93 



When the Car was partly flooded in autumn, some of my com- 

 panions used sometimes to ask a stranger to have a day's Snipe 

 shooting. Drains had been cut in many places to dry the pas- 

 ture in summer for the eatage, and a sort of grass used to grow 

 which floated flat on the surface of the water ; where this grew 

 the bottom was firm, where the drains were there was no grass, 

 and consequently anyone knowing the character of the place 

 avoided the water : the drains, even when there was no flood, 

 were full of black mud ; the joke was to go in such a way as to 

 lead the stranger into a drain, and in consequence giving him a 

 bath, and then having a good laugh. 



Sometimes when either fishing or shooting some of the party 

 would be taken in the boat, when there was one, to an island on 

 which grew some willows and dense herbage, a likely place for 

 Teal ; the party having disappeared to go round, on his arrival 

 at where he started would find the boat gone, sometimes it re- 

 quired not a little difficulty to wade across again without getting 

 much deeper than one cared about if carrying a gun and ammu- 

 nition or a fishing rod ; sometimes a little temper was shown, but 

 it all ended in jokes. These were pleasant days the remembrance 

 of which must soon pass away, altogether, alas, how few of the 

 participators are left most of them have disappeared more com- 

 pletely than tbe Car itself. 



Besides the birds, Pike, Perch, Roach, and Eels, and hosts of 

 shells, plants, and insects were located there. The birds having 

 wings escaped annihilation and have gone elsewhere ; the fish 

 and shells of course were destroyed entirely, and many of the 

 insects and plants also, in consequence of the entire change, but 

 without doubt another set of animals and plants has taken the 

 place of their previous occupants, and certainly are of more use 

 to man under the altered conditions, but hardly so interesting to 

 the naturalist. 



