SALT MAESHES 



clumps of the handsomest of all the golden- 

 rods, the seaside golden-rod, while the sil- 

 ver weed abounds in places, and the deli- 

 cious sweet-grass can occasionally be found 

 on its borders. I have attempted to meas- 

 ure the vertical range of the last three of 

 these four zones, and have found that the 

 thatch ranges through approximately six feet, 

 extending from within about three feet of 

 low-water mark to the lowest high-water 

 mark; that the zone of marsh hay ranges ver- 

 tically about two feet, while the zone of black- 

 grass has a vertical range of only about a foot. 



All the marsh vegetation is at its height 

 of luxuriance in mid- August. Then the marsh 

 lies brilliant in the sunlight, a broad expanse, 

 flat as a floor and glowing in yellow-greens, 

 touched here and there with washes of buff 

 and of chestnut. 



Fringing its upper edge is the broad band 

 of the mourning black-grass, while the rich 

 dark green of the thatch threads invisible 

 serpentine creeks, and borders the ribbons of 

 water that wander hither and thither like 

 tortuous veins through the marshes, reflecting 

 the brilliant blue of the skies. There are won- 

 derful plays of light and shade as cloud shad- 



197 



