Music of the Wild 



of pale lavender tliat ]ia\e the effect of being 

 dabbled on with a brush and seen through an oily 

 veiling. Then the tops of the flags and j^oung 

 grasses are caught and deftly ^^'Oven into a cool 

 green ai-cli above the rich straw-colored l)ed that 

 holds these rarely l^eautiful eggs, making a jiic- 

 ture that must l)e seen to he appreciated fully. 



Some ex])erienee will be required in detecting 

 a location, so slightly does the roofing of tiie nest 

 affect tlie general appearance of the marsh. Care- 

 ful searching ^\'ill re\'eal tlie "rim-a-way," usually 

 at the nortlieast, through which tlie slender-bodied 

 mother slips to feed and rest. 



If you have the luck to find a nest after a few 

 days of brooding so has burned the mother heart 

 A Queen that slic will remain, you A\'ill become ac- 

 Mother (juaintcd with a lovely, graceful bird, whose poise, 

 dignity, and extreme courage will conrpel your ad- 

 miration and make you Avish her voice Avere sweet- 

 est music as woidd seem befitting her splendid 

 presence. Her long, dark beak is finely cut and 

 curved. Her eyes are so wise, and filled with 

 steady, tender devotion. Her coloring is a rich 

 brown, quite dark on the top of the head, lighter 

 in a streak running from the base of the beak 

 above the eye and on the throat, and lining across 

 the back of the ^ings in varied marking of brown, 

 black, and white with beautiful V-shaped effects. 



If you touch her or go too close slie utters a 

 370 



