Product Description

A definitive field guide to over 230 species of mammal found in Europe and the surrounding seas Do you know the difference between a rabbit and a hare, a red deer and a roe deer, or a killer whale and a long-finned pilot whale? Do you know how to tell a red fox print from a dog's? Through a combination of detailed text and elaborate full-colour illustrations and line drawings, Field Guide Mammals will show you how to identify species as quickly and accurately as possible. Not only does it detail the field signs you are likely to find -- from tracks to droppings, to midden and hollow tree trunks -- it also contains all the biological and taxonomic information you need to positively identify each species. Each entry includes: / Detailed species descriptions and recognition tips / Information on colour and form / Habitat descriptions and information on where and when you're likely to spot the animal / Species measurements to aid identification and comparison / Maximum recorded lifespan and details of breeding and behaviour There is also extensive information which is aimed at giving readers an insight into how the animals live, such as how crested porcupine adults keep their young warm by crushing them between the parents; how many baby seals actually moult while still inside the mother and why the red fox can cause such destruction. With maps showing range and distribution plus 64 colour plates containing over 600 individual paintings, Field Guide Mammals is an indispensable guide for any naturalist wanting to learn about the fascinating world of mammals and study them in the wild.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #153736 in Books
• Published on: 1993-04-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 312 pages

Review
'an excellent field guide!beautifully and lavishly illustrated' Times Literary Supplement '!an invaluable book for the amateur naturalist and professional alike' British Wildlife Magazine

About the Author
David MacDonald and Priscilla Barrett

Customer Reviews

A great field guide for experts and amateurs alike
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.

Great for home, school or college
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
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