In a little known early draft of “Much Ado About Nothing,” Shakespeare depicted Beatrice as an avid amateur lepidopterist with a particular interest in moths. Consequently, she would have well known “of old” the intricately camouflaged Jade Hawkmoth (Daphnis hypothous) which can quickly disappear to the observer the moment it lands upon a patch of foliage.
Once again, Mark Avery has not only pipped me to the post, he’s positively pummeled me to it. Not only has he already received a copy of James Lowen’s forthcoming book “Much Ado About Mothing; A Year Intoxicated by Britain’s Rare and Remarkable Moths,” he’s read it and published his review. Meanwhile, here I sit, far from dear old Blighty, hoping against hope that a copy might one day reach me.
For those who count themselves regular readers of Mark Avery’s blog, the recent uptick in new book reviews can’t have gone unnoticed. When I recently called up the site, I thought “Blimey! Is Mark doing anything other than reading these days?” However I then noticed by-lines indicating that two of the four most recent reviews were penned by none other than the noted ornithologist Ian Carter acting a as a guest reviewer.
Although a copy of the new “RSPB Spotlight: Hedgehogs” by James Lowen arrived from Bloomsbury a few months ago, I delayed adding it to the Newly Noted column in order to better align it with an annual threat to its subject: Bonfire Night bonfires.