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CHAPTER I, 



Greeting. The Broad District. Hickling Broad. Felling a Tree. 

 Dodging the Swallows. Shooting the Crossbills. The Boat-house. 



WITH the same feeling of pleasure which one experiences 

 when one writes to an old friend, I commence to write this new 

 book, which I hope will be read by many a boy friend. 



It is very pleasant to an author to feel that he has a large 

 circle of acquaintances whom he has never seen, and who 

 know him only through his books. It should be his aim and 

 endeavour to extend that circle of friends, and to increase the 

 good feeling which they bear towards him. Therefore, my 

 dear boys, I hope that after reading this book which I now 

 submit to your approval, you will conceive as affectionate 

 a regard for me as I have for you. 



This is a story of sport and adventure, natural history 

 and science, and the movers in it are three boys just like 

 yourselves ; and that you may understand the better what they 

 did, I shall first describe the scene of their exploits. It is 

 the eastern part of Norfolk, and no better place could be found 

 as a field for the doings of three enterprising young naturalists 

 and sportsmen. It is known as the " Broad District," and it 

 consists almost entirely of lake, river, and marsh. If we take 

 Yarmouth on the sea-coast as the starting-point, and look 

 inland, we shall see first of all a large tidal lake known as 

 Breydon Water. From this radiate three rivers going north- 



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