30 Te eA UD UT BOs Nab Ul ie enolate 
female: the second male’s specific 
role is to lie across the couple who 
are mating in order to help them 
maintain the proper position in the 
water. Cousteau writes that the 
sexual activity of these leviathans 
is almost a nightmare, accompanied 
by frustration and frenzy because 
of their huge size. 
The mating game differs among 
the species of whales. Scammon 
Bay makes an ideal nursery, and 
Cousteau dwells at length on the 
birth and growth of the young 
whales. He points out, for exam- 
ple, that a baby whale will grow at 
an incredible rate of 230 pounds a 
day, or a ton every ten days. 
One of the most interesting chap- 
ters in the book is the section on 
the Killer Whale. Considerably 
smaller than the Blue, Humpback 
or Finback, tthe Killer is considered 
the smartest of all whales, and 
probably one of the most attractive. 
An aggressive and formidable ani- 
mal, it is blessed with 20 to 28 
teeth, and is capable of diving to 
depths of over 1,000 feet, with the 
capability of remaining below the 
surface of the water for as long 
as 20 minutes. Though Killer 
Whales will attack other whales, 
they have never been known to kill 
a diver. The first Killer Whale was 
tamed and brought to an aquarium, 
in British Columbia. Since that 
time, other aquariums have exhib- 
ited the mammal. 
Cousteau has a remarkable re- 
spect for the sea and for all life 
that dwells in it. 
—Raymond Mostek 
AUTUMN OF THE EAGLE: 
THE AMERICAN BALD EAGLE’S 
PAST & THREATENED FUTURE 
by George Laycock 
Scribner, 1973 
239 pp, $6.95 
This welcome book on eagles is 
long overdue. It will bring every- 
one up to date on the study of our 
national bird. Perhaps the best 
way to describe the book would 
be to list its chapters: 
The National Bird — The Van- 
ishing Wilderness — The Eagle 
Family — The Eyrie — The Eagles 
of Vermilion — A Matter of Diet. 
The Champion Eagle Bander — 
Danger in the Sky — The Chemical 
Age — A Search for Eagles — In- 
tolerance and Poison. 
Shotguns and Helicopters — 
Land of Many Eagles — First Aid 
and Deep Concern — What of the 
Future? 
This book is well written and a 
joy to read. It gives the reader the 
past history of the eagle as well as 
current studies to save the species. 
The only thing left out would be 
the steps to set aside areas to pro- 
tect wintering Bald Eagles on the 
Mississippi River. These would be 
the Cedar Glen Eagle Roost near 
Keokuk, a project of the Illinois 
Chapter of The Nature Conserv- 
ancy, and the Eagle Valley En- 
vironmentalists, Inc. in Wisconsin, 
under the leadership of Terry Ing- 
ram. 
The documentary facts presented 
agree with my studies over the 
years) However, I will have to 
CO-OP 
Kiss of April’s sun— 
Bush gives white-flowered signal; 
Shad in river run! 
—Joe Dvorak 
