African flyers

Carcasson’s African Butterflies (Natural History Museum, $150, ISBN
0 643 05561 4) is an impressive work. Edited by P. R. Ackery, C. R. Smith and
Richard Vane-Wright, it covers 3600 species of 300 genera – that is, 20 per
cent of the world’s butterflies. Details of distribution and host plants are
included, together with more than 300 black-and-white photographs of
specimens. An extensive bibliography and detailed index make this an essential
reference for anyone with an interest in African butterflies.