BOWLER, J.
Wildlife of the Seychelles.
192 pages, 51 colour plates (photographs).
Old Basing, Hampshire, UK: WILDGuides, 2006.
Hardback, £17.95 (including UK p. & p.) from WILDGuides Ltd, PO Box 680, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 9ST (sales@wildguides.co.uk),
ISBN 1-903657-06-7.

The challenge faced by any naturalist visiting a foreign destination is to find a single guide that covers all the fauna they are likely to see. John Bowler has met this challenge very well for the exotic, if modestly diverse, fauna of the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. There are competent and readable introductory sections that provide information on biogeography, conservation issues and on individual islands.
Most of the book's 192 pages are devoted to individual species accounts for birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, but flora is not included. Excellent photographs for most species regularly seen in the islands are accompanied by good detail on identification, voice, behaviour and breeding characteristics, plus a description of status and distribution. For me, the strength of this guide is that it is clearly written by someone with first-hand experience of the wildlife and it successfully exploits the benefits of photography over artwork in a modern field-guide layout. The high-quality photographs, attractive layout and clear text will appeal to the average tourist, but the detail of the text will not disappoint the keen naturalist, and I therefore warmly recommend it to anyone planning a visit to the Seychelles.