Abstract
THIS important volume, which indicates the strength of the movement towards the ecological study of the problems of biology in America, will be an invaluable tool in the establishing of Nature reserves from the Amazon to the Arctic Circle. As a result of many years' labour, an enthusiastic band of scientific workers has catalogued all preserved and preservable areas in North America in which natural conditions persist, the ultimate object being the reservation of all such areas in order that there, so far as possible, the primitive balance of Nature may be maintained. This preliminary study indicates, for each of the United States and Canadian provinces, the leading physical features, meteorological conditions, biological zones, summarises the associated flora and fauna, and mentions the areas suitable for Nature reserves. An introductory section discusses from many points of view the uses, values, and management of natural areas, and an effort is made to trace the original biota of North America. Ecological study demands a much more intensive investigation than could be compassed in this extensive monograph, but it sets the framework within which the future worker must build in detail.
Naturalist's Guide to the Americas.
Victor E.
Shelford
Prepared by the Committee on the Preservation of Natural Conditions of the Ecological Society of America, with assistance from numerous Organisations and Individuals. Assembled and edited by the Cahirman,. Pp. xv + 761 + 16 plates. (Baltimore, Md.: Williams and Wilkins Co.,; London: Baillière, Tindall and Cox, 1926.) 45s. net.
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R., J. Naturalist's Guide to the Americas . Nature 120, 115 (1927). https://doi.org/10.1038/120115b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/120115b0