AN EARLY MORNING RAMBLE IN AUTUMN IN THE 

 WILL-BE POTOMAC PARK. 



To the lover of birds, no place about the metropolis is more attractive 

 than the low reclaimed area which, according to the wish of Congress, is 

 soon to furnish Washington with a most beautiful as well as extensive 

 park. Here the tide of avian migration surges back and forth twice each 

 year, and thousands upon thousands of birds make it their home, some 

 for a short, others for a longer period, and many, no doubt, are resi- 

 dents for life. 



If one views this area from the Washington Monument it appears as 

 an extensive meadow, girt on all sides by sea walls, washed by the Poto- 

 mac River, and crossed by the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad near the 

 upper end. But how different does this area appear when one seeks a 

 closer acquaintance with the premises. 



A tangle impenetrable presents itself on all sides. It would be impossi- 

 ble to move at all were it not for the fact that industrious anglers have 

 beaten a path near the edge under the row of skirting poplars and weep- 

 ing willows, in order to approach the favorite haunts of the finney prey. 

 Rag-weed, poke-weed, golden-rod and asters attain a maximum develop- 

 ment in this alluvial soil, and these are frequentlv matted by interlacing 

 smart-weed and morning-glories. 



In order to observe the birds under the best advantages, it becomes 

 necessary to cut a path toward the center of the island where a row of 

 trees mark an elevated ridge. The lower portion of the field is covered 

 by a dense growth of low willows, and wherever there is room, tall, 

 stout stems of poke-weed, draped with numerous bunches of purple ber- 

 ries, extend their branches through the tops of the willows. Thus we 

 have thicket and tangle every where, be it rag-weed, willow or golden- 

 rod, and our trusty, rusty machete is called into requisition, as well as 

 the oldest suit in our possession, and thus armed we set out. It is hard 

 work, and for once it seems as though we believed in "work before 

 pleasure." Tired, we return, scarcely a bii'd noticed except the ever 

 present Song Spiarrow and a curit)us Maryland Yellow-throat. We renew 

 our efforts the second day and reach the ridge which extends down 

 through the center, and now it is comparatively easy to proceed as here 

 an old path seems to have been too well packed to permit of much vege- 

 table growth. We are happy, and anticipate manv pleasant hours. So 

 much for preliminaries. 



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