The Mammals of North America
Roland W. Kays and Don E. Wilson
Why is there no sport called mammal-watching? Because unlike birds, who paint themselves across the sky, the more furtive mammals don’t often make the watching easy. Two mammalian exceptions are Roland W. Kays and Don E. Wilson, who as authors have captured The Mammals of North America (Princeton University Press, $49.50, $19.95 paper). Kays and Wilson cover the continent’s 442 species, from penny-sized pygmy shrew to one-ton bison, offering identifying tips and traits on all. They provide the expected plates of tracks and scats, but also such surprising views as the teeth of shrews and a crow’s-nest perspective on bow-riding dolphins. The book won’t make finding mammals any easier; it will make the finding more fun.
—William Stolzenburg
