case. The tree swillow is glossy bluish green above and white below; like 
others of its tribe it goes much in @otipahies andi is expert in flight. It 
is seen in winter rezularly as far north as North Caroline, and occhsionally 
to New Jersey. 
Both the warbler and the svallow consume insects whenever they are 
available, and feed chiefly on them during the warmer months, as do all of 
their kin. Birds of these families are legally protected throughout the 
Union, 
CTHER WILDLIFE 
Birds are a more prominent element of the wildlife of marshes tnan 
are some other grouns, no doubt because of the ease with which they come 
and go--they do not have to stay but are free to visit. Temporarily fre- 
guenting a salt marsh is something very different from living there per- 
manently. To reside there requires close adaptation; and, as we have seen, 
relatively few birds are fitted for exclusive residence in salt marshes. The 
Same is true among other kinds of wildlife, and one important group, the 
amphibians (tonds, frogs, salamanders, and the like), are totally banned 
because their tender skins will not endure salt. 
Reptiles 
Comparatively few reptiles penotrate the salt marshes, though of 
course a number may be found near the landward edge (this is true of the 
amphibians too), where conditions may become radically different in a 
short distance. The alligator, which 911 will recognize on sight, oc- 
casionally sojourns in salt water and at times, therefore, may be seen in 
the marshes. The normal range of the alligator is from North Carolina 
southward, but a few, possibly escaped from captivity, have been found as 
far north as New Jersey. Alligators deposit their eggs in layers in mounds 
of mack and vegetation scraped together by the female, and owing to the heat 
produced by the rotting of the vegetation, these serve as incubators. The 
animals usually have individual deep holes or dens under water. They feed 
On crabs, crawiishes, water insects, fishes, turtles, and sometimes larger 
creatures. There are old rscords of alligators 20 feet long or more, but 
at the present time a l2-foot animal is a very large one and 15 feet about 
the limit of verified size. Their numbers have been greatly reduced by 
hunting for the hides, which are used extensively by the leather industry 
in the making of traveling bags and in ornamental leather work. 
The diamondback t 
New Jersey southward. I 
e Din is a natural denizen of salt marshes from 
t e 
centric ridging of the pl 
a 
n 
Dp 
not very fitting name is suggested by the con- 
s of the carapace, or upper shell. This tur- 
eenish to black. It is the favorite catch for 
turtle stew, and has been so hunted for the market that it is rare in 
most localities. Some success has been attained in raising diamondbacks 
in captivity. 
tle is plainly colored, 
The cottonmovth moccasin, 4 dangerously poisonous snake, is semi- 
aquatic and a good swimmer, apperently unafraid of salt water, and may be 
found along the coast from North Carolina south. Its general color is 
dark chestnut-brown with some darker barring and with the throat and some 
slight stripes about the head yellowish white. The common name of this 
=i 9. 
