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The Outer Hebrides, Moor and Machair, edited by Stewart Angus. Published by The White Horse Press, Cambridge & Harris, 339 pp. ISBN 1‐874267‐48‐0

The Outer Hebrides, Moor and Machair, edited by Stewart Angus. Published by The White Horse... aquaculture and, therefore, its publication can only be welcomed. Dr Teresa Fernandes Napier University, Edinburgh, UK Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/aqc.504 THE OUTER HEBRIDES, MOOR AND MACHAIR, edited by Stewart Angus. Published by The White Horse Press, Cambridge & Harris, 339 pp. Price; £30.00. ISBN 1-874267-48-0 This is the second in a three-volume series on the Outer Hebrides, the first covering the physical background to the islands and the third dealing with aquatic habitats, both marine and freshwater. The present work covers woodland, peatlands, uplands, coastal cliffs and rocky shores, shingle, strandlines, sand dunes, machair and saltmarshes. The emphasis throughout is on vegetation, faithfully following the Rodwell British Plant Communities, though with new additions to closely studied types, such as machair. Within the fauna, birds are rightly given priority, though there is a valiant attempt to deal with all relevant groups, down to the more significant invertebrates. The account of machair is the fullest and best so far written on this distinctive and internationally important Hebridean habitat, though those for uplands and seacliffs are also valuable. There is a fascinating treatment of forest history, and enjoyable pieces on other subjects that have caught the author’s interest, such as strand-lines and fowling. Nature conservation is dealt with as appropriate throughout the book, and the final chapter is mainly about biogeographic matters. These last include a discussion of the Heslop–Harrison episode, in which the author generously views the case for fraud as not proven, whereas most informed observers see it as established beyond reasonable doubt. The intended audience of the book seems a little uncertain for while the basics of pollen analysis, island biogeography and pH are explained, as to the layman, the relentless dose of plant sociology skates over the underlying concepts and thereby assumes familiarity with them. The crofters of the Highlands and Islands have come to occupy a special place in the Scottish psyche, from the brutal events of the Clearances, and they are accorded special treatment as a result. Today, these people are victims of the attempt to wrest a precarious living from a marginal environment, and have become increasingly dependent for survival on public subsidy from urbanindustrial wealth. A little gratitude for their privileged position would not go amiss with some of those who are called upon to provide this support. Stewart Angus, a Lewis man himself, acknowledges some of the economic problems, but is torn between criticising undesirable practices, and cheering them on as a noble tradition. He berates the mindless pyromania on the moors, but enthuses over the atavistic annual ritual of the clubbing to death of young gannets (‘gugas’) on Sula Sgeir. The book was written wholly in the author’s free-time, but he brings to it the experience of a serving officer of Scottish Natural Heritage (and the forerunner Nature Conservancy Council), acquired over many years of official duties in the Outer Hebrides. It is freely sprinkled with strong and sometimes challenging opinions, on matters from heavily political to relatively trivial. Small wonder that he looks over his shoulder at the bureaucracy which employs him and makes the usual disclaimer that he speaks for himself alone. His organization should be pleased with the factual content of his book. This is a major contribution to the natural history of the Outer Isles which deserves congratulation. Yet, in view of the diligent listing of references, including some of the more obscure, there is a surprising absence of any mention of the recent New Naturalist on The Hebrides by Morton and Ian Boyd, and only a single passing reference to the Royal Society of Edinburgh symposium volume on the Outer Hebrides. These omissions must be deliberate, and so raise questions. The print size is too small for comfortable reading, and the book is let down by the poor reproduction of the numerous and well chosen black-and-white photographs. D.A. Ratcliffe 34 Thornton Close, Girton, Cambridge CB3 0NG, UK Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/aqc.515 Copyright # 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems Wiley

The Outer Hebrides, Moor and Machair, edited by Stewart Angus. Published by The White Horse Press, Cambridge & Harris, 339 pp. ISBN 1‐874267‐48‐0

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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN
1052-7613
eISSN
1099-0755
DOI
10.1002/aqc.515
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Abstract

aquaculture and, therefore, its publication can only be welcomed. Dr Teresa Fernandes Napier University, Edinburgh, UK Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/aqc.504 THE OUTER HEBRIDES, MOOR AND MACHAIR, edited by Stewart Angus. Published by The White Horse Press, Cambridge & Harris, 339 pp. Price; £30.00. ISBN 1-874267-48-0 This is the second in a three-volume series on the Outer Hebrides, the first covering the physical background to the islands and the third dealing with aquatic habitats, both marine and freshwater. The present work covers woodland, peatlands, uplands, coastal cliffs and rocky shores, shingle, strandlines, sand dunes, machair and saltmarshes. The emphasis throughout is on vegetation, faithfully following the Rodwell British Plant Communities, though with new additions to closely studied types, such as machair. Within the fauna, birds are rightly given priority, though there is a valiant attempt to deal with all relevant groups, down to the more significant invertebrates. The account of machair is the fullest and best so far written on this distinctive and internationally important Hebridean habitat, though those for uplands and seacliffs are also valuable. There is a fascinating treatment of forest history, and enjoyable pieces on other subjects that have caught the author’s interest, such as strand-lines and fowling. Nature conservation is dealt with as appropriate throughout the book, and the final chapter is mainly about biogeographic matters. These last include a discussion of the Heslop–Harrison episode, in which the author generously views the case for fraud as not proven, whereas most informed observers see it as established beyond reasonable doubt. The intended audience of the book seems a little uncertain for while the basics of pollen analysis, island biogeography and pH are explained, as to the layman, the relentless dose of plant sociology skates over the underlying concepts and thereby assumes familiarity with them. The crofters of the Highlands and Islands have come to occupy a special place in the Scottish psyche, from the brutal events of the Clearances, and they are accorded special treatment as a result. Today, these people are victims of the attempt to wrest a precarious living from a marginal environment, and have become increasingly dependent for survival on public subsidy from urbanindustrial wealth. A little gratitude for their privileged position would not go amiss with some of those who are called upon to provide this support. Stewart Angus, a Lewis man himself, acknowledges some of the economic problems, but is torn between criticising undesirable practices, and cheering them on as a noble tradition. He berates the mindless pyromania on the moors, but enthuses over the atavistic annual ritual of the clubbing to death of young gannets (‘gugas’) on Sula Sgeir. The book was written wholly in the author’s free-time, but he brings to it the experience of a serving officer of Scottish Natural Heritage (and the forerunner Nature Conservancy Council), acquired over many years of official duties in the Outer Hebrides. It is freely sprinkled with strong and sometimes challenging opinions, on matters from heavily political to relatively trivial. Small wonder that he looks over his shoulder at the bureaucracy which employs him and makes the usual disclaimer that he speaks for himself alone. His organization should be pleased with the factual content of his book. This is a major contribution to the natural history of the Outer Isles which deserves congratulation. Yet, in view of the diligent listing of references, including some of the more obscure, there is a surprising absence of any mention of the recent New Naturalist on The Hebrides by Morton and Ian Boyd, and only a single passing reference to the Royal Society of Edinburgh symposium volume on the Outer Hebrides. These omissions must be deliberate, and so raise questions. The print size is too small for comfortable reading, and the book is let down by the poor reproduction of the numerous and well chosen black-and-white photographs. D.A. Ratcliffe 34 Thornton Close, Girton, Cambridge CB3 0NG, UK Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/aqc.515 Copyright # 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Journal

Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems – Wiley

Published: Jan 1, 2003

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