246 



NATURE 



[October 21, 1920 



The Natural History of Everyday Creatures. 



MISS FRANCES PITT has given us a delight- 

 ful book of personal observations on the 

 everyday creatures that may be met with in 

 garden, meadow, and hedgerow — the mice, birds, 

 frogs, toads, and other animals that every person 

 comes across. She records what she has seen 

 and learnt, and is plainly an observer of experi- 

 ence and insight. She shows the interest of the 

 life at our doors, and makes it clear that there is 

 a great deal still to be discovered. Her book is 

 strongly to be recommended for young people, 

 not only because of its interest and its simplicity 

 of style, but also because of its scientific temper. 



Fig. I.— a toadciimbiog. From " Wild Creatures of Garden and Hedgerow, 



We feel at every turn that here is an observer who 

 has a great respect for facts. We recommend the 

 book to young people — there is no writing down 

 to them, but we are sure that many people who 

 are not young in years will enjoy the author's 

 observations thoroughly and learn much from 

 them. The photographic illustrations are excel- 

 lent. 



The book begins with bats, which are bundles 

 of peculiarities and puzzles. Let us take an ex- 

 ample of Miss Pitt's method. When a bat, hawk- 

 ing in the twilight, makes a dash after an insect 



"Wild Creaturrl of Garden and Hedgerow." By Frantei Pitt 

 Pp. ix f 285. (Loniion : Constable and Co., Ltd., 1920.) Price laf. net. 



NO. 2660, VOL. 106] 



and catcl:es it, it often apparently tumbles 

 through .the air for a foot or two. This is because 

 the bat, having grabbed its insect, bends its head 

 down into its interfemoral pouch, where its prey 

 cannot escape, and crunches it quickly as the bat 

 goes on flying. Now Miss Pitt won the confidence 

 of a pipistrelle to such a degree that it sat on her 

 hand and ate all the flies it could get — making 

 nothing of twenty to thirty at a meal. " My little 

 pipistrelle had hitherto caught and pouched all its 

 food when on the wing, and from habit felt com- 

 pelled to try and pouch the flies I gave it, though 

 sitting in an attitude that made this almost im- 

 possible. The result was that time after 

 time it tumbled over, and would right it- 

 self with such a puzzled and bewildered 

 look ! However, the difficulty of doing 

 the proper thing did not stop it eating." 



The bank-vole matches the soil, dead 

 leaves, and withered grass so wonderfully 

 well that it is very safe so long as it does 

 not move ; but if it moves too soon the 

 kestrel drops on it like a stone. Miss 

 Pitt kept three in a large glass-sided cage, 

 and proved their fear of attack from 

 above. "They did not take any notice of 

 things moving beside them, but the 

 slightest thing overhead sent them dash- 

 ing for cover or made them crouch like 

 stones where they were. The cage was 

 arranged to be as much like part of a 

 bank as possible." Of great interest is 

 the story of a young thrush which took 

 about a vieek to learn how to deal with 

 snails. " It was very evident that he 

 learnt by experience, and that the snail- 

 cracking habit of the thrush is not a 

 specialised instinct, but arises from the 

 tendency of this bird to beat on the 

 ground and thus kill any food, like a big 

 worm, which cannot easily be managed. 

 My thrush would beat and hammer 

 anything that was at all troublesome or 

 which he did not understand." This is the 

 kind of observation that gives the book a 

 high value. Dealing with shrews. Miss 

 Pitt says : " It is only by watching these 

 small animals that one can gain any idea 

 of their untiring energy, intense vitality, and their 

 great pugnaciousness. They are perhaps the most 

 quarrelsome creatures in the world ! If lions and 

 tigers were as fierce, active, and fearless in pro- 

 portion to their size, as shrews and moles are in 

 comparison with their little bodies, what awful 

 creatures they would be ! " In regard to the death 

 of large numbers of common shrews in the 

 autumn, the author favours the theory that these 

 animals are "annuals." Here, as in some other 

 parts of the book, there is a useful exposure of 

 the nonsense that is often talked about the misery 

 and cruelty of wild Nature. " If to us it seems 

 dreadful that death should be always on the watch 



