Insect Behavior by Robert W. Matthews; Janice R. MatthewsReview by: Gilbert WrightThe American Biology Teacher, Vol. 41, No. 5 (May, 1979), p. 320Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the National Association of BiologyTeachersStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4446620 .

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would also make a good reference for teachers who are building a personal or professional library. Anyone who is in the process of selecting a textbook for such a course should examine this book to see if it meets their needs.

Kenneth L. Gardner Clarence Olson School

Woodstock, Illinois

INSECT BEHAVIOR by Robert W. Matthews and Janice R. Matthews. 1978. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. (One Wiley Drive, Somerset, New Jersey 00873). 507 p. $22.50.

On the face of it, it seems odd that entomologists have been so late in ana- lyzing the life styles of the animals they study. For decades, even for centuries, nearly all entomological journals have been packed, cover to cover, volume after volume, stack-shelf after stack- shelf, with purely taxonomic information-with precise structural descriptions, including hundreds of thou- sands of highly detailed, exquisitely deli- neated anatomical drawings. In many colleges and universities, taxonomy, nomenclature, and the careful produc- tion of definitive illustrations have consti- tuted the sum and substance of serious entomological work, all the way to the Ph.D. level and beyond. The Genus or Family "Revision" has, with its endless keys to species and line-drawings of mor- phology, ruled the day.

For two or three centuries serious study of insect behavior has been limited for the most part to the activities of non- professional "field naturalists." Gener- ally speaking, the professional biologists in our colleges and universities have regarded field naturalists with disdain. Often the formal training of these observers was minimal-they were regarded as "outsiders" or amateurs who were asked to sit at the far end of the banquet tables of professional scientists.

Happily, things have changed. Great strides are now being made in the study of animal behavior including that of insects. No doubt this is partly the result of discoveries in genetics, comparative psychology and evolutionary biology- since the study of insect behavior, in its method, is necessarily multi-disciplinary. It is only fair to say that for the most part it is the researchers in these related fields of science, rather than entomologists- so many of whom are systematists-who have been primary investigators in the study of insect behavior.

This book is the first comprehensive overview of fundamental concepts of animal behavior as exemplified by insects. Thus, it is a landmark in the scientific study of animal life. It was writ- ten "for all students of the biological

sciences," not just entomologists. It should be of interest to psychologists, science educators-in fact, to all who would learn more about the intricate complexities of living organisms.

At the beginning of their study the authors wisely point out some of the pit- falls awaiting a researcher in animal behavior-imprecisness of language as a descriptive tool, teleology, anthro- pomorphism, and errors of labeling, as well as the danger in extrapolating of ob- servations beyond the insects upon which they are based. Beginning with Chapter Two, they proceed to almost everwhelm the reader with an every- where fascinating and stimulating ac- count of their subject.

The mental capacities of insects- their internal communication (harmonal) systems-comprises the first of the eight major sections that follow the first chap- ter. Other sections, covering sixty or more pages each, deal with spatial adjustment, feeding behavior, chemical communication, visual communication, touch and sound communication, defense adaptations, reproductive behavior, and brood care and social life.

The 214 illustrations, including many original drawings and photographs, with detailed captions, are a highlight of this

magnum opus. Not least in importance is the long list of selected references at the end of each chapter. The authors and publishers have achieved a masterpiece.

Gilbert Wright Smithsonian Institution

Washington, D.C.

Voyager ...from p. 300

of the universe and spoke of the future of humanity on the planet Earth. Their aspirations reflected hope as they spoke of intercontinen- tal involvement in present and future space endeavors. And the possibility remains that Voyager I and Voyager 11, after completing their present mis- sions, might sometime reach bodies in interstellar space that are inha- bited by intelligent beings. If so, the space crafts carry messages from Earth people communicating "Sounds of Earth"-greetings in 60 languages, samples of music from different cultures and eras, sounds from nature, and electronic informa- tion that could be transcribed into diagrams, pictures, and words by an advanced technological civilization.

To quote Carl Sagan: ...as the beautiful messages of Presi- dent Carter and Secretary Waldheim indicate, the launching of this bottle into the cosmic ocean says something very hopeful about life on this planet.

The variety of information contained on the copper record for each space craft leaves one thinking, not of the United States or one country in par- ticular, not of wars and fiction, but of humankind on our planet "futuring" in peace.

Interpretation goes on; Voyager I continued collecting and transmit- ting data. The day after our confer- ence closed, the ring of Jupiter was seen for the first time ever. Before the week had ended, Voyager I had transmitted photos of Jupiter's enor- mous ban of northern lights.

The conference ended giving us new beginnings and the inspiration and determination to seek further explanations of our past, projections into our future, and positive solu- tions to the problems humanity faces on our planet.

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320 THE AMERICAN BIOLOGY TEACHER, VOLUME 41, NO. 5, MAY 1979

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