XXIV. The Swampy Places of Chautauqua 



The swamp-land is rich in certain distinctive forms of plant 

 and animal life. These forms have been modified and 

 adapted to their chosen habitat. Many show strikingly the 

 stages in this evolutionary process. Swamp-lands are com- 

 monly avoided by beginners in nature study, because of the 

 difficulty in getting about in such places. However, old clothes 

 and old shoes (or rubber boots), solve the physical side of 

 the problem. An afternoon of intensive observation in the 

 swamp is usually richly rewarded with unique sights and ex- 

 periences. 



In the swamps the following may be distinguished : 



1. The floor or bottom, made of water saturated mud and ooze. 



2. The bases of the swamp plants that grow partially submerged {cat- 



tails). 



3. The aerial parts of the amphibious plants. 



4. The deeper channel ways, here and there through the swamps. 



5. The fringe or margin of shrubbery. 



6. The tall swamp-land trees. 



Each of these regions has its own life, that is, its own dis- 

 tinctive fauna. Every nature-student should carefully plan a 

 visit to a swampy portion of the lake-shore, observing the 

 zones of life and the characteristic inhabitants of each. 



Suggestions for individual work : 



1. Spend an afternoon, or several hours, in a swampy place (without 

 more than one or two other persons about). Could you make a map 

 or ground-plan of this swamp showing the various regions? 



2. Make a list of the distinctive swamp-land plants and animals of 

 your home region. 



3. What important differences are there between life conditions in 

 the swamp and those of the brook? 



4. What becomes of the swamp animals during the winter season? 



The Swale near the Hall of Pedagogy: " Let us study the 

 swale a bit that most interesting and most productive of 



83 



