28 THE. AUD U BON, BUCS kee 
TROUBLED WATERS. By Daniel P. Mannix 
Illustrated by Patricia Collins 
E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., New York, 1969. $6.95. 
Buck, born in the Ozarks, never knew his parents. At a very early age, 
finding life confining in the large Eastern city to which he had been taken, 
he became a “runaway.” From the highly polluted and predatory world 
into which he found himself projected, he entered a life of bucolic existence 
accompanied by the beautiful Roe. This pleasant period, not without adven- 
ture, was not to last; as a result of despoiling explcitation Buck and Roe 
were forced to migrate to a crowded area. Typically, this area, bearing the 
seeds of its own destruction, rapidly deteriorated; life became a struggle 
culminating in the violent death cf Roe and the slower death of Buck in 
a poisoned environment. 
Buck is a goldfish and Roe is his mate. Their place of abode are a 
succession of habitats in rivers, streams and ponds with migration forced 
by a series of habitat cataclisms caused chiefly by the depredations of man. 
Mr. Mannix has chosen the vehicle of the biography to dramatize the 
complex dynamism of life under the surface of fresh water and the effects 
cf disturbances and pollution on this life. That Buck and Roe, as a type 
of carp, not heroic figures but plodders and rooters, become alive and the 
subject of our concern demonstrates the author’s skill as a storyteller; that 
the ecosystems in which they live are ecologically viable demonstrates 
careful research and technical know how. 
The fact that Mr. Mannix chose a goldfish as his protagonist disturbec 
me initially; as a non-native interloper he himself would have a heavy 
impact on any native ecological system with which he might come ir 
ecntact. In effect he would constitute a polluter. Perhaps, because of the 
diversity of habitats described in this book, only the widely adaptable 
goldfish could have been chosen. 
Mr. Mannix has written a number of popular books on nature over ¢ 
period of years. His skill as a storyteller, his talent at writing descriptior 
and his knowledge of nature exemplified by this bcok would make 1 
particularly an excellent choice for one about to embark on a deeper study 
of stream and pond life. —Harry Biermé 
INTRODUCING OUR EASTERN LAND BIRDS. By Matthew Vessel, 
and Herbert H. Wong. Illustrated by Ron King. 1970, 76 pages, $3.95. 
Fearon Publishers, 2165 Park Blvd., Palo Alto, Calif. 94306. 
Educators and families looking for easy and fascinating material to use t 
introduce their youngsters to observing birds will find this slim volume < 
great deal of fun. The authors have several books to their credit and ar 
California teachers. The illustrations are clever, imaginative, and colorful 
as an example, the illustrator places some birds in the eye of the binoculars 
Elementary comments are made about the variances of the bills, feet 
and food of birds. The youngster is taught to look for simple marks 0 
identification such as a short or tilted tail, a crest, a plump body, etc 
Popular birds of home and garden, farm and roadside, park and woodlanc 
are described and shown. It gives a youngster suggestions concerning birc 
attraction, feather collection, and bird nesting. We were pleased to note 
that the authors mentioned the name and address of the National Audubor 
Society and encouraged a membership in a local club. 
—Raymond Mostek 
