ANIMAL ARCHITECTS
by Russell Freedman & illustrated by Matthew Kalmenoff
Though the subject lacks the inherent conceptual interest of the author's Animal Instincts (1970) or How Animals Learn (1969), this treatment of animal homes, from air-conditioned termite cities to the huge underground Texas metropolis housing 400 million prairie dogs, is up to his high standards of clarity, relevant detail, and respect for subject and reader. A short but stimulating first chapter telling "Why Animals Build," and how they respond instinctively to sunlight or seasonal secretions, adds dimension to the examples that follow — and the examples are often intriguing. And as homes are built for living, the reader learns incidentally about the animals' mating, child-rearing and foodgetting habits. A congenial and informative tour.