A HALF-HOUR IN A MARSH 



HERE are little realms all around 

 of which many of us know noth- 

 ing. Take, for example, some marsh 

 within a half -hour's trolley ride of any 

 of our cities or towns. Select one 

 where cat- tails and reeds abound. Mos- 

 quitoes and fear of malaria keep these 

 places free from invasion by human- 

 kind; but if we select some windy day 

 we may laugh them both to scorn, and 

 we shall be well repaid for our trip. 

 The birds frequenting these places are 

 so seldom disturbed that they make 

 only slight effort to conceal their nests, 

 and we shall find plenty of the beauti- 

 ful bird cradles rocking with every passing breeze. 



A windy day will also reveal an interesting feature of 

 the marsh. The soft, velvety grass, which abounds in 

 such places, is so pliant and yielding that it responds to 

 every breath, and each approaching wave of air is heralded 

 by an advancing curl of the grass. At our feet these 

 grass-waves intersect and recede, giving a weird sensation, 



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