CAB DIRECT

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Abstract

The small, deer-like Soay sheep represent the most primitive domestic form of the species in Europe. They may be descended from sheep brought to Britain about 5000 BC or, alternatively, they may have been introduced by the Vikings about the 9th century AD. The present feral population of about 1400 sheep on Hirta, the main island of the St Kilda group, is descended from a flock of 107 sheep which was transferred from the neighbouring island of Soay when the islanders deserted St Kilda in 1932. This book is packed with fascinating and detailed information about the Soay sheep - their physiology, conformation, colour and coat type, their social and sexual behaviour, and the interacting factors which control population size and cause it to fluctuate in a remarkable fashion from year to year. In addition, the habitat, particularly the vegetation and soil, is fully described. The heart of the book is found in those sections by Grubb, and Grubb and Jewell, dealing with social and sexual behaviour, reproduction and population dynamics. These are wide-ranging studies and have a general relevance for all zoologists, ethologists and ecologists quite irrespective of whether they may be interested in Soay sheep. However, these chapters, although of great interest, are excessively detailed. Some data are presented in the form of both tables and diagrams, and descriptive information on the behaviour of individual sheep is extremely lengthy, and perhaps inappropriate in this context. A greater degree of condensation and synthesis would have been welcome. Nevertheless, it is only fair to say that the authors' perceptiveness and enthusiasm are such that they never become tedious. The authoritative studies of Grubb on behaviour and of Gwynn on the vegetation (and its function as the sole food supply of the sheep) result from several years of dedicated work during which they stayed on the island. These, and indeed most of the chapters in this book, are of a high standard. One possible criticism concerns the relative lack of statistical analysis of the data. Quantitative differences are sometimes presented without any indication of their statistical significance or of the degree of variation. The book is fairly well produced for its price, although the standard of reproduction of photographs is disappointing. In general, this book must be rated as an impressive and highly successful record of over 10 years of research under extremely difficult conditions. It cannot fail to be of interest to any biologist. All the contributors and, in particular, the editors, are to be congratulated on completing a daunting but worthwhile task. J. Slee