THE BEECH WOO DS 



by the pond there was still a trickle 

 of water, but the lower bed of the creek 

 was dry. Here the jewel weed grew 

 in a solitary group, flashing its beau- 

 tiful flowers to all the bees and butter- 

 flies that passed. Many varieties of 

 grass fringed the pool and dipped their 

 long leaves in the friendly water. How 

 well Nature protects her aquatic life 

 is here shown, for a young dragon fly, 

 still in the larvae stage, allowed itself 

 to be covered with the silt of the pond 

 and resembled a submerged chip more 

 than anything else. When touched 

 with a stick it rolled over and appeared 

 to be dead. A second gentle poke 

 brought no life, but a third was the 

 signal of discovery apparently, for it 

 suddenly came to life with a scoot and 

 disappeared in the weeds. 



Down where the creek runs between 

 banks of clay the remaining pools are 

 fringed with mud and show many 

 tracks of animals and birds. The 

 raccoon's broad imprints are unmis- 

 takable, and beside them the muskrat's 

 trailing tail had left a line between its 

 wandering tracks. Delicate impres- 

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