16 AT A HERONRY NEAR LONDON 
Inside the chapel-like building, now a boat- 
house, a water channel had been cut, in 
which the punt and boat lay. Through this 
water gate we obtained a view of the lake 
and the island bird sanctum we had come to 
see. We noticed here several swallows and 
house martins, their somewhat unequal size 
distinguishing them (see a/so Part II, p. 140), 
flitting busily over the water, picking up per- 
haps the little moths that hatch in great 
numbers from larve at this time of the year, 
as before described, and that I had noticed 
in) .my,, pond). (see, Chapter, 1,.pi..5)2 55 ee 
birds had arrived only the day before. A few 
minutes in the punt, leaving the grotto behind 
us, and we were at the edge of the island. 
This consisted of a few acres of low lying 
ground with many trees. As we approached, 
a black swan paddled up to us in great haste, 
with ruffled wings and head sharply bent 
back on his long handsome neck, which he 
kept rigidly upright in the attitude of attack, 
his eyes glistening the while. He is a male 
bird and ‘ Billy’ is his name—‘ my Bill’ the 
