WAPITI WILDERNESS

In 1927, Olaus Murie, a biologist, came to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with his wife and two infants, to make a survey of the elk for the U.S. Government. They have made their home there ever since. Each writing alternate chapters, the Muries describe their wilderness life. Claus tells of riding after elk, moose, and also plant wildlife, gives some of the historical background of Jackson Hole, and tells a few anecdotes about its characters, past and present. Mardy relates the difficulties and pleasures of raising children out-of-doors, the growth of the town, the joys of their daily routines. The Muries are not particularly skillful writers, nor are there many vivid incidents in the book; it is chiefly a record of a pleasant, happy, undramatic life in a marvelous country, and has both the appeal and the limitations of a family photograph album.