LEGACY: THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ONTARIO Edited by John Theberge Toronto, McClelland & Stewart, 1989. 416pp, cloth, $75.00 ISBN 0-7710-8398-X. CIP Grades 10 and up/Ages 15 and up Reviewed by Elinor Kelly. Volume 18 Number 1 1990 January This large and comprehensive natural history of Ontario is sponsored by the Ontario Heritage Foundation and the Federation of Ontario Naturalists. In physical appearance it resembles the FON publication Seasons but with larger print and more white space. It contains a collection of essays of the kind found in periodicals like Seasons or the Cana­dian Geographic that are hard to find later on when you need them. The editor is John Theberge, profes­sor of Ecology and Resource Manage­ment at the University of Waterloo, best known for his work on wolves. He has contributed many of the features in this book. There are colour photographs throughout, all from well-known nature photographers, numerous maps, line drawings and illustrations, brief biographies of the forty writers and a good index. The contents are both general and specific, e.g. the geology of the province and the Brent Crater. There are over­views and examples of scientific field research, e.g. Ontario's forests and the spruce bud worm. The presentation is for the general reader and avoids any textbook appearance. If s accessible but the writers are experts in their field, e.g. Kenneth Hare on the climate and weather, Doug Hoffman on soils, Bill Fox on the Paleo-Indians and Steve Smith on biting insects. The flora and fauna of the province and the special environments are described, and "vignettes", e.g. Niagara Falls and the white pelicans of Lake of the Woods, are included. Librarians who despair at having available only superficial surveys will welcome so much inside one cover. It is a heavy and expensive "gift" book but a good investment for the student, the general reader and the ever growing number of citizens concerned with the natural environment. Elinor Kelly, Port Hope, Ont.