SPIDERS, SNAKES AND OTHER OUTCASTS

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder and ""disgust in the mind of the disgusted,"" but the motivating qualities are not completely absent. In order to present this menagerie of repulsive creatures fairly within their own rights for existence, the author briefly classifies each within the animal kingdom, noting its long ""successful"" history. He then describes present day habits, and reasons, if any exist, for their objectionableness to man (arbitrary as that is in the compass of nature). The author has a drollery rather appropriate to his queer subject, which enlivens his casual accounts. While to know these creatures is not necessarily to love them, it is a step in the right direction from unreasonable hate and fear. The annotated bibliography is based upon easily obtainable materials that will provide interesting further reading.