on the track of ice age mammals. by a. j. sutcliffe

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Mainnial Rev. 1987, Volume 17, Nos 213, 142. Prinred in Great Britain Book Review ON THE TRACK OF ICE AGE MAMMALS. By A. J. Sutcliffe. British Museum (Natural History), London, 1985. 224 pp. E12.95. This is another in the series of semi-popular volumes published by the BM(NH) in recent years, similar in style to Juliet Clutton-Brock’s Domesticated Animals, Hill & Smith’s Bats and Judith King’s Seals. It shares with them the combination of a readable, very informative, text and wealth of excellent illustrations. Dr Sutcliffe uses the first seven chapters of this book to establish the basic framework for studying Pleistocene mammals. A brief introduction, stressing our current concern with changes in global climates, and a chapter on ice ages in general, from Precambrian onwards, are followed by an interesting discussion of the links between such mythical animals as unicorns, giants and dragons and fossil mammals. Chapter 4 then introduces fossil, especially Pleistocene, mammals and the sorts of sites that reveal them. Chapters 5 and 6 consider the problems of dating and deducing the general ecological background, while chapter 7 dwells at some length on cave faunas, Dr Sutcliffe’s speciality. A particularly well illustrated and fascinating chapter ‘What the cavemen saw’ draws together our knowledge of Pleistocene mammals and the art of Palaeolithic man, including both the famous cave paintings of southern France and Spain, and various engrav- ings and carvings. The final six chapters, filling nearly half the book, contain the real substance of it. In ‘Frozen mammoths and other beasts’, we have the best review that I have seen of this subject, with illustrations of the Beresovka and Berelekh mammoths and the baby ‘Dima’, a map of all the major finds, and a table of dates. The mammalian faunas of the British Isles, the East African Rift Valley, America and Australia are each discussed in a chapter. Five very attractive double page reconstructions of appropriate scenes by artist Peter Snowball accompany these chapters; one of them shows the great cave at Ultima Esperanza, Patagonia, as it might have been 12 000 years ago. This is the site that became famous because of the suggestion that ground sloths had been kept captive in it by early Amerindians. Again, Dr Sutcliffe provides an excellent discussion of this controversy, and an informative update. A final chapter gives a brief discussion of late Pleistocene extinctions around the world. Altogether this is a splendid book; extremely readable, profusely and appositely illustrated, and modestly priced. D. W. Yalden

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Mainnial Rev. 1987, Volume 17, Nos 213, 142. Prinred in Great Britain

Book Review

ON THE TRACK OF ICE AGE MAMMALS. By A. J. Sutcliffe. British Museum (Natural History), London, 1985. 224 pp. E12.95.

This is another in the series of semi-popular volumes published by the BM(NH) in recent years, similar in style to Juliet Clutton-Brock’s Domesticated Animals, Hill & Smith’s Bats and Judith King’s Seals. It shares with them the combination of a readable, very informative, text and wealth of excellent illustrations.

Dr Sutcliffe uses the first seven chapters of this book to establish the basic framework for studying Pleistocene mammals. A brief introduction, stressing our current concern with changes in global climates, and a chapter on ice ages in general, from Precambrian onwards, are followed by an interesting discussion of the links between such mythical animals as unicorns, giants and dragons and fossil mammals. Chapter 4 then introduces fossil, especially Pleistocene, mammals and the sorts of sites that reveal them. Chapters 5 and 6 consider the problems of dating and deducing the general ecological background, while chapter 7 dwells at some length on cave faunas, Dr Sutcliffe’s speciality. A particularly well illustrated and fascinating chapter ‘What the cavemen saw’ draws together our knowledge of Pleistocene mammals and the art of Palaeolithic man, including both the famous cave paintings of southern France and Spain, and various engrav- ings and carvings. The final six chapters, filling nearly half the book, contain the real substance of it. In ‘Frozen mammoths and other beasts’, we have the best review that I have seen of this subject, with illustrations of the Beresovka and Berelekh mammoths and the baby ‘Dima’, a map of all the major finds, and a table of dates. The mammalian faunas of the British Isles, the East African Rift Valley, America and Australia are each discussed in a chapter. Five very attractive double page reconstructions of appropriate scenes by artist Peter Snowball accompany these chapters; one of them shows the great cave at Ultima Esperanza, Patagonia, as it might have been 12 000 years ago. This is the site that became famous because of the suggestion that ground sloths had been kept captive in it by early Amerindians. Again, Dr Sutcliffe provides an excellent discussion of this controversy, and an informative update. A final chapter gives a brief discussion of late Pleistocene extinctions around the world.

Altogether this is a splendid book; extremely readable, profusely and appositely illustrated, and modestly priced.

D. W. Yalden