Fauna Britannica

Man has lived among animals for the whole of his existence on earth, first competing with them, then using, and all too often abusing them. But in the past fifty years or so people in Britain have become overwhelmingly urban, and in consequence have lost contact with nature and the country. Most children have little direct experience of animals and birds: they see them on television but rarely meet them in the flesh. Yet the popularity of farms open to the public demonstrates the affection.

That people have for animals, and also the beneficial effects that contact with animals can produce.

Fauna Britannica is a work of reference for people whose interest in animals has been awakened by passing acquaintance. This book is essentially a practical encyclopedia of creatures, wild and domesticated, that have lived and now live in the British Isles. Without seeking to be exhaustive, it concentrates on the creatures that people are most likely to come across or to have read about. As well as being an authoritative guide, Fauna Britannica aims to show how attitudes to animals have.

Changed over the centuries, and to demonstrate how our exploitation of them has had far-reaching consequences for the environment.

The author surveys those creatures such as the Steppe Mammoth and the Giant Irish Elk whose presence in Britain is revealed in the fossil records, and describes the exotic imports and menageries of historical times. He profiles many species of wild mammals, horses, farm animals, dogs and cats, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Interspersed throughout the book are essays on various aspects of the countryside, including the reintroduction of the European Beaver, poaching, fox.

Hunting, horse healers and the Scottish drovers. Social history, folklore and legend combine with scientific authority to make Fauna Britannica an enthralling survey of Britain's creatures, then and now. Book jacket.