30 ' Spring 



the drowned shipmen and the broken argosies and 

 the mermaids are ; even the greedy, idle cormorant, 

 lazily rocking in the bay all these seem kith and 

 kin to breeze and billow and sunbeam, reckless as 

 these and as these undominated. There is no passing 

 for this fancy within earshot of the deep ; but it fades 

 and vanishes inland. If the gull ever lapses into 

 commonplace it is in early spring, when he joins the 

 rooks in that busy, fluttering, piebald crowd that 

 follows the ploughman's furrow. Even Mr. Swinburne 

 could scarce get up a rapture over a ' grey brother ' 

 gobbling worms as an alderman gobbles early peas. 



Yet there is at least one sea-bird, the black-headed 

 gull, that carries the charm of ocean to his retreat 

 inland. To some two or three districts he comes in 

 thousands at the call of spring, and for a few months 

 a common pond not large enough to be dignified 

 with the name of lake is transformed by him into 

 a sight so beautiful it never fails to surprise and 

 .enchant the lucky wretch who comes upon it unawares. 

 He is listening for the first crake of the landrail, or 

 delighting in the spreading limes and beeches of a 

 roadside park, when gradually his ears are filled with 

 the long withdrawing roar of the sea on a gravel 

 beach. There is no mistaking it. Ceaselessly it goes 

 on, not harsh nor yet musical, rising and falling, till 

 he looks to see at the next turn a long low shore, the 

 curled waves falling on it with a break, and the broken 

 water running murmurous along the strand. Far 



