The Bats of British Columbia

Robert M.R. Barclay is a professor in the Department of Biological
Sciences at the University of Calgary.

If the first handbook in the Royal British Columbia Museum’s series on
the mammals of B.C. is any indication, it will be an excellent
collection. The authors set out to produce a handbook on bats
“directed especially toward a ... general audience” and they have
succeeded. The book discusses the basic biology of bats, covering
everything from echolocation to conservation, and illustrates major
aspects of bat biology with photographs and diagrams. Identification
keys use external features such as size and color, or skull and tooth
characteristics, and diagrams illustrate the important features that
distinguish 16 species.

The account of each species provides a wealth of information on the
bat’s natural history, and includes descriptions, with external
measurements and dental formulae, as well as notes on the range of the
species. The information is accurate and up-to-date, with scientific
references at the end of each account.

Overall, this is a first-rate book. It should prove interesting and
useful to a wide range of biologists and amateur naturalists.