Randal Van de Mosselaer, age 9, of Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada, for his question:

Which is the fastest animal?

The champion travelers belong in the bird world. The perky Arctic tern flies 22,000 miles every year and all the long distance records are held by birds. So are the speed records. Even a big old wild turkey can fly faster than a champion race horse can run. A good horse can sprint at 50 miles an hour. A canvasback duck can fly at almost 70 miles an hour and when the golden eagle is plunging down in a hurry, he is said to be able to reach 100.

But the great eagle is not the world's champion speeder. Some of the hawks go much faster when they dive down from the sky. But it is not easy to clock their exact speeds. Some experts claim that the handsome peregrine falcon can dive at 170 miles an hour. Others claim that the Indian swift can swoop even faster. This graceful bird with long, thin pointed wings is most likely the world's fastest animal. The fastest runner on four feet is the cheetah. This big spotted cat can sprint faster than 60 miles an hour