Introduction 3 



of specialists and, above all, what we have observed in the 

 field, to interpret the activity of the area. 



In our previous book, Pilchuck: the Life of a Mountain, 

 we described the amazing orderliness which governed the 

 life and affairs of a mile-high mountain which stands at the 

 edge of the Cascade Range, thirty-three miles from Seattle. 

 In this story of a city marsh we have tried to emphasize what 

 we consider its most interesting aspect— the result of the 

 competition between man and wildlife. 



We have visited this area for years. We have watched the 

 impact of nature on man and man on nature, and have 

 recorded our experiences so that those who are interested can 

 travel with us through this city marsh where wildlife exists 

 and goes its way within the sound of automobile traffic, and 

 near the many activities of a University, a ship canal, a com- 

 mercial district, and a community of homes. 



For the sake of simplicity and clarity we have written the 

 book as the reporting of a single observer, an instructor in 

 biology. We have selected incidents such as the ordinary 

 persistent observer could see and describe for himself. The 

 conjectures and questions are those of the kind which would 

 be posed by the average visitor rather than by a scientist. The 

 incidents and records set forth are based on actual happen- 

 ings and have been carefully selected to give a picture of 

 this small but complex and fascinating area. 



