BIRDS 



In order rightly to interpret the full significance of a local fauna, it is 

 essential that all the circumstances which tend to render attractive the 

 region forming the home or place of temporary resort of its members 

 should be studied in detail. But this falls within the provinces of the 

 geologist and botanist, and I must only in this place describe somewhat 

 fully certain physical features which, by reason of their peculiar at- 

 tractiveness, in a great measure account for the exceptional richness of 

 our ornis. In no part of the British Isles are such localities more 

 abundant than in the county of Norfolk, a fact due in part to its favour- 

 able geographical position, but perhaps in an even greater degree to the 

 endless diversity of its soil and surface, and to that happy admixture of 

 land and water, sea shore and estuary, so grateful to a large majority of 

 the feathered visitants, whose varied requirements are thus fully met. 

 We can boast of no violent transitions from mountain to valley, forest 

 or treeless waste, rocky glen or rushing torrent ; still, so great is the 

 variation in the physical features of the county, even though the scale 

 be not a very extensive one, that we are fully justified in applying 

 Fuller's oft-quoted remark that ' all England may be carved out of 

 Norfolk, being represented in it, not only as to the kinds but degree 

 thereof; for here are fens and heaths, light and deep, sand and clay 

 grounds, meadow-lands, pastures and arable, woodlands and woodless ' ; ^ 

 and this, to a great extent, holds good even in the present day, in spite of 

 the many changes which have taken place since the words were penned. 

 Fortunately, the late Mr. Stevenson, in the Introduction to his Birds of 

 Norfolk,^ has so ably handled this subject that a brief summary of his 

 exhaustive article must suffice. There are, however, two special locali- 

 ties which demand more careful description, as they are unequalled for 

 the attractions they offer to a certain class of birds, and these I shall 

 speak of further on. 



Mr. Stevenson divides the county into six distinct and well-marked 

 regions, the characteristics of each of which are still very apparent, and 

 these he names as follows: i, the 'Broad' district ; 2, the 'Cliff'; 

 3, the ' Meal ' ; 4, the ' Breck ' ; 5, the ' Fen ' ; and 6, the ' En- 

 closed ' district. To each of these it may be well to devote a few words. 



I St. The 'Broad' district is a triangular tract of country forming 

 the most easterly portion of the county, and including that part of 

 Suffolk known as Lothingland. It is comprised within a line drawn 



' TForthies of England {1662) 4to edit. 181 1, vol. ii. p. 124. 

 * Birds of Norfolk, vol. i., Introduction, pp. i.-lxxii. 

 220 



