6 AN EAST COAST NATURALIST 



dawn, and before daylight has given definiteness of 

 aspect to the mazy labyrinths of reed and rush they 

 have already begun their daily occupation above and 

 around. In the dim twilight they remind one of 

 snowflakes twirling about. In August they are astir 

 two hours after midnight. 



Within a few feet of a " throw " from a water- 

 wheel driven by a steam drainage mill a "ligger" 

 (plank) spans a sluice connected with the river Bure. 

 People are constantly walking over the ligger ; yet 

 in spite of this a pair of Swallows attached their 

 nest beneath it. Surely the birds with very little 

 trouble could have secured a far quieter as well as 

 more comfortable site. 



STRANDED ROCK-BIEDS 



Few resorts of the naturalist are of greater 

 interest to him than the tide-mark on the seashore, 

 for there are constantly to be found there objects 

 claiming his attention and varying with the seasons 

 or the ever-changing moods of old Ocean. Amongst 

 them the sports of accident and misadventure 

 figure largely ; and there is always the possibility 

 and even probability of discovering amongst the 



