xii TO THE READER 



observation, as may be seen by his account of the reed- 

 warblers, and his methods of getting at them. His inartistic 

 nature, too, is shown when he describes the commonplace 

 Surlingham Broad as "one of our prettiest broads," and 

 confounds shadows with reflections. But Brundall (change 

 for Surlingham) is near to Norwich, and on the railway. 

 Babbling through a list of grasses, flowers, and birds in the 

 cheap language of the " nature-loving journalist " is not art. 

 I much prefer Mr. Southwell's terse, lucid, and scientific 

 notes to Mr. Stevenson in his pseudo-poetical vein. 



]\Ir. Lubbock's Fauna of Norfolk is much more the work 

 of a writer, though Mr. Lubbock had but little art in his 

 nature, for he wrote of the Broad scenery " with flat and 

 marshy borders, covered with reeds and rank vegetation, 

 the waters of Norfolk have little to interest the seeker after 

 picturesque beauty." And yet it was here Crome loved to 

 paint. But, as the notes of a sportsman and field-naturalist, 

 the book is excellent, and it is literature. 



The late Mr. Booth's book contains much the soundest 

 information on the birds of this district ; for Mr. Booth 

 was a keen and hardy sportsman, and shot all the birds 

 of his wonderful collection himself. 



Many scientific catalogues of the birds of this district 

 have been compiled, notably those by Sir. T. Browne, Revs. 

 Sheppard and Whitear, Messrs. C. and J. Paget, Messrs. 

 Gurney and Fisher, Mr. Fielding-Harmer (Appendix to 

 Wild Life on a Tidal Water). 



And here's a toast to those who love to lie under the 

 greenwood-tree, and watch the loves and petty wars be- 

 tween man and beast and bird, with no ulterior thought of 

 "scribbling copy," or purchasing immortality (?) by dis- 

 covering an unknown ugly weed, or by ruthlessly shooting 

 down some poor storm-driven stranger. 



Lowestoft, /iz;«^rtr)' 1895. 



