Animals of the Arctic: The Ecology of the Far North

Rarely can a popularly oriented scientific text be described as accurate and beautiful: Dr. Stonelhouse's book is such a rarity. In the strict sense, this is not a text, for it does not catalog and describe in concise paragraphs each species and variant of flora and fauna existing in the Arctic and sub-Arctic areas; instead, it uses over 200 beautifully reproduced photograplhs to supplement the author's (lescription of the interactions of a given creature and its environment. Before enitering this part of this book, lhowever, Dr. Stonehouse delineates what "the Arctic" means, in l)iological ancd geophysical terms, not in the legal terms of interniational treaties. h'lie importance of this introductory section is seen througlhout the remainder of the text, as one realizes the diversity of conditions and lifeforms present in the Arctic, as well as the major effects the Arctic has on life in all otlher parts of this planet. The text first covers the animals of the sea and air; following tllese is tlle most extensive section, covering the life-forms of the tundra, the virgin soil of the Nortlh Polar regions. The plhotos and text complement one anotlher beautifully and, between tliem, the reader is caught in the simplicity and tranquility of life adlapted to an area often known for its lharsh living conditions. The final section tleals witlh man in the Arctic; native populations are dealt witlh informatively but biriefly, for man, unable to adapt to Arctic conditions as well as the animals around hiim, lhas fared comfortably but not luxuriously in the area. Native populations by tlhemselves, however, lived in harmony with their stlrrounclings-until "civilizedc" man arrived. Here the peaceful moocl of the first 160 pages are broken, for altlhouglh they have been brief, civilized man's effects on Arctic ecology lhave been disastrotus. The extinction or near-extinction of several species is simply the most blatant of these effects; far more subtle, and just as deadly, are the results of nucleafallout, contaminating soil ancl eventually animials (as Stonehouse points out, "tlhe Lapps in 1965 suffered the highest radiation exposure of any lhuman population-from the rein(leer meat whiclh is their everyday dliet"), and the proposed "development" of the Canadian North for its mineral reserves. Stonelhouse's eloquence on this last point is so clharacteristic of the impact of the text on this reader that it speaks for itself: