184 THE HAUNT OF THE COOT 
secure and aquatic life supplies abundance of food. 
The new broods join in the southern migration when 
the first chills of night give a reminder of incessant 
change. Some morning a quiet marsh will be trans- 
formed into a scene of animation by the arrivals of 
the previous night. Close to the ready shelter of the 
Rushes, they swim contentedly about, darting their 
short, sharp bills here and there among the floating 
weeds and gathering the clinging snails and other 
forms of aquatic life. Familiarity is resented by a 
dignified and almost leisurely retirement into the 
safe shelter. After a few days of loitering and re- 
cuperation an evening of activity is followed by a 
morning of silence. The deserted marsh seems 
expressive in loneliness. It tells of a long journey 
in the impenetrable darkness of the night sky, where 
the secret way that baffled the prophet of old still 
eludes man's insatiable curiosity. 
