The Music of the Marsh 



Yoii can hear M'liat the lark tells the cardinal, the 

 cardinal tells the heron, the heron tells the duck, 

 the duck tells the turtle, the tui-tle tells the musk- 

 rat, the niuskrat tells the bass, the bass tells the 

 A\ater puppy, and the Avater puj^py tells the eel, 

 all along your way. The story is musical because 

 it is recitative of freedom, livincr, and lovinff. 



]5ut of all nature's minstrelsy the palm always 

 must be awarded the birds. The fact that the 

 music of the marsh is distinctive to the location. The Bird 

 only makes it dearer to tliose so in sympathy with Chorus 

 it as to interpret aright. I^ong before the marsh 

 is ready to recei\'e them its feathered denizens are 

 hovering over it, filling tlie air with exquisite song 

 ^\hile they Mait the laying of the foundation on 

 which to begin the sui)erstructure of their homes. 

 ]Marsh ^vrens intersperse their love-making with 

 scolding chatter because the rushes grow so slowly. 

 While the}^ wait, red-winged blackbirds, true chil- 

 dren of the marsh, rock on the flags and swell their 

 throats with notes so liquid and golden that in all 

 birdland the most exquisite singer can produce but 

 a faint breath of harmonj' above their "O-ka-lee!" 

 and "Con-quer-eee!" 



Counting out the pervasive, black-coated crow% 

 a permanent resident, the killdeer is the first mu- 

 sician to reach tlie marsh. In early seasons he ar- 

 rives in iVIarch; under any conditions he is sure in 

 April. When flocks of these birds circle against 



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