CHAPTER II 



THE SONGSTERS OF THE SKOKIE 



North of the city of Chicago, and a mile inland from the 

 shore of Lake Michigan, lie the stretches of the Skokie 

 swamp. This unreclaimed marshland is of great extent, and 

 in places it has a heavy fringe of scrub-oak, thick brush, and 

 tangled brier. The bluffs of the lake shore rise vertically to 

 the height of one hundred feet. A table-land extends for 

 some distance westward, and then slopes gently down to the 

 edge of the sluggish stream which stretches its length along 

 through the heart of the swamp. Still farther west the land 

 is low and well cultivated. Standing upon the table-land at 

 the east one looks far off to a heavy line of timber which 

 skirts the Desplaines River and marks the limit of vision. By 

 a sort of an optical illusion the woods of the Desplaines and 

 the adjacent land seem to stand much higher than the country 

 which intervenes. The whole effect of the view is that of a 

 valley, and I know of no other place in Illinois where such an 

 adequate idea may be formed of the character of the land- 

 scapes which have made some of the Eastern valleys famous. 



There is a wealth of bird life in the region of the Skokie. 

 The diversified nature of the country makes possible the 

 finding of many varieties of the feathered kind. I have 

 tramped the Skokie at all seasons and always with profit. 

 The roads that lead from the lake westward through swamp 

 and meadow are in the springtime musical with the singing of 

 birds. One particular road I have in mind because of the 



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