Ixii INTRODUCTION. 



contirme to do so. The Dotterel fCharadrius morinellus) 

 has been seen on the borders of the heath, resting for 

 a while on its migratory course, and the ^' whirr" of the 

 Nightjar is heard in the summer evenings when the 

 " dors " fly thick over the prickly furze. Here, also, 

 the Titlark and the graceful Wagtail chase their insect 

 prey over the smooth turf, and the Stonechat, Whinchat, 

 and Wheatear, amongst the rough patches of gorse and 

 fern, enliven the waste with their sprightly actions. 



East, west, and south, the rich grazing marshes 

 bordering the winding course of the Wensum and Yare, 

 are not less abundant in aquatic species; and though 

 too firm now to afford the sport which the Snipe- 

 shooter enjoyed some forty years ago ; yet still when 

 driven to the open springs through the severity of the 

 frost, or flooded out from the "broad" district, a few 

 couples, and particularly " Jacks " (Scolopax gallinula) 

 may be found by the sedgy margins of the drains and 

 smaller streamlets. In the many little carrs, reed-beds, 

 and dwarf-islets, which form so pretty a feature of these 

 tortuous rivers, whether at Lakenham, Keswick, Bow- 

 thorpe, or Hellesdon, the prattling notes of the Sedge 

 and Eeed-Warblers are heard in summer, and the 

 Water-Hen and Dabchick nestle and hide in the tangled 

 undergrowth. A few Wild-Ducks (Anas hoschasj are 

 bred annually in the most retired spots, and in winter 

 are joined by others, with an occasional "coil" of Teal, 

 but it is only in the sharpest weather that the rarer 

 species appear so far inland. At such times, however, 

 both the Wliooper (Gijgnus ferus) and Bewick's Swan 

 (Cygnus hewicki) have been shot, even of late years, on 

 the Yare at Bowthorpe, about three miles to the west 

 of Norwich; on the same portion of the stream, which 

 some thirty or forty years ago acquired the name of 

 " Swan-river," from the frequent occurrence of these 

 birds during the then severe winters. 



