The JMusic of the Marsh 



At last the sun creeps nearer and smiles ar- 

 dentl_y, and the lieart of the prej^nant inarsli grows 

 warm. The winds come swee])in<>' with wailing The 

 notes and carry awav earth's Icafv covering; the '^'^*"''" 



■ . . ■ rection 



rams ])(nn-, and vegetation springs to meet them. 

 As soon as silky catkins hang from the willows 

 and frogs sing thei'" tirst chorus, only a few days 

 are recpiired to transfoii. the bare old earth int(j 

 summer fairyland. Graceful, gayly-coloi-ed plants 

 and flowers lift tlieir heads every\\hei'e. J>ike 

 magic, water grasses, cattails, flags, ferns, and del- 

 icate lacy, twining vines s])ring uj) to co^ei- the 

 black muck, while moss and air plarits trail over- 

 head. K\ery stump and log jias a bright velvet 

 dress, and crimpled lichen faces rene\\' their un- 

 ending shades of gray and green. 



Pond lily j^ads reach the surface and s]>read 

 over acres of water, their covering of golden green 

 with tints of pur])le underneatli fm-nishing choir- 

 lofts for the frogs, sun jiarlors for tiny turtles, 

 and good hunting groimds for small, wire-legged 

 sanderlings. Above them yellow lilies thrust leaves 

 of ranker growth, and these in tm-n are crowned 

 with the heart-shaped foliage of water hyacinth. 

 Then come the sweet marsh grasses, blue flags, and 

 foxfire, topped with waving cattails and bulrushes, 

 and high above all the graceful wild rice waves its 

 feathery plumes. 



The marsh flowers form masses of positive col- 



