VIII 

 A LONG ISLAND MEADOW 



Its entrance is barred by lichen-covered rails. The en- 

 Close by, a tall willow stands sentinel. The fence 

 beyond is almost hidden by a thicket of wild- 

 roses and elder-bushes. Against the bars crowds 

 a host of " weeds " — burdock, wild-carrot, ele- 

 campane, and sorrel. But one feels that these are 

 interlopers and have little in common with the 

 more retiring inhabitants of the meadow which 

 lies fresh and glistening in the sunlight, swaying 

 with every breath of wind, darkening with each 

 cloud that floats overhead, untracked and tempt- 

 ing. We need only to glance at such a meadow 

 as this — and there are hundreds like it along our A minia- 

 coast — to guess that it will be many days before 

 its treasures are even half discovered. It is a 

 miniature world, with grassy uplands and quak- 

 ing bogs, with stretches of water and wooded 

 islands. Each part of this little world has its 

 individual secrets to reveal, its own wealth of 

 plant and animal life. 



Beyond the invading weeds is a thick growth 



IOI 



