16 TH E A’ U'D Ur B10 'N (3B USL ee ieee 
Book Reviews 
Nature Parade: the Private Life of Animals, by Frank W. Crane. Pub- 
lished in America by Sheridan House, 257 Fourth Ave., New York; 333 © 
pages, $5.00. 
The author has collected innumerable interesting facts, often bizarre, but 
apparently authentic, concerning animals, birds, fish, insects, and spiders. 
In the case of some creatures talked about by natives but never seen by 
white men, and of course not classified by scientists, he credits repeated ob- 
servations by natives (tribes not mentioned). 
The book, in three sections, is divided into thirteen chapters dealing with 
food, toilet, sleep, leadership, strength, war and doctoring. One section deals 
with various categories in relation to speed and locomotion, including one 
entitled “trespassers” in which he classifies mammals and birds that are 
quite at home in the water, and fish that can live out of it. 
In the chapter on food Mr. Crane describes many ingenious methods de- 
veloped by living things to earn a living: a spider that fishes with a line 
with a sticky globule on the end; the archer fish that shoots a stream of 
water to bring down his prey; a crab that travels around with a sea anemo- 
ne in his claws and then robs it of its capture; the ants that keep a herd of 
aphids to milk; and leaf-cutter ants that grow fungi for food. 
Under ‘“‘toilet” he describes the many devices animals and birds use for 
cleanliness and removal of vermin, including of course the well-known 
preening of birds to restore their feather pattern. It is apparent that beauty 
secrets are not confined to the human female. 
Curious sleep habits are described. The brown seal has been observed to 
sleep submerged, bobbing up for air at intervals, apparently still asleep. 
Many illustrations of leadership are mentioned, including the so-called peck 
rights among chickens (a sort of aristocracy described by the late Professor 
Allee) ; and a crippled wild gander that bossed the whole barnyard. 
On the subject of strength, many exact measurements were possible. The 
load value of a cross section of human muscle compared to that of the hind 
leg of the locust is about as 1 to almost 8. Practical illustrations of the pul- 
ling power of fish, turtles, a badger and an anteater are given, and the 
tensile strength of a spider-web filament. The wrestling match between 
Sandow (a famous strong man) and a lion wearing mittens and muzzle is 
described. The methods of killing prey and of defense, some of which appear 
to have been learned by experience, are discussed. Under ‘‘doctoring” is re- 
lated what some insects and animals do to heal themselves. 
The speed of many animals, fish, birds and insects, have been quite ac- 
curately measured. An interesting item is that a hippopotamus can travel 
8 miles an hour on the bottom under water. These items are interestingly 
handled, not as dry statistics. The last chapter, on mysteries, concerns it- 
self with native stories, such as the giant snow creature of the Himalayas, 
whose snow tracks have been described. Also a quasi-human hairy dwarf 
in Africa. But you must read all these oddities for yourself. 
Dr. Alfred Lewy, 25 E. Washington St., Chicago 2 
