CHAPTER vD Animals 



in the Wild 



DVENTUROUS YOUNGSTERS are thrilled at the 

 thought of stalking wild animals. It may 

 suggest to them mighty gorillas hidden in trackless jungles or 

 lions prowling over African plains or perhaps a man-eating tiger 

 that is terrorizing a village in India. They may think of our own 

 North American deer and bears, or even the smaller foxes and 

 wildcats. 



Though the animals that occur to them may be of many 

 different kinds, one thing is certain: Each will be four-legged and 

 have fur or hair. For most children and many parents as well I 

 only this type of beast is an "animal." 



True, these beasts are animals, but they are only one type: the 

 mammals. 



Aside from mammals, we find in the animal world many 

 creatures without four legs and fur. Among them are birds, fish, 

 snakes, frogs, spiders, and worms. In fact, all living things that have 

 feeling and the power of voluntary motion may properly be 

 termed animals. 



"What is the difference, then," the inquiring young mind 

 wonders, "between mammals and other kinds of animals?" 



To be considered a mammal, an animal must have three quali- 

 ties. It must be warm-blooded, which means that its blood remains 

 at nearly the same temperature no matter how hot or cold its 

 surroundings may be. It must have hair or fur on its body. And a 



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