6 APRIL 1895, Page 26

The Hero of the Pelican.' By Percy de Lisle. (Digby,

Long, and Co.)—The plot of this story was capable of being developed into a stirring sensation, but its treatment by Percy de Lisle can only be described as flat. It is far too much spun out; too much irrelevant and would-be humorous dialogue is introduced, and, generally speaking, there is a noticeable absence of propor- tion; Percy de Lisle must stick to the story he has to tell, in future, and tell it a great deal quicker, for anything less dramatic than "An Ocean Drama," as he describes this story, we have never met.