148 



fisheiman, who, in his peculiarly light and airy, or rather amphibious 

 costume, proceeding with his hand-net to capture any stray salmon, who, 

 smitten by the beauty of the sceneiy, has chosen to disport himself in one 

 of the pools, instead of proceeding upon his proper business up the river, 

 rise a pair of the common sandpiper, Tringa communis, showing that they 

 may be induced, by favourable circumstances, to remain here for the 

 purpose of nidification and its concomitants ; and, from the number of 

 these birds with which we meet in the course of our ramble, we are satis- 

 fied that many other siich patches are similarly tenanted. 



The old Severn channel, before alluded to has still its special denizens. 

 "Wending our way for a short space along its banks, we startle more than 

 one flock of wild ducks, still gregarious, although the breeding season can 

 scarcely have terminated, whilst widgeon and teal, both of which evidently 

 breed here, are to be ^een only in pairs. 



Peewits also are here in great numbers, upon the New Grounds, the 

 males apparently frequenting the sands of the Estuary, while the females 

 attend to domestic duties on the dry land, though at such distance as to 

 enable them to keep up a constant interchange of vocal intercourse 

 between the flocks, the cries of any individual of the one being immedi- 

 ately responded to from the other. We cannot positively afSrni that any 

 of our acquaintance tumbled along the ground before iis to draw us from 

 their nests, (or rather eggs,) according to the popular account of their 

 habits, though they certainly exhibit considerable boldness in flying 

 immediately over us with the same apparent intent, quitting us when we 

 have proceeded to what they consider a safe distance, when another 

 generally takes up the vacated post, and plays the same r6le. 



The New Grounds are traversed by several artificial watercourses for 

 the purpose of freeing the lands from flood and ordinaiy drainage- 

 waters, which are called reens, from an Anglo-Saxon word cognate 

 with the German word reinen, to purify or clean, signifying a 

 I'unning stream or gutter, and in these, water-hens and herons are 

 particularly abundant, and from the freedom from personal annoyance 

 which they here enjoy, afibrd the traveller every facility for studying 

 their manners and customs. Armed with one of Burrows's best Malvern 

 landscape glasses we enjoy special advantages in this respect, and watch 

 them preening themselves, or diving for the creatures upon which they 

 feed, as though no such creature as man had ever disturbed them. 



Upon one occasion we counted nearly thirty herons standing upon 

 the breakwater, and many others were upon the sands around it. 

 Having inadvertently disturbed them, Ave walked out upon it, to see 

 whether any traces of their food might remain, or whether the small 



