A look at vanished species

The Doomsday Book of Animals, by David Day. Illustrated by Tim Bramfitt, Peter Hayman, Mick Loates, and Maurice Wilson. New York: The Viking Press. 288 pp. $40 .

Wildlife enthusiasts will find hours of bittersweet pleasure in this encyclopedia of 300 animal species which have become extinct. The text makes us profoundly conscious of the rich company we've lost, while encouraging a new appreciation of what remains. The artwork is disappointing, but the appendices, including an article on endangered plants and a listing of 400 currently endangered animal species, are solid.