The Audubon Societies 287 



pathway runs inside the area of marsh-grass and mud, a pair of Mourning 

 Doves are wont to feed, flying down from woodland pastures a hundred feet 

 or more higher up. Song Sparrows, Catbirds and, more seldom, Purple Crackles 

 visit the spit, the two latter usually along the beach. During the migration 

 season, it is not uncommon to hear the Yellow-legs calling as they fly over, or 

 to catch the sweet whist'e of the much rarer Upland Plover, or to see the white 

 breasts of a flock of hurrying Tree Swallows. Among many delightful memo- 

 ries of the Sand Spit, one stands out never to be forgotten, the vision of a small 

 White Heron, pausing in the early morning on the outer beach before seeking 

 a more sheltered feeding-ground. Such stray visitors from the South are 

 becoming more frequent. This season as well as last, a large American Egret 

 spent some weeks in a neighboring harbor and the Little Blue Heron, also 

 white or nearly so in the immature plumage in which it usually appears, has 

 been recorded nearer by. 



It is always with a feeling of regret that one leaves the sand spit, for life 

 is so full of daily interest there, one can always learn something new. A glance 

 over the outer harbor may reveal a stray Tern (Sterna hirundo) basking placidly 

 on the stake of a buoy, or a flock of Laughing Culls, mayhap, tossing up and 

 down the windy waves, while inshore stalk the sober Herons, eagerly scanning 

 the flats of the inner harbor for eels or other toothsome prey. A knot of Fish 

 Crows sometimes finds its way hither, and when the Great Blue Heron flaps 

 majestically over, a feeling of the endless charm of bird-study and the inti- 

 macy of Nature brings a keen joy not to be effaced by long wintry days to 

 follow, for even then Creat Black-backed Gulls come down from the North 

 to join the Herring Gulls which throng the spit and inner harbor. 



"A narrow neck of sandy bar running out into the sea" — I wonder what 

 new discovery awaits me there when next I walk quietly along its yielding 

 surface ! 



SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS 



How many feet make a meter? 



Where is the meter used as a measure of length? 



Why should we be familiar with it? 



What does geology mean? 



What is the story of Nereus and his daughters? 



What is the difference between flotsam and jetsam? 



Explain the meaning of etymology? omnivorous? eroding? 



What other words can you think of which begin with omni — ? 



What is the meaning of reconnoitre? How is it used by soldiers? 



Look up Spartina glabra. 



Describe life on the different parts of the sand spit as follows: 



The lowest low-tide line. 



The lower beach. 



3. The upper beach. 



4. The "desert area." 



5. The eastern tip of the spit. 

 ^6. The inner shore along the muddy bottoms. — A. H. W. 



The Sand Spit 



