Arrowhead, Squaw's Toes, and 

 Other Things 



11 



M M 4> DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE MARSH 



came to my mind from time to time. Some I had mulled over 

 often but to others I had given little attention. One of the 

 most insistent concerned the value of marsh products. How 

 much were they used and for what purpose? It appeared an 

 interesting nook to explore. 



I was in the canoe and was just finishing a morning tour 

 of inspection of the marsh, a two-hour progression which 

 gave me a comfortable workout and took me to every nook 

 I wished to look over. Quiet normalcy marked this late July 

 day. I saw no newcomers, but when I heard the repeated 

 kidick call of a Virginia rail I turned to my old standbys, the 

 summer residents. This small bird, in spite of its qualifying 

 name, is found over much of the marsh territory of the 

 Pacific Northwest. The sound came from directly opposite 

 the canoe and challenged me to play a game of which I 

 never tired. Somewhere in the shelter of the cattail stalks 

 stood a ten-inch reddish bird with a long and rather slender 

 bill, a bird whose browns and grays blended well with the 

 marsh vegetation, a bird which preferred to skulk and hide 

 rather than fly, and which only occasionally came out into 



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