BOOK REVIEWS
ELECTRORECEPTION. Edited by Theodore Holmes Bul-chapters deals with a particular group of electric fish: lock and Walter Heiligenberg. Wiley Series in Neuro-cyclostomes (Rowan); sharks, rays, and skates (Bodznick biology. John Wiley &. Sons, New York, 1986. and Boord); nonteleost bony fish (Northcutt); catfish (Finger); gymnotiforms (Carr and Maler); mormyrids This book, the fourth in the Wiley Series in Neurobiol-(Bell); and knifefishes (Bradford). These chapters proogy, edited by R. Glenn Northcutt, performs two major vide detailed, up-to-date information on the production, roles: (1) it provides an up-to-date review of a developing processing, and interpretation of electrical signals by field within neurobiology, and (2) it highlights both re-the members of each group. The chapters are abunalized and potential contributions of comparative stud-dantly illustrated with excellent black-and-white drawies of electroreception to fundamental subjects in ings and photographs. They should be specially valuable neurobiology, e.g., possible effects of very weak electric overviews for investigators working on species within a fields, the mechanisms of hormonal influence on neural group. They should also be useful for comparisons of a development (see especially the chapter by Bass), and worker's "own" group to others. the importance of collateral discharge in "central expec-
In a comparative chapter, Finger, Bell, and Carr ask, tations." These contributions are made in a series of "Why are electrosensory systems so similar?" This is chapters that concentrate on either the specifics of taxa followed by a chapter on electroreception in amphibia or on problems; a concluding chapter looks specifically (Fritzsch and Munz). Hagedorn reviews the use of elecat general contributions.
tric signals in range of behavioral contexts for gymnoti-The 21 chapters, written by 25 investigators, repre-forms, and Hopkins provides a detailed analysis of sent the work of most of the laboratories in the world communication via electric signals in mormyrids to comthat are actively investigating electroreception and they plete the taxonomically oriented material. These chapsummarize the advances that have been made in the ters describing what the animals do with their last three decades. This work, as the editors state in the electroreceptive capabilities give functional perspective preface, has shifted the study of electroreception from to the detailed studies of anatomy and physiological that of a biological curiosity to one that is making fun-mechanisms that precede them. Bastian surveys active damental contributions to neurobiology and neuroethol-electrolocation, and Heiligenberg summarizes work on ogy at several levels. Each chapter begins with a n the jamming avoidance response, possibly the only soextensive summary of the material to follow, and each cial behavior in a vertebrate for which the neural ciris followed by a n extensive, up-to-date bibliography (sev-cuits from receptor to motor organ are known. The final era1 authors included references as recent as 1986).
chapter on the "Significance of Findings on Electrore-The introduction by Bullock and Szabo traces the his-ception for General Neurobiology," by Bullock, stresses tory of the problems encountered in assigning the proper just what the title implies and should be interesting modality to anatomically known receptors as an exam-reading for any neurobiologist. ple of how apparently esoteric interests can come to
The book is finely printed on good paper so that both make fundamental contributions to understanding bio-text and abundant illustrations, including the half-tones, logical phenomena. Following the introduction, a com-are crisp and clear. parative review of the anatomy of electric organs by Bass is the first of five chapters covering widespread features of electric fishes, i.e., control of electric organ discharge (Dye and Meyer), peripheral structures (Zakon), ionic mechanisms (Bennett and Obara), and regeneration (Waxman and Anderson). Each of the next eight