282 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



1864) 



1865} ■ 493 



1866 - 614 „ 



1867 - 631 



1868 - 486 



1869 - 273 



These statistics are pretty good evidence that the sea-fowl 

 do not all sleep at night. Grey Crows will rob the nets 

 when they get the chance ; so will another sort of two- 

 legged poacher. One of the latter kind forgot he had a 

 Prince of Wales' feather on the sole of his boot, which left 

 an impression at every step, and led to his ultimate 

 detection. 



The nets, which are about five feet high, are generally 

 placed at high-water mark. All of them together reach at 

 least a third of a mile. They are fatal to everything 

 between a Lark and a Shelduck. If a Dunlin so much as 

 touches with the tip of his wing it is wound round in an 

 instant, and there he hangs until he is taken out and killed. 

 The majority of the birds are taken out alive, and many 

 small waders so caught, especially Knots, have been pre- 

 sented by Mr. Cresswell to the Zoological Society, and have 

 lived for some years in the cage at the south end of the 

 fish-house. 



