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To whom am I speaking?

Article Excerpt
Animal Communication Networks. Peter McGregor, ed. Cambridge University Press, New York, 2005. 657 pp., illus. $135.00 (ISBN 9780521823617 cloth).

Sometimes, when we want to be careful about our communication or we are not sure who is listening, we adopt a formal tone and say something like, "To whom am I speaking?" This can be a humorous inquiry when we know very well who is listening and we do not have to be careful. Or it can be a serious question when, as observers, we are not sure who is being addressed. An animal communication network approach, as outlined by Peter McGregor in his previous writings and now in his excellent book Animal Communication Networks, asks us to reconsider to whom animals are speaking when they signal. Are they being careful in ways we have not previously considered? Are they addressing a number of different recipients in ways we have not understood? What are the implications of these, and other, considerations for the study of signaling strategies?

For years, researchers in the field of animal communication have focused primarily on the dyad of sender and receiver. Although they were aware that communication events were actually more complex, it was often necessary to first demonstrate more straightforward aspects of these events to provide a strong basis for further study. The dyad was also often the easiest and quickest aspect that could be analyzed--especially before the development of such things as handheld electronic event recorders, compact digital audio and video equipment, and computers with statistical packages.

In this book,...