30 WOODLAND, MOOR, AND STREAM 



his tail ; and close by him a spotted crake or rail. 

 They are not alarmed, for no one meddles with them. 

 In the eyes of the marshmen they are worthless hen- 

 footed things. Not many birds have met my view 

 as yet ; a mile more and the vegetation begins to 

 change ; wild celery, samphire, and sea-kale, or wild 

 cabbage, shows all round about, a sure sign that I am 

 nearing the sea, in fact, close on the sea-wall. 



And then I saw a sight which I have seen only 

 once in my life, a sight more often heard of than wit- 

 nessed, and one to be remembered namely, a cloud 

 of sea-gulls fishing. The bright sky, and the dancing, 

 sparkling wavelets, the birds, with their pearl-grey 

 and white bodies, as they rose from the water and 

 dipped down again, and their noise of happy clamour, 

 made a scene which was worth going a long way to 

 see. They had found the smelts, and they like good 

 things when they can get them. A pair of ring 

 dotterels tripped along with their family just in front 

 of me pretty, gentle creatures ; they are regarded by 

 the coast dwellers in much the same light as the 

 robin is inland. I have never seen a shot fired at 

 them. They are so trustful as they stand and pipe 

 close beside one. After a good look all round, I 

 turned my back on the sea again to wander over the 

 marshes by a different way. 



