Under The Microscope

THE CONCISE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF ZOOLOGY, edited by Michael Allaby; Oxford University Press 1992; 512 pages; $34.95

From aardvark to zygote, the COD of Zoology runs the gamut of things zoological. I find that the best way to test out a dictionary is to sit it on the shelf a while and see if it does come up with the information you need. This book is fairly specialized in that it is aimed primarily at reasonably serious zoologist, but it has had a good workout here at the NZSM.

This is not the book to refer to in trying to find out what a spotted quoll is, but the editor makes it clear in his preface that, in keeping the dictionary concise, he has been able to admit only the most important of the genera and species. Rather this is a technical reference for those wanting to know their dictyosomes from their Dictyoptera. It's not surprising that the entries tend to be heavily cross-referenced, and it's probably just as well. This makes it a valuable aid for those new to the more intricate wonders of zoology.

Most of the entries are based on the 1985 Oxford Dictionary of Natural History, and some things zoological have moved on since then. Our own tuatara is listed as Sphenodon punctatus and surviving only on a few islands in the Bay of Plenty; there's now good reason to believe that there are a number of subspecies scattered over the BOP and Cook Strait islands that house these creatures. However, it is the nature of dictionaries -- and of science -- that it is always difficult to keep up with the state of play.

Vicki Hyde, NZSM