The Dog That Drove Home, the Snake-Eating Mouse, and Other Exotic Tales from the Animal Kingdom

Some of these tales feature figures so familiar they have passed into folklore: Greyfriars Bobby, Clever Hans, the Custer wolf, wartime animal heroes. Interspersed among the main stories are two- or three-line snippets: about an Alsatian dog, ordained by a mail-order ministry, that performed a wedding ceremony or the maddened rabbit that attacked Jimmy Carter's canoe. In addition to pet stories, there are tales about birds, snakes, pigs, dolphins and sharks. Adamoli, a translator of Italian film scripts, offers a collection of animal trivia ranging from the bizarre to the banal. Only for readers absolutely besotted with animals. Photos. (Feb.)