This book must have cost the author countless hours of tracking, sitting motionless, crawling perhaps, until he could capture the object of his desire through his lens.

For Mr Bonett, the various animals that populate the depleted Maltese countryside are a constant source of fascination. But while hunters stalk their victims and ultimately kill them, Mr Bonett on the contrary immortalises them in full, glorious, colour.

The book contains more than 500 photos of birds, flies, spiders, bees, creepy crawlies and so much more. Each animal is caught patiently (each must have cost the author many hours of patient waiting), in its natural habitat. The book is a treasure trove of what can be found in our countryside, if only we take time to see, to delve, to wait.

The book is also an object lesson of nature photography with Mr Bonett helpfully guiding beginners in the choice of the proper camera and equipment and how to get the best shots. Each photo comes with an explanation (rather technical, I must say) of the aperture and other technical details on how that shot was captured.

The one criticism I feel I must make of this book is that unfortunately the author does not give the Maltese names of the wildlife he so gloriously depicts. This is a pity but, having said that, one must allow the book itself to speak to the reader and tell of the immense variety of wildlife there is around us, if only we care to stay still and look.