I've just been looking at a copy of The Birds of the Solomons, Vanuatu and
New Caledonia, by Doughty, Day and Plant.
It's a very nice book, and great for armchair birding (these locations are
yet more of the places I'll never get to :-( ). No surprises in seeing
which groups have radiated in these islands (White-eyes, pigeons,
honeyeaters.....).
I just thought, though, that there were two things that could have been
added to the book to make it much more valuable:
1. A set of more detailed maps of the three island groups (obviously if
you're going there you'll get better maps, but for armchair birders and for
quick reference....)
2. There is a gap between Beeher et al The Birds of New Guinea and this
book, consisting of the islands of New Britain and New Ireland. Granted
that these islands are very little known, but couldn't the authors have
printed a provisional check-list to the birds of those two islands as an
appendix, marking those birds found in New Guinea, those found in the
Solomons, the rest being the endemics?
John Leonard
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
John Leonard (Dr),
PO Box 243,
Woden, ACT 2606,
Australia
http://www.spirit.net.au/~jleonard
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