reference library. I know a dinosaur enthusiast, fascinated by feathered and scaled creatures, who is going to love receiving a copy of this book!

Margaret Boyd is a senior technician at the Wool Research Organisation in Lincoln