The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1903-10-22
ANIMAL LIFE IN swAMps.
AIany Interesting Phases are Found
Amid the Grasses of the
Wet Landa.


A pond. particularly IL portion Of
the margin is swampy, has great possi-
bilitles for the nature student There
seems to be no limit to the variety OF
living creatures which he may find
there In the course of year, In this
respect pond Is superior even to q
brook, writes Ernest Harold Baynes.
live near such pond, and visit It
often IL has It's counterpart Ia any one
OF ten thousand little ponds throughout
the country, yet the United States gov
ernment does not employ number OF
clerks sufficient TO record the business
which is transacted within sight OF its
banks. No matter how hot or cold the
weather; no matter how dull things are
In the country round about-here there
Is always something interesting TO pe
seen or heard Here come in the early
spring, TO see the iirst, and seemingly
the brightest OF the marsh marigolds,
reflected In the cold. clear water, and TO
lift from the shallow masses OF trans
parent frog spawn, In which may be seen
scores OF tiny black speclss, which some
day will be frogs. Here, too. come at
night to hear the lonely bttern calling
his mate in a voice which sounds like
water beating against the mouthsof a
cavern. And later In the year find
their nest in the marsh near by, hand
ful Of coarse grasses, with four or five
t.t,NF A. all ha afff
mer, when the turtles sit in rows on the
half-sunken logs and when the frogs
squat upon the lily pads, until the fall,
when the muskrats build their winter
houses on the mud flats. and when the
black ducks and the wild geese drop In
TO spend a few days on their way TO the
south. Nor is business suspended In
the winter. for then under the shelving
ice along the bank. | mark the tracks
Of the mink. and when J see between
them the tiny footprints Of mice know
pretty well what he was looking for.
Among the other inhabitants Of this
pond are some huge swapping turtles,
whose age Is the subject OF frequent dis
cusslons at the nearest country grocery.
Some bear upon their shells certain
dates and other marks. which, II Is
1 claimed. we're carved more than 80
years ago. Il ls not often they are
seen. but now and then one Of these old
Williams Will raise his great snake-lke
head above the surface Of the pond, and
blink a pair Of the coldest, cruelest eyes
which ever dishgured the head Of rep
tile Nothing in the pond Is sacred TO
these hardened old sinners. No doubt
they live largely on fish. but young
muakrats and duelllngs are often jerked
below the surface OF the pond 10 rise no
more, and wild mice, which sometimes
swim across. are foolhardy. to say the
least Last June | was walking along
the bank Of a little stream. which flows
through a meadow and Into pond, when
my attention was attracted by the pecu-
liar movement OF patch OF waving
grass. II was easy TO see that the wind
had little to do with Il. so ran over "a
investigate. In the middle OF good
sized depression caused by the fiatten-
ing down OF the grass. stood a giant
swapping turtle. weighing 80 POUNDS Il
an ounce, | should say. and with great
horny Jaws agape. ready for business.
guessed that It was probably female on
her way 10 deposit her eggs in the sand
somewhere. so I decided not TO Inter
rupt her. Instead. retired 10 a dis.
tance. and climbed a tree. whence had
n good view Of the meadow and the sur
rounding country. The old lady snap
per continued on her way, lurehinf
through the grass like tramp steamer
in a heavy sea. and stopping now ant
then 10 raise her head and look around
In the course Of time she came out OF th'
meadow aud into an old road with I
sandbank running along one side of Il
This bank seemed 10 be her destination
for on the side OF Il she halted. and be
gan scraping a hole with her hlg. be
clawed front feet She seemed to be Il
no particular hurry. and as | was.
slipped down the tree and left her Il
take her own time BY and By | re
turned. and there she was still scratch
ing in the bank. But this time she wa
raklng the sand into the hole, and thi
task was nearly done. waited unit
she had completed the work, and a
soon a. she waddled away, began q
do some digging myself Under som
~ inches Of sand came upon the eggs
% Of them. pure white and rs round a
marbles. In fact they looked more llk
large white alleys than anything els
i know Of covered them mp again
and II they are not discovered By
skunk or some other animal which
fond Of such daintles. they viii prob
, ably hatch come time late in the fall
altar of YfanH-Yiane.