470 



NATURE 



[January 8, 1920 



nothing gave it keener joy than to be romped and 

 played with. It had, however, to be kept in 

 partial confinement on account of its fondness for 

 poultry. The author makes some appropriate re- 

 marks on the subject of keeping animals in con- 

 finement. 



Some people consider it distinctly cruel to aeprive 

 animals of their liberty, although they may be con- 

 fined in large, roomy, comfortable cages and all their 

 physical needs provided for. Such folk know little 

 or nothing of the hardships which most animals in 



habits of wild mammals. It is interesting to 

 note that the aardwolf lives almost entirely on 

 termites ; that the Cape hunting dog will scour 

 the country for days, doing perchance more than 

 100 miles a day, on a perfectly empty stomach ; 

 and that the Cape otter seems to be slowly aban- 

 doning its aquatic habits. Some mammals, 

 like the ratel, exhibit an unusual amount of intelli- 

 gence, if the reports can be credited that it follows 

 the movements of a little bird known as the honey 

 guid^ in its search for honey. " Of all the animals 



Fig. 2.— The Cape Hunting Dog, which is as big as a mastiff. From "The Natural History of South Africa." 



their native haunts are called upon to undergo in the 

 shape of scarcity of food, mclement weather, and the 

 necessity to be at all times on their guard against th"^ 

 many enemies by which they are surrounded. The 

 feelings of the lower animals cannot be gauged bv 

 those of us who have the mental, moral, and spiritual 

 faculties and an advanced condition of development. 

 If the physical needs of the lower animals, and even 

 the primitive races of man, are provided for, they 

 are then in a condition of perfect happiness. 



No one would imagine that lions could live on 

 vegetables, and yet the late Dr. Livingstone pointed 

 out that the lion of Central Africa frequently feeds 

 on the desert water-melon. Mr. Fitzsimons is 

 wrong in his statement that the lioness produces 

 no more than five young at a birth (i., p. 123). 

 On several occasions a lioness in the Dublin Zoo- 

 logical Gardens had a litter of six cubs. 



There seems to be evidence to show that the 

 African wild cat breeds freely with the domestic 

 cat, and this would strengthen the view that the 

 former is the ancestor of the European domestic 

 cat. 



The two volumes which have been issued con- 

 tain a most valuable store of information on the 

 no. 2619, VOL. 104] 



known to me," says the author, "the ratel has the 

 most energy, endurance, and perseverance." 



Many of the illustrations are of a high standard, 

 and add to the value of this welcome work. 



INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH.^ 



DURING the past few years manufacturers 

 have tended to lift the veil of secrecy behind 

 which they were wont to hide their works pro- 

 cesses and operations. Under the menace of war, 

 and with the partial removal of ordinary inter- 

 competitive conditions, rival manufacturers who 

 were faced with problems incident to the fabrica- 

 tion of new war products turned to each other 

 for mutual guidance and assistance, and a very 

 considerable interchange of knowledge and ex- 

 perience resulted, to the benefit of all concerned. 

 The tendency to secrecy, which prevented manu- 

 facturers from sharing their knowledge for the 

 common benefit of the industry and for the better 

 combating of foreign competition, was one of the 



1 Report of the Committee of the Privy Council for Scientific and 

 Industrial Research for the Year rgiS-rg. Pp. 94. (London : His 

 Majesty's Stationery Office, 19T9.) Price 6rf. net. 



