Tates from the Jungle

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24735, 11 October 1941, Page 4

Tates from the Jungle

Animals Are LiKe That! By Frank Buck. Illustrated. (Hale; 14s 6d.)

Two of Mr Frank Buck’s earlier books. “ Bring ’Em Back Alive ” and “ Wild ■ Cargo," afterwards made successful films, and it will not be surprising if a similar destiny awaits Animals Are Like That! which has box office appeal comparable with that of either of its predecessors. The author early reveals that he entertains no illusions concerning the altruistic ethics of the denizens of the jungle. He asserts, frankly and unequivocally, that Nature’s first law. the survival of the fittest, is the only creed they recognise Lacking man’s reasoning power, they live by instinct, and the strong eat the weak and the weak eat the weaker. The appellation “king of beasts” is, according to this authority, incorrectly bestowed. On this point Mr Buck is dogmatically emphatic. He awards the crown to the tiger, which, he says, is more murderous, more treacherous (scarcely regal qualities, these), braver, more daring, and faster than his maned rival The tiger loses none of his inherent ferocity in captivity. Contrary to popular belief, “Mr Stripes.” as he is respectfully referred to by awe-inspired native jungle dwellers, has no indigenous predilection for human flesh. The man-eater is a pernicious pervert. An ageing tiger, by reason of advancing senility and declining powers, must needs seek easier prey than thei fleet and often well-armed quadruped to which his appetite had become accustomed, and

once he has acquired a taste for human flesh the man-eater is born. A dramatic highlight in this narrative is the account of an encounter between a panther, which had escaped overboard, and a brace of sharks. The black leopard, far removed from his native habitat, was, of course, doomed, but his courageous struggle commands admiration. The leopard, fiercest and most daring of all the great cats, figures as a principal in another hair-raising and epic battle recounted in the book, its adversary on this occasion being a python. Unfortunately for the leopard, the bout ends fatally within four minutes of the opening gong. The python’s digestive process is surely Nature in an eccentric mood. It can swallow an object three times the width of its head. The reptilian equivalent of a three-course meal takes nine days to digest, during which time the python lies inert and almost dormant, its bulging girth gradually decreasing. Mr Buck omits to inform his readers that, should the python be attacked during its period of satiation, it can immediately disgorge and be ready for the fray. The author’s attempts to bring wild cargo back alive have given birth to many a diverting anecdote, and he is met here in his customary lively vein, revealing himself to be possessed of more than average ability as a raconteur. Mr Buck is to be congratulated on producing a book that strikes a happy medium between entertainment and instruction. R. W.