Show swamp skyer IV 0 17 F I 1 7 8 2 17 0 C out LT ja J A N 7 ste dawe by new swamp mystery land of georgia prepared bYthe by the National naJ society washington D C Q service OWN in the southeastern cor DOWN ner ncr of georgia lies the great greal swamp a primeval wilderness rich in treas treasure ure for foi the modern bl biologist mystery and enchantment chant cliant ment live in its coffee colored waters its moss hung cy presses and sunlit piney woods the 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 cypress cypre ss on these one may delight dell glit ills his soul amid scenes of unearthly loveliness that have changed virtually not at all since the seminole warriors poled their dug outs over them the Okell nokee prairies are not land but water in these morasses are many areas of open water varying from lakes a quarter of a mile in diameter to alligator holes a rod in width the snowy blossoms of the white water llly lily gladden many acres of the deeper water and the golden globular 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 forms form a sea of pleasant color T the lie small pitcher plant Is hardly true to its name on the kee prairies for its spotted green greenish ish tubes reach a yard into the air a height unheard of elsewhere the parasol like flowers of greenish gold each on a separate stand a little below the summit of the leaves another plant is the maiden cane which forms dense yard high beds among its sheltering stems and leaves the least bittern the swamp rice rat and the florida water rat build their nests in late summer as a boat pushes by a bed of maiden cane a host of katydids will fly out and astound the newcomer by plunging into the water and disappearing these diving katydids belong to a peculiar species first described from the resort of hunters and trappers for generations swamp hunters have pushed over these prairie waters standing up in their slight boats and bending rhythmically with graceful thrusts of their long poles Toles the skilled sk illel boatman is able to make better progress g over the prairies than the bear he chases old hunters li knew well how to drive a deer out of a prairie heal beal in the direction of a waiting companion in winter the trapper camps for weeks at a time to in these heid tending lending ills his line of traps and taking the pelts of raccoon otter wildcat and opossum to pass from the sparkling sunshine of the prairies into tile the gloom of tile the adjoining cypress bays is a striking experience the huge trees buttressed by knees stand in ID close ranks in a foot or so of water their green crowns su so feet or more over head bead shut out all but a few stray beams of sunshine causing even at midday a sort of 0 twilight bere and there a winding channel or run permits the hunter to push ills his tiny boat between the tree trunks but in the greater part of the he cypress bays there is tall dense undergrowth that makes even toot foot travel a slow and arduous undertaking the bear having the double advantage of bulky strength and a tough hide bide Is the only large uni mal that can readily and rapidly break through such a tangle good fishing there more than thirty species of fishes in babit tile the nokee persons who iove simple pin fishing with an old fashioned reed pole find here their hearts content at suwannee lake tills this sort of angling surpasses that in almost any other part of the country when one considers that the lake if 13 barely a quarter of a mile long with an average width of perhaps 0 30 0 yards a years catch of more than list recorded in 1023 1923 Is astounding farther within the swamp at billys mines and buzzard roost lakes or on the big water or the suwannee Suwa nuee canal there Is likewise rare fishing the bull bulk of a days catch with hook and line Is made up of such basses as the warnio warmouth uth the stump knocker and the sand flirter with a goodly proportion of and catfish those who elect trolling are more apt to land jackfish and large mouthed bass the great state of texas can boast of 30 species of frogs and toads the tha region with one two hun bun the area of texas has 20 with varied habitats to suit the requirements quire ments 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 Is a veritable frog paradise let copious showers fall during a warm summers day and by nightfall the bedlam of 0 amphibian voices arising from the swamp waters and their tangled margins is beyond description the field herpetologists trained ear picks out of the din the shrill peeping of the oak toad the droning roar of 0 the southern toad the plainly uttered I 1 alks of the cricket frog the chirp of the little chorus frog the machine gun bark of the pinewoods pine woods tree free fro frog the hogshead thumping notes of the florida tree fro frog the deep hollow roll of the gopher frog the clung of the green frog the pig like grunts of the southern bullfrog the clattering chorus of the southern leopard frog the hammer strokes of the carpenter frog and the lambs bleating of the narrow mouthed toad alligators and birds men lien still living can speak of the times when it appeared as if a teller feller coufa walk across billys lake on gator backs to this day the remains perhaps the best stronghold hold of our famous corrugated saurian suwannee lake in particular where the alligators are protected provides unequaled opportunities for makini making intimate studies of the habits of wit individuals of the approximately ISO species of birds recorded in the region scarcely one half remain during the summer and breed while some of these summer residents move southward with the approach of cool weather in the autumn their places are more than filled by hardier species coming from the northern states anti canada to find a congenial winte home in the swamp by far tile the largest mammal of the swamp and perhaps the most interesting Is the florida bear front from early times it has attracted the swamp swami hunters bunters not so much because of any particular value of its hide and besu as by reason of the ahr thrill that comes from matching wits and strength with so formidable an animal an additional reason for the pursuit of the bear Is its numerous depredations on oil the hogs that range through the piney woods and the swamp borders at a hogs prolonged squealing the residents become instantly alert for it generally means that a boar bear has seized tile the animal and Is making olt off with it toward the he depths of 0 tile the swamp swami guns are hurriedly lifted from pegs on the cabin waln walls the dogs are called together with the hunting bunting horn and the chase Is on primitive life of the people for generations the sturdy self sufficient Clent and gifted people of the have led a rather isolated and primitive existence some of thern them on islands within the swamp ana others along its bor borders derl they represent some of the purest anglo saxon stock left in our country though a few of the families have a slight mixture of french huguenot and even seminole indian blood in ancestry speech and general social ways there Is a marked affinity between the residents of the tha and those of the appalachian pala chian mountains in ench each casa there has been comparative isolation tending to preserve the cultural heritage from britain of several centuries ago tile the picturesque regional vernacular contains various elements representing survivals from the elizabethan age that have dropped out of general american usage the old fashioned square dance or frolic still holds sway here as a leading form of social recreation tin the fiddle the liand handclap clap the toot foot beat and the calling or of the set by the he leader all lend their aid to the rhythmic performance for mance the late tall fall days the lie sea son of 0 iliof hog killin an cane grinden 1 see these social expressions at their height |