Spring, with all its stirrings and green renewals, is a splendid season to sample the riches of Point Lobos State Reserve. This bit of land on the Monterey County coast is a glorious living museum of wild things. There are things that swim in the sea or sail in the ocean winds or scamper along the forest floor or blossom in the meadows.

Sea lions bellow from the offshore rocks. Otters float in the blue coves, cracking mussels and grooming their whiskers. Migrating gray whales play offshore during their journey north to the Bering Sea. Sea palms bend beneath the weight of the waves, and spring up again to await the next onslaught. From the shore bluffs you can hear the cry of the oyster catcher and the hiss and rumble of surf over pebbles. In the forest the ground is soft and springy beneath your feet and the sounds of sea and wind are muffled, and the perfume of the wild lilac wafts across the hiking trails.

Q. Underline a sound-word from the selection.