524 THE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY [VOLUME 60 Genetic Consequences of Man-Made Change, Academic Press, London, 1981). Though Meehan appreci- ates the importance of genetic resistance to roden- ticides, population genetics is his blind spot (e.g., p. 279: "mutated animal"; p. 178: what is a "normal population"?). Chronic exposure to rodenticides produces strong selection for genetic resistance (e.g., Taylor and Georghiou, 1979, J. Econ. En- tomol.), an area that must be addressed more fully because switching rodenticides can cause the de- velopment of cross resistance (e.g., Greaves et al., 1982, Ann. Appi Biol.). Choice of familiar foods (e.g., Patridge, 1981, Anim. Behav.) probably in- fluences bait acceptability. Learning and instinct interact (e.g., J. Mailman's Ontogeny of an Instinct, Brill, Leiden, 1967), whereas Meehan treats them as a dichotomy. Population biologists, high school biology teachers and students, and exterminators will see opportunities here for studying these rodents and for learning the best means of control for different situations. ANN EILEEN MILLER BAKER, Zoology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado MIKE FENN, Animal Behavior Research Group, Zool- ogy, Oxford University, Oxford, England THE GIANT PANDAS OF WOLONG. By George B. Schaller, Hu Jinchu, Pan Wenshi, and Zhu Jing. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago (Illinois). $25.00. xvii + 288 p.; ill.; no index. 1985. Since its discovery in 1869, the giant panda has re- mained an enigma to scientists. With striking black-and-white coloration, dextrous thumb-like sesamoid, peculiar herbivorous diet (uncommon for a member of the order Carnivora), behavioral habits restrictively bound by the unpredictable flowering cycles of bamboo, and obscure evolution- ary history and taxonomic status, the giant panda has been the source of many biologists' longtime ambitions. For example, Dwight D. Davis in 1964 used the giant panda for his classic treatise on evolutionary comparative morphology and, more recently, Stephen Jay Gould and Steven Stanley have formulated revisionary models for evolution- ary change using the panda as a test case. All of these discussions, however, have developed despite any real information on how the giant panda lives in nature. Because of improving Chinese- American relations, George Schaller was invited in 1980 to head the first scientific expedition to study the giant panda in its natural habitat of southern China. Because of the giant pandas' dwindling population size, the ongoing project's primary aim is to study aspects of the panda's life history that are critical to establishing effective conservation measures. This volume, the first of two, describes the giant panda's role in the history of Chinese civilization; past and present geographical distribution; Wolong nature preserve, the primary study site; feeding behavior, food selection, water intake, nutrition, and effects on bamboo; home range and daily movement patterns; activity cycles; popula- tion dynamics and social behavior; behavioral (nutritional) constraints imposed by a strictly her- bivoroius diet; and, conservation guidelines. Primary emphasis is given to the fragile nutri- tional condition of the giant panda, in which 99 per cent of its food consists of bamboo stems, branches and leaves. With essentially a carnivore digestive system, the giant panda quickly and in- efficiently processes such foliage and, because of its large size, is forced to consume approximately 12.5 kg (fresh weight) of bamboo per day. Detailed measurements of organic and inorganic constitu- ents of bamboo and digesta characteristics are de- scribed along with rigorous analyses of daily activ- ity patterns, which together provide a basis for calculating the energetic needs of the giant panda. Schaller's previous field studies, most notably of the mountain gorilla, tiger, African lion, and Himalayan ungulates, are crowning examples of how to do good ethology and animal ecology. The Giant Pandas of Wolong is a significant departure from his previous books as it emphasizes physiol- ogy and nutrition, undoubtedly because these areas present immediate problems for the giant panda's future. Behavioral information is fre- quently presented in general form, based on descriptions of only six animals, and some be- haviors, especially reproductive patterns, are mainly described from observations on captive animals. Clearly, Schaller and his Chinese col- leagues faced tremendous physical difficulties in tracking a large, skittish, and potentially danger- ous animal at high altitudes through thick bamboo forest. Nevertheless, I would have been more com- fortable if some of the singularly adaptive explana- tions were presented with alternative explanations or, at the very least, were placed within shortcom- ings of the data at hand. For example, in explain- ing the unusual coloration of the giant panda, the authors assert, "Striking colors send complex sig- nals to other members of a species, and it is in this context that the adaptive value of the pelage must lie" (p. 163). With virtually no behavioral informa- tion supporting this hypothesis, other explana- tions concerning phylogeny, crypticity, or ther- moregulation should have been elaborated. In general, though, this may be asking too much of the first and only expedition to have truly "seen" the giant panda. This book is certainly satisfying DECEMBER 1985] NEW BIOLOGICAL BOOKS 525 in providing a broad summary of what the panda is actually doing in nature and, perhaps more im- portantly, will allow future generations of biolo- gists to test their pet theories against the solid in- formation resulting from this study. JOHN L. GITTLEMAN, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC THE GRAY WHALE: Eschrichtius robustus. Edited by Mary Lou Jones, Steven L. Swartz, and Stephen Leatherwood; with illustrations by Pieter Arend Folkens. Academic Press, Orlando (Florida). $75.00. xxiv + 600 p.; ill.; index. 1984. This well-organized book brings together much of what is known about gray whales in 25 chapters written by a total of 38 investigators. It is divided into four broad categories: evolution, fossils, and subfossil remains (2 chapters); historical relation- ships and exploitation (6 chapters); demography, distribution, and migration (9 chapters); and biol- ogy and behavior (8 chapters). The final section gives excellent up-to-date in- formation on the gray whale fossil record and on the now-extinct Atlantic gray whale. The section on exploitation explores early Japanese whaling, whaling by aboriginal cultures of the north Pacific, early Yankee whaling, and the activities of modern commercial pelagic whaling vessels. The third sec- tion describes the seasonal abundance of gray whales in the Bering Sea, the lagoons of Baja California, and at several points of the migration route in between. The final section describes some aspects of feeding ecology, selected biological notes gleaned from recent Russian whaling activities, acoustic behavior of gray whales in a calving la- goon and in the arctic, and dive and movement pattern information obtained from the most suc- cessful radio-tracking of whales accomplished to date. Although quite a few researchers have looked es- pecially at occurrence and migration patterns of gray whales in the past dozen years, very little detailed work has actually been done on descrip- tive behavior of the species, and virtually nothing is known about social organization. Because of the dearth of such information, discussions of social ecology and interindividual interactions of gray whales are almost totally lacking in this book. Gray whales occur close to shore in nearly all parts of their range, and dedicated field biologists could study details of behavior during long field stays. Humpback whales and right whales recently re- ceived such detailed attention, and I hope that in the near future, studies of gray whales will pro- gress in similar fashion. BERND WURSIG, MOSS Landing Marine Laborato- ries, Moss Landing, California S#2 AQUATIC SCIENCES RESPONSES OF MARINE ORGANISMS TO POLLU- TANTS. Based on papers presented at the Second Interna- tional Symposium on Responses of Marine Organisms to Pollutants, held at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, on April 27-29, 1983. Reprinted from the journal Marine En- vironmental Research, Volume 14, Numbers 1-4. Edited by John J. Stegeman; Consulting Editor: G. W Heath. Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, London and New York. $163.00. xxvii + 547 p.; ill.; in- dex. 1984. The 90 papers presented here are grouped into four categories: (1) biochemistry of cytochrome p- 450 and organic compound biotransformations, (2) biochemistry and biological significance of metal-binding proteins, (3) biochemistry, physiol- ogy and bioassay, and (4) immunology and pathol- ogy. The papers range in length from two-page ex- tended abstracts to full manuscripts. With very few exceptions, the work reported in this volume reflects the sophistication gained in pollution re- search since the Stockholm Conference on the World Environment in 1972. In fact, most of this volume could not have been written five years ago. The majority of the papers dealing with specific pollutants are on the toxic metals (copper, cad- mium, lead, and mercury) and the polycyclic aro- matic hydrocarbons; only a few papers deal with the chlorinated hydrocarbons. More than half the papers are on some aspect of the biochemistry of cytochrome p-450. In fact, both the symposium and this volume serve as a focal point for clarifying the nomenclature and method of reporting the ap- parent nature of an isolated form of p-450. I recommend this volume to workers in the field of pollution research despite the high price. The papers are well written and are profusely refer- enced and reflect some of the best work done to date on organism responses to common environ- mental pollutants. GEORGE R. HARVEY, Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratories, National Oceanic and At- mospheric Administration, Miami, Florida OSMOREGULATION IN EsTUARINE AND MARINE ANIMALS. Proceedings of the invited lectures to a Sympo- sium organized within the 5th Conference of the European Society for Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry, Taormina, Sicily, Italy, September 5-8, 1983. Lecture Notes on Coastal and Estuarine Studies, Volume 9. Edited by A. Pequeux, R. Gilles and L. Bolis; Series Editors: Richard T. Barber et al. Springer-Verlag, Ber-