Page M6 October 31, 1990. This Week

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OF “MOUNTBATTEN” WHO WILL BE
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$34.95 Hardcover

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LITERATURE

Nine ways to enjoy
bounty of the wilds:

n several previous

columns Il’ve at-

tempted to delve into

as many of the new
crop of guide and interpre-
tive books as possible, but
it looks as though it’s time
for yet another foray.

Here then, in brief, are nine
more ways to enjoy the bounty
of the wilds.

The long-awaited follow-up
to Eastern Birding By Ear
from the audio-visual
Peterson’s Field Guide series
is finally alighting in B.C.
bookstores.

Western Birding By Ear

(Thomas Allen & Son; $55) —

utilizes the same approach as
its predecessor, combining
guidebook and audio cassettes
to introduce bird-lovers to an
extremely effective (and
simple) system of identifying
birds by sound.

The first two cassettes and
side A of number three deal
with western birds by vocal
group (harsh; whistlers;
trillers and so on) while side B
of the last cassette groups
them by habitat — where
they're most likely to be en-
countered (marshes, coastal
forest, chapparal, etc.).

Western Birding By Ear,
written and compiled by
Richard K. Walton and Robert
W. Lawson, is logical and easy
to use. But just remember, in
case you re considering buying
it for yourself, that the joy of
giving doesn’t rule out the
sneaky satisfaction of borrow-
ing later.

Identifying flowering plants
in the out-of-doors can be a
challenging experience, but
there are two new comprehen-
sive guidebooks designed to
make the task a great deal
easier.

Wildflowers and Weeds
(Prentice-Hall; 144 pp;
$17.95) does not seem like a
particularly substantial book
at first glance, but this field
guide is packed with over 650
full-color photographs of wild
flora complemented by the
clear, concise descriptions of
authors Booth Courtenay and
James H. Zimmerman.

While the geographical area
covered by this text is that of
central and eastern North
America, a surprisingly large
number of the plants
described also occur in
Western Canada, making this
a valuable tool for inquisitive,
local naturalists.

The same can be said of
Eastern /Central Medicinal
Plants (Thomas Allen & Son;
366 pp.; $22.95), yet another
revised addition to the Peter-
son Field Guide roster by
Steven Foster and James
Duke.

Medicinal Plants explores
more than 500 wild-growing
medicinal herbs, noting their
use in folk, native and

Wild Food

mainstream medical
remedies. Although it avoids
judgmental statements on the
efficacy of some of the
therapeutic applications
claimed, it does warn readers
of the poisonous properties of
plants, where applicable.

It’s amazing how we seem to
forget that much of what
grows around us is not only
edible but downright tasty.
Allan Hall tells us what to look
for, when and where to find it
and, perhaps best of all, how
to make a meal of it in The
Trailguide
(Owl/Fitzhenry & Whiteside:
230 pp.; $12.95),

By MIKE STEELE

Wild garlic, cattail flour, ar-
rowhead “potatoes,” gallberry
tea and milkweed salad are
just some of the seasonal
treats presented in The Wild
Food Trailguide. The only
drawback to this excellent in-
troduction to nature’s larderis
that it was intended for
American foragers, as the
location maps attest. Yet near-
ly every species discussed
grows north of the border, too.

LE TDD TU BIRD SONG IDENTIFICATION

Richant KR. Walton & Bebert W. Lason

Of course, true “natural”
food remains a staple of many
native Indians’ diets even
today; they haven't lost sight
of the rewards to be found in
forests, meadows, streams
and sea, as author Carol Bat-
dorf reminds us in Northwest
Native Harvest (Hancock: 95
pp.; $7.95).

» ©

Northwest Native Harvest
explores the foods common to
the indigenous peoples of the
Canadian and American
Northwest; methods of catch-
ing and harvesting, prepara-
tion and even a few anecdotes
from native Indians on the
traditions of this unique

cookery. Batdorf’s recipes are,

in all instances, rendered
step-by-step to enable adven-
turous readers to sample this
cuisine themselves.
Kayaking and canoeing have
become enormously popular
water sports in recent years
and, not surprisingly, have
also generated a growing
number of locale guides. Here
are four of the latest titles.

Island Paddling (Orca; 209
pp.; $12.95) describes over 30
canoe and kayak trips in the
Gulf Islands and Barkley
Sound. Author Mary Ann
Snowden has taken pains to
make this a very complete
book indeed, with tips on
weather, access, etiquette,
planning and even camping
notes.

Seattle-based Mountaineers

has three new guides to

Northwest waters: Paddle
Routes of Western Washington;
Kayaking Puget Sound, the
San Juans and Gulf Islands;

and Middle Puget Sound & ~

Hood Canal, all distributed by
Douglas & McIntyre.

Paddle Routes... is a flat-
water guide to 50 canoe and
kayak routes in Western
Washington, well-illustrated
with maps and black and
white photographs.

Kayaking . . . presents 45
different inland water trips on
both the American and
Canadian sides of the interna-
tional boundary. Special em-
phasis is placed on
environmental awareness and
water safety, factors em-
phasized in every Moun-
taineers title I’ve seen.

And Middle Puget Sound...

combines just about every
water sport and watersilide
pursuit into this, the fourth
book in the Afoot and Afloat
series.

This series is highly recom-

mended to just about anyone.
There’s something here for all

members of the family, from :

picnic areas, parks and
birdwatching areas to sug-
gested points of interest for
walkers, cyclists and boaters
of all descriptions.

In fact, there’s so much infor-
mation packed into each book
that it’s virtually impossible to
list everything. Perhaps the
best way to impart how im-
pressively the Afoot and
Afloat titles cover their
respective zones (the others
are: South Puget Sound,
North Puget Sound and The

San Juan Islands) is to say
that I wouldn’t consider visit-
ing these scenic Washington
regions without the relevant
copy in hand.

ef

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