ii8 AN EAST COAST NATURALIST 



him on Breydon looking for a fowl or two. A 

 favourite reminiscence of his was of a poor little 

 Kingfisher, hard up for a dinner, that came and 

 alighted on the end of his punt gun, and from it, as 

 a perch, fished for nearly a couple of hours in the 

 open water of the drain in which he lay moored. 

 Through the intensity of the frost, the metal was so 

 cold that he hesitated to lay his fingers upon it. 



This same friend, just before his fatal illness, 

 even when in failing health, made spasmodic visits 

 to his favourite Breydon. One evening in Novem- 

 ber 1901 I found a leaf from a notebook slipped 

 through my letter box. I give it as written, to 

 show how fascinating even to a dying man remains 

 the love of natural observation : 



" MR. PATTERSON, 



"DEAR SIR, 16th November. Seen leading 

 Breydon about 11.30 a.m. First 3 Swans, and then 

 34 or 35, and another lot of 24 ; also 1 goose. The 

 latter was killed. Hundreds of Golden Plover and 

 Lapwings, all leading north-west. Yours truly, 



H. B." 



My own entries for that day are as follow : 



Swans and Geese. Went for a jolly afternoon 



