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Show I Okefinokee 5wamp Okefinokee Swamp, Mystery Land of Georgia. Prenared by National GeoRraphtc Society. WashliiKton. D. C. WNU Service. DOWN in the southeastern corner cor-ner of Georgia lies the great Okefinokee swamp, a primeval prime-val wilderness rich In treasure for the modern biologist Mystery and enchantment live in its coffee-colored waters, Its moss-hung cypresses and sunlit piney woods. The Okefinokee owes a great measure of its unique charm to Its "prairies" wide, unspoiled expanses filled in large part with a tropical abundance of aquatic plants and flanked with dense "bays" of stately state-ly cypress. On these one may delight de-light his soul amid scenes of unearthly un-earthly loveliness that have changed virtually not at all since the Seminole Sem-inole warriors poled their dugouts over them. The Okefinokee prairies are not land, but water! In these morasses are many area? of open water, varying from lakes a quarter of a mile In diameter to "alligator holes" a rod in width. They are also dotted here and there with wooded Islets the so-called prairie "heads" of cypress, slash pine, sweetbay, and other trees, the taller ones hoary with moss. The snowy blossoms of the white waterlily gladden many acres of the deeper water, and the golden, globular glob-ular flowers of yellow pond-lilies, or "bonnets," glow in a setting of huge green leaves. In the shallows yellow-eyed grass, its tall stems swaying, sway-ing, forms a sea of pleasant color. The small pltcherplant Is hardly true to Its name on the Okefinokee prairies, for its spotted greenish tubes reach a yard into the air a height unheard of elsewhere; the parasol-like flowers of greenish gold, each on a separate scape, stand a little below the summit of the leaves. Resort of Hunters and Trappers. For generations swamp hunters have pushed over these prairie waters, wa-ters, standing up in their slight boats and bending rhythmically with graceful thrusts of their long poles. The skilled boatman is able to make better progress over the prairies than the bear he chases. Old hunters knew well how to drive a deer out of a prairie head In the direction of a waiting companion. In winter the trapper camps for weeks at a time in these heads, tending his line of traps and taking the pelts of raccoon, otter, wildcat and opossum. To pass from the sparkling sunshine sun-shine of the prairies Into the gloom of the adjoining cypress bays Is a striking experience. The huge trees, buttressed by "knees," stand In close ranks In a foot or so of water. Their green crowns, SO feet or more overhead, shut out all but a few stray beams of sunshine, causing even at midday a sort of twilight. Here and there a winding channel or "run" permits the hunter to push his tiny boat between the tree trunks ; but in the greater part of the cypress bays there is tall, dense undergrowth that makes even foot travel a slow and arduous undertaking. un-dertaking. The bear, having the double advantage of bulky strength and a tough hide, Is the only large animal that can readily and rapidly break through such a tangle. Welcome rifts in the cypress bays in the heart of the swamp are formed by long, narrow lakes, most Important of which are Billys' lake' Mines lake, and the Dig Water! Though each of these is several' miles In length, their width averages aver-ages scarcely 50 yards. They are merely expansions of "runs" on the headwaters of the far-famed Suwannee Suwan-nee river. On entering one of these lakes the swamp boatman lays aside his push-pole and takes up the paddle. pad-dle. He Is also apt to cast out his fish line, for the waters shelter multitudes of warmouths, large mouthed bass, and other toothsome fishes. Good Fishing There. More than thirty species of fishes inhabit the Okefinokee. Persons who love simple pan-fishing, with an old-fashioned reed pole, find here their heart's content At Suwannee lake this son of angling surpasses that In almost any other part el the country. When one considers that the lake Is barely a quarter oi a mile long, with an average wldtb of perhaps 30 yards, a year's catcb of more than 40,000 fish (recordei In 1925) is astounding. Farther within the swamp, at Billys, Bil-lys, Mines, and Buzzard Roost lakes, or on the Big Water or the Suwannee canel, there is likewise rare fishing. The bulk of a day's catch with hook and line is made up of such basses as the warmouth, the "stump-knocker," and the "sand-flirt-er," with a goodly proportion ol mudfish and catfish. Those whe elect trolling are more apt to land Jackfish and large-mouthed bass. The great state of Texas car boast of 30 species of frogs and toads; the Okefinokee region, with one-two-hundredths the area of Tex as, has 20. With varied habitats to suit the requirements of different species; with unlimited breeding places in the cypress ponds, cypress bays, and prairies; with abundant rains in normal years, and with a warm and humid climate, the Oke finokee is a veritable frog paradise Alligators and Birds. Men still living can speak of the times when it appeared as if "t feller could walk across Billys lake on 'gator backs." To this day the Okefinokee remains perhaps the best stronghold of our famous cor rugated saurian. Suwannee lake Ii particular, where the alligators are protected, provides nnequaled op portunlties for making intimate studies of the habits of wild indi viduals. Of the approximately ISO speelei of birds recorded In the Okefinokee region, scarcely one-half remain during the summer and breed While some of these summer resl dents move southward with the ap proaeh of cool weather in the au tumn, their places are more that filled by hardier species comlnj from the northern states and Can ada to find a congenial winter home In the swamp. By far the largest mammal of the swamp, and perhaps the most in teresting, is the Florida bear. Frorr early times It has attracted the swamp hunters not so much be cause of any particular value of ttf hide and flesh as by reason of the thrill that comes from mntehlns wits and strength with so formld able an anlmaL An additional rea son for the pursuit of the bear It its numerous depredations on the hogs that range through the plnej woods and the swamp borders. AI a hog's prolonged squealing the residents become Instantly alert. Guns are hurriedly lifted frorr pegs on the cabin walls, the dogs are called together with the hunting horn, and the chase is on. Primitive Life of the People. For generations the sturdy, self-sufficient, self-sufficient, and gifted people of the Okefinokee have led a rather isolated iso-lated and primitive existence, some of them on islands within the swamp and others along its borders -They represent some of the puresl Anglo-Saxon stock left In our coun try, though a few of the families have a slight mixture of French Huguenot and even Seminole Indian blood. In ancestry, speech, folksongs and general social ways there Is a marked affinity between the resl fhfA f t,he,01ieflnol;ce 1 those , the Appalachian mountains, in each case there has been comparati isolation, tending to preserve th cultural heritage from BriJn 0 several centuries ago. The p,c uresque regional vernacular con tains various elements represent!, . survivals from the El.zabet Z , " that have dropped out of genera, American usage. fecial 6 "M-'ashfoned square dance or frohc," still holds sway here . a leading form of so.lal recreation The fiddle, the handclap, 1 1 e , , beat and the "calK of t,le't" the leader all mti tllcl J rythmic performance yhe fall days-the season of "h. , ! an' cnne-grirHlin' "-soe ' ' " M" " expressions at thcThclsSt |