Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-26
REVIEWS OF SUMMER BOOKS
The Story of Adrienne Mesurat Told by Julian Green-The
Portrait of a Lady and Several Novels-A
Variety From the Publishers

you find out which it really is--that Ia
If you, too, meet this particular i'm
pasSe.
WILD ANIMAL PETS. BY william
and Irene Finney, authors of "Ameri-
can Birds" etc. New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons.
roth the animals and the authors
- have here clearly done their part IN
the making OF a most interesting book.
The cooperation between the parties
OF the first and second parts Ia
complete and in its effect most delight
ful. Here are dozens of stories of crea-
lures cIaSsed as wild" Under friendly
and patient overtures on the part Of
the human. however, these in many
cases shed their wildness. settling down
as members of the family. Bears,
coyotes and panthers. moose. deer.
porcupines and host OF others reveal
themselves here in a way that is MOTH
ing short of fascinating and absorbing
to any reader who is at all interested
in other animals than himself More
and more as one sees these others in
the degree of freedom and intimacy
more and more is he convinced that
within their sphere of need and desire
they do Just about as well as man him.
self does. Care. ingenuity, foresight,
patience and industry go into the life
economies Of these creatures. Such
study as these two naturalists give
brings out this fact and serves also to
Increase the amiCab'e interest of man
in them. The camera and infinite
patience are the arms with which these
two hunted the wilds and collected the
material for the book in hand. The
rest is merely matter of record IN
Vulnerable stories. drawn straight off
from the facts. reveal the human traits
of these wood and field denizens. A
word about the quality of the records.
Simple, dealing not at all in myth and
invention. joyous and really commune
cable in that Joy, these two adventures
and story tellers have contributed sub
Stantially to the lore of animal life. A
good book for boys and girls? Yes, to
be sure; equally good also for one of
the elders who finds himself engrossed
in the habits and behaviors of these
creatures commonly called wild" An
other word-you'll love the pictures that
go along with the stories themselves.
*
THE SMILING DEATH. BY Francis
D. Grierson. author of 1.-The
Limping Man." etc. New York:
Edward J. Clode, Inc.
IN tales of this class the game ISIS
1t MOTTO match an ingenious and
inventive criminal with a detective
equally inventive and ingenious. In
Francis Griersons latest of the kind
there is an excellent equality in this
respect between the two. The great
criminal hides behind a perfect mo-
dernity OF method. From his bureau
small one. to be sure-he sends out
his agents of the smiling death" him
self sitting safe behind a business of
| quite respectable front. Set off against
| him is a wise old man. scientist, doctor,
genial loafer around the headquarters
| of the police-an notwithstanding OBJ
server of the ways of the law. The real
| struggle is between these two, each
Knowing the quality of his adversary.
| That is the point of interest--that each
does know the resources of the other
And, without spelling a mystery by
picking 1t open in spots, suppose we let
1t go by saying that Prof Wells is
one of the cleverest and most indon1it-
able criminal hunters that will come
before you in many long list of mys-
terry tales. Really, when at one point
he seems to be out of the running,
real dismay takes hold of one. Then.
when later Prof Wells is a good
deal of jewel in field where gems
are certainly not common.