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Published quarterly from 1953 - 1955

About the Author: David Karraker

One of the people whom most visitors to Everglades National Park this past winter have seen and talked to, was ranger-naturalist David Karraker, because of his assignment to Paradise Key and Taylor Slough. Park visitors kept him busy answering questions, but in between he kept sharp watch on the bits and reptiles about. As a result he occasionally witnessed fascinating events in their ceaseless struggle for existence. THE MYSTERY VOICE OF TAYLOR SLOUGH relates some of his impressions and observations of the many busy animals hunting and being hunted in an undisturbed state of nature there.

Author Karraker was born in New York City in 1928 and educated at Bucknell University and the University of Florida. At the latter institution he did a piece of field research on a small area enclosing a large water bird rookery. Coming to the park directly from there, he was very much in his element interpreting nature to park visitors at Taylor Slough. Late this spring when his seasonal duty terminated here, author Karraker obtained a seasonal summer position at Glacier National Park. There is a good possibility that late fall may bring him back on the return migration to further duty here and more reporting in Everglades Natural History.

The illustration for The mystery voice of Taylor Slough is a sketch which Robert M. Topp made of the slough from Anhinga Trail. Artist Topp first came to the Everglades National Park as a seasonal employee this past winter. Hew was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and worked with a field party of the United States Geological Survey before coming to the park. When this energetic young man adds university training to his keen interest in natural history and his talent for art, he will go a long way.