GENERAL ECOLOGY OF SWOPE PARK 15 



where the timber belt merges into the prairie. (See Fig. 3.) 

 Here we find some primeval prairie vegetation. This is an in- 

 teresting region, where the timber and prairie meet — interest- 

 ing not only for its vegetation and bird life, but also inter- 

 esting because of the most beautiful of panoramic views of 

 rolling piles of green forest-clad hills and swaths of green 

 valleys in the distance, and with park-like clumps of trees 

 scattered over the prairie border in the foreground. 



There are two broad, natural meadows in the Park; one, 

 about sixty acres in extent, spreads out at the foot of the 

 prairie-topped hills just mentioned; the other, of about equal 

 extent, lies near the mid-western portion, and was formed by 

 the shifting of the Blue River. 



This second meadow has now been artificially changed. 

 A bit of dredging, and the building of a short dam has formed 

 the Lagoon out of what was once a horseshoe bend of the Blue 

 River. A boathouse has been constructed, and an athletic field 

 with polo grounds has been laid out over the level expanse 

 of natural blue grass sod. (See Fig. 10.) This artificiality, 

 together with the number of people that now frequent the 

 region, prevents it from being the haunt of birds that it was 

 a few^ years ago. 



A few years ago a brushy swamp extended along the 

 present route of the Lagoon, and a rank meadow lay off to 

 the west. In those days it was a bird paradise. Redwinged 

 Blackbirds bound their nests to the reeds, and Meadowlarks 

 and Dickcissels hid their homes in the tall grass. Mice and 

 shrews dug branching runways arched over with dead grass, 



