Jean Parrinil age 10, of Rochester, N.Y., for her question:

Which animal can run the fastest?

The fastest animal on four feet is the cheetah. He is even faster than the ostrich who can run 40 miles an hour on two feet and the kangaroo, who can hop 30 miles an hour on two feet. In his first burst of speed the cheetah can outrun any creature on earth. In a quarter mile dash he can overtake even the fleet‑footed gazelle.

The cheetah is a native of Africa and parts of Asia. He is a cat as big as a leopard and spotted somewhat like the leopard. Usually a cat is a vastly different animal from a dog, both in looks and character. However, Andy thinks his Siamese cat is a puppy cat and the owners of certain cheetahs think of them as hound catsi Cats are famous for their retractile claws. They can sheathe anal unsheathe them to suit themselves. Not so the cheetah. Like the dog, his claws are always unsheathed because he cannot draw them back into his paddy paws. The Siamese cat has retractile claws on his front feet only.

The speed of the cheetah has been carefully checked with a stop watch. From a standing start he can reach 45 miles an hour in two seconds. A few seconds later he may be bounding along at 75 miles an hour. No other creature can equal this speed. However, the cheetah flings every ounce of energy into his first quarter mile dash. After 400 to 500 yards he begins to slow down all out of breath.

In the wild, he is careful to creep up on his game. He steals along on paddy paws, hiding from bush to bush. If a gazelle can keep ahead for a quarter mile he wins the race, Otherwise the cheetah settles down to dine on deer meat.

In Asia, cheetahs have been trained as hound cats since earliest times. The hunters blindfold him and take him in a cart to the place where the chase is to be held. When the grazing deer are sighted the blindfold is removed. Mr. Cheetah looks around to get his bearings. He spots the game.

Now begins the hide‑and‑seek. The cheetah creeps forward, hiding as he goes. He gets to within 500 yards of his prey. Then he lunges forward, racing with all his might. He is strong enough to bring down the largest of deer with his powerful teeth and talons. Since this fellow is a well‑fed, well‑trained animal, he does not mind giving up the game to his masters.

The tame, trained cheetah is quite dog‑like in character. He is affectionate, gentle and very devoted to his human friends. In fact, when adopted he may become too gentle to be of any use as a hound cat. He gives up his wild hunting habits when he finds a more civilized way to make a living.

For this reason the hunting cheetah cannot be bred in captivity. In fact, he is no use as a hunter even when captured as a kitten. The best time to catch him is when he is half grown. By then he has learned the catty ways of a wild feline. He is captured in a net and dragged off squealing to be trained as a hound.

In days gone by the cheetah hunt was a great sport in India. Nowadays the doggy‑eat is becoming rare. For the herds of wild grazing animals in Africa and Asia upon which he feeds are also diminishing.