Evening star., 1933-01-22

THE whole world becomes q zoo for a man
like Dr. Raymond Ditmars, curator of rep
tiles in the New York Geological Park in the
Bronx. He is native Of Newark, N. j., and a
graduate of military school, but he has wan
dered far from his well civilized state and pur-
sued interests very different from military.
While still in school, his avocation was the
study Of wild life and he began collection of
snakes. After being for several years an assist
ant curator in the American Museum Of Nat
ural History in New York, he made an expedi-
ton into journalism and one day, while inter-
viewing DR.. Hornaday, director of the New
York Geological Park, was himself informally
interviewed concerning his collection of poison
GUS snakes. The result was the present position
as curator of reptiles at the park DR.. Ditmars
has not been a stay -at-home curator but has
secured many a jungle and bush in search of
specimens. Among his six books on animal life,
the most popular have been Snakes Of the
World" and Reptiles Of the World" The pres
ent book Is in many ways his best: especially
is it more varied. In his studio at Scarsdale
he produces educational motion pictures Of wild
animals in characteristic action.
Thrills Of Naturalist's Quest" produces
some thrills in a reader quite different from the
thrills of rapture Of the scientist who discovers
new and valuable specimen the more so If
the reader is still under the primal curse of
Genesis of enmity between the serpent and the
woman and her seed. In the chapter King
Cobra Takes the Stage" is described the opera
ton performed by DR.. Ditmars upon the giant
cobra in the reptile house Of the park, which
was widely noticed in the newspapers at the
time. When the cobra fails to shed the caps
or plates over his eyes, at the time of his skim
casting, he becomes blind and an operation is
indicated to remove the caps
The operation is a mere nothing for a sur
geon, but the catching and holding of the cobra
is another matter In this case the giant snake
was imprisoned in specially constructed cage
which pressed his head upward against wire
netting, through which the operation was per-
formed. To test the general condition of the
cobra after the operation, he was presented
with his weekly ration Of a five-foot gopher
snake and DR.. Ditmars says: mot long after
he (the keeper was pleased to see nothing but
the tail Of the gopher protruding from the cob
ra's mouth, like an elongated cigar" The oper-
alton was successful and the patient was doing
well. Not all the stories in the volume are
snake stories. There is the Episode of the
Broken Butterflies there are tales of animals
which are clalrvoyant and there is an interest
ing discussion of life spans or degrees of
longevity, in different animals But there is
also so much more. Read the book
LIPS OF MEMORY. BY Grace Adams Howard
Emory University, Georgia: Banner Press
THE music of the lyrics in this small volume,
LIPS of Memory" is in the minor key
The sadness is that which comes from the rec
ognition of the transformers of all beauty and
happiness the inevtabity of the passing of
all things into the realm of memory This
theme of fate and memory recurs especially in
the poems, "Whirring Wings" Remembrance
Lost Dreams" and "The Lilac Bush" The
poems all show deep appreciation of the moods
OF Nature and her subtler connotations "Iilacs
In Spring" and Spring Is Here Again" voice
the healing power of reviving Nature as Shelley
voiced it in his verse in his ode to the west
wind: IF Winter Comes, Can Spring Be Far
Behind?"
The poem Three O'clock in the Morning."
only four lines. appeals to any one who has
restlessly tossed the night away, sleepless, and
has finally welcomed any sound suggestive Of
life, of "the hour when time slips back again."
when even "a horses hoof is music to the ear"
Several Of the poems give intimation Of Orien-
tai influence, both in form and in imagery, for
example. THE Silver-Crested Love Pheasant"
"Chinese Word Pictures" and Flowers Of the
Air. In metrical forms, which are varied,
the poems are unconventional, without being
modernistic.
RESTLESS STAR: THE YOUTH OF RICH
ARD WAGNER. BY Hans Reisiger New
York: The Century Co.
FEBRUARY 13 will u, the 5Oth anniversary
of the death of Richard Wagner On Feb
ruary 18, 1885, he was buried in the tomb pre-
pared by himself at Wahnfried, his home at
odyIeuIi. buC the biography, HeStleSS Star,
by German poet and novelist, born the year
after Wagner's death, has nothing to do with
the death Of the great dramatic composer. nor
even with his old age and the fullness of his
genius 1t is story of brilliant youth, almost
more of romance than biography. In its
method and its psychological interpretation II
recalls Maurois' Ariel" the life of Shelley.
The translator. Mazda c. Darnton. assures us
that "for all its lyric and dramatic qualities,
Restless Star is soundly based on the facts of
Wagners life.
"The absurdities and contradictions of the
young failure who was to become the great
Wagner his extravagant sensitiveness and vio-