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54 Forth Naturalist and Historian, volume 22 BOOK REVIEWS Species History in Scotland. Introductions and Extinctions since the last Ice Age. Robert A. Lambert (ed), Scottish Cultural Press, 1998, 160pp. ISBN 1-84017-011-5. £14.95. This fascinating review of the fortunes and misfortunes of various plants and animals in Scotland gives a clear insight into the impact of human societies over the last ten thousand years. Roy Dennis sets the scene with an appeal for greater tolerance for the reintroduction of some of Scotland’s vanished animals and birds, notably the European beaver. The book then delves into the ancient past, examining the former distributions of woolly mammoth, aurochs (wild cattle), lynx and the like, from caves and other archaeological sites. The more recent past is better recorded in the literature, and there are some extraordinary accounts of the intrepid hunters of great auks throughout the North Atlantic and up until very recently, of basking sharks off the Scottish west coast. These chapters reveal the excesses of our past greed and lack of concern, which unfortunately remain a problem for modern ecosystems and species. As a contrast, the final chapter reminds us of some of the problems of species introductions, focusing on the severe impact of red deer and other species on the native fauna and flora of New Zealand. There are literally hundreds of references in these chapters to enable the enthusiast to follow up both the errors of the past and the problems facing our current flora and fauna. W. R. Brackenridge Glasgow Naturalist. 23 (4) 1999. Loch Lomondside depicted and described, 2. Early maps and map makers. John Mitchell pp.2-8. Scottish Insect Records for 1997. E. G. Hancock. pp.55-58. Extension of the Ringlet butterfly’s distribution in southern Lomondside. John Mitchell. p69.
Forth Naturalist and Historian, volume 22 55 THE ODONATA (DRAGONFLIES) OF THE FORTH AREA E. M. and R. W. J. Smith In 1905 William Evans, FRSE, read a paper with the above title to the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh (Evans 1904-6). His account of the status of the various species 100 years ago makes an interesting comparison with present day knowledge. He recorded 11 species of dragonflies in ‘Forth’, all still present, with one recent addition. William Evans, 1851-1922, was an enthusiastic field naturalist with a thorough knowledge of systematic botany and zoology. His work on local natural history spanned species from mammals to protozoa, and from flowering plants to fungi. He described several species new to science besides adding many to the British, and particularly to the Scottish, lists. Evans published over 100 papers on every aspect of Natural History. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Physical Society in 1880 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1884. In 1906 his Presidential Address to the Royal Physical Society was on “Our Present Knowledge of the Fauna of the Forth Area”. Calopteryx virgo: The Beautiful Demoiselle, a magnificent blue-winged damselfly of running waters, was recorded by Evans in 1896 and 1905 in the vicinity of Aberfoyle but not elsewhere in ‘Forth’. There have been recent sightings in the same area and the distribution of this species appears to have changed very little. This is a damselfly that could well repay more study into its present breeding sites in the Aberfoyle district. Evans quotes Stewart (1809) that C. virgo occurred in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh during that period and that, in 1841, it was included in a list of insects in the parish of Dollar, in the New Statistical Account. It would appear that C. virgo was much more widespread 200 years ago than at present. Lestes sponsa: The Emerald Damselfly occurs throughout ‘Forth’ in good numbers. Curiously the only record Evans personally had of this species in ‘Forth’ was of one in the Callander area although “… it is common … (at) Dalmally …” Evans collected Ischnura elegans at Aberlady between July and 9 August 1898 but did not record L. sponsa which is a late summer species. It is now extremely common there and would be difficult to miss. This species is now so widespread and numerous in ‘Forth’ that it is tempting to suggest that it has increased and spread greatly in the area in the last 100 years. Pyrrhosoma nymphula: Evans gives the Large Red Damselfly as “… widely distributed throughout the area and is still locally common.” He correctly describes its habitat as “ … the margins of peat pools, ponds and ditches … (etc).” The status of this species (the only red damselfly in Scotland) seems still to be the same – common except on the eastern coastal sandy areas. Ischnura elegans: The Blue-tailed Damselfly was “ … widely distributed and common locally” 100 years ago. This is still true today of this small, rather
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Volume 22 the Forth Naturalist and
Page 3 and 4: THE WEATHER OF 1998 S. J. Harrison
Page 5 and 6: Weather 1998 5 May Warm and mostly
Page 7 and 8: especially over the Carse. Although
Page 9 and 10: 1991 -0.98 Below average 1992 -1.04
Page 11 and 12: Weather 1998 11 Figure 1 Monthly ai
Page 13 and 14: Weather 1998 13 Figure 3 Profile of
Page 15 and 16: Forth Naturalist and Historian, vol
Page 17 and 18: efore, but we have produced for the
Page 19 and 20: Bird Report 1998 19 Month 1996/7 19
Page 21 and 22: Bird Report 1998 21 BLACK-THROATED
Page 23 and 24: Bird Report 1998 23 over Stirling a
Page 25 and 26: Bird Report 1998 25 C 2 Gartmorn 15
Page 27 and 28: Bird Report 1998 27 1 L.Dochart 29
Page 29 and 30: Bird Report 1998 29 Dunmore 18 Oct
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Page 37 and 38: Bird Report 1998 37 F 63 Falkirk 28
Page 39 and 40: Bird Report 1998 39 GREAT GREY SHRI
Page 41 and 42: Bird Report 1998 41 LINNET Cardueli
Page 47 and 48: Wallacebank Wood 47 Before work on
Page 49 and 50: Wallacebank Wood 49 Breeding birds
Page 51 and 52: Appendix SCOTTISH WILDLIFE TRUST FA
Page 53: Hedge Woundwort Stachys sylvatica L
Page 57 and 58: Dragonflies of the Forth Area 57 at
Page 59 and 60: Figure 1. Sympetrum striolatum (Com
Page 63 and 64: Falkirk District Plants 63 Poa subc
Page 65 and 66: Falkirk District Plants 65 Petasite
Page 69 and 70: Brambles of the Trossachs and Stirl
Page 73 and 74: Series RADULAE R. radula Weihe: As
Page 81 and 82: Wallace Oak: Supplement 81 1771 The
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Page 95 and 96: grass as the tenants preferred. The
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Figure 10 Boy Restraining Dog - Qua
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Forth Naturalist and Historian, vol
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Sheriffmuir Atlantic Wall 109 lengt
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Sheriffmuir Atlantic Wall 111 assoc
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Sheriffmuir Atlantic Wall 113 Figur
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Sheriffmuir Atlantic Wall 115 Figur
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Stirling, 70 years ago 119 the pend
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Stirling, 70 years ago 121 quality
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Stirling, 70 years ago 123 restrict
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Stirling, 70 years ago 125 Riversid
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Stirling, 70 years ago 127 in my ea
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executed at the Old Bridge or the C
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Stirling, 70 years ago 131 high bus
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Bridges of the Forth 135 All of thi
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Bridges of the Forth 137 Elegant as
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Bridges of the Forth 139 passed by
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Bridges of the Forth 141 an ordinar
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Bridges of the Forth 143 been incor
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Bridges of the Forth 145 Editorial
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Braco: Ardoch Bridge Knaik NN 837 0
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Forth Figure 5 Alloa Rail - after
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Figure 13 Old Bridge, Callander. Te
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Figure 18 Bridge of Devon, Tullibod
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