Music of the Wild 



grows for five or six weeks, then spins a cocoon 

 around itself, and lies dormant during the winter, 

 developing another big moth that will flit above 

 the marshes, fields, and towns the coming June, 

 and awake a joy song in the heart of every one 

 Avho sees it. 



Typical marsh begins with cultivated land run- 

 ning down to a stretch of wild growth that shades 

 off into masses of ■water grasses, cattails, and bul- 

 rushes. These in turn are edged by true water 

 flowers, hyacinths, ])lue flags, arrowhead lilies, then 

 the ^\'ater; and that covered for acres with yellow 

 lilies near the shore, farther out the spreading 

 leaves and masses of ■\\hite flowers blanketing as 

 much more of the surface, and next clear, deep 

 Avater in Avhich you can row and flsh. 



At first, in crossing the waters of a marsh, the 

 eye is almost blinded and the senses stunned by 

 the glory of the masses of colors, and as you be- 

 come accustomed to fairyland a roll of swelling, 

 throbbing soiuid fills the ears. 



Then, ho, for the music of the marsh! It be- 

 gins Avith the frogs. When the first faint breath 

 The of catkin pollei^ tinges the wind, morning and 

 Cnorus of gveninff A'esper is caroled by a babel of A'oices and 



the Frogs n ■ ^ ' • , 



a pjean ot ])raise greets CA'ery passnig shower. 

 The moment the sun shows his face, orange-bellied 

 tree-toads witli backs like an unusually brilliant li- 

 chen 2)laster themselves to limbs from which it is 



344 



