A STORM IN THE MARSHES 31 



In that part there are gullies worn by the rush of 

 the tide ; well inland they go, forming creeks like 

 railway cuttings, half full of water bayed up at one 

 end. In one of these I expected to find the birds ; 

 and I was not disappointed. The cry of the red- 

 shank 'pool snipe' as they call them comes from 

 a creek with the whistle of the curlew. Crawling to 

 the edge of the gully through the sea-blite, I look over 

 and see curlew, and whimbrel, or Jack curlew, sander- 

 lings, red-shanks, gulls, and other birds feeding, 

 washing, and running about, with the tide coming up. 

 On a post, used for tying boats to, a kingfisher is 

 perched, on the look-out for shrimps and other small 

 things. He is a common bird near the Saltings. 

 Close to my feet is a dabchick, or little grebe, a very 

 common bird here. The salt-water pool he is at work 

 in is clear as crystal. He is up and down, and round 

 about the sides of it, like a little harlequin ; he looks 

 to me as if he were flying under the water. Such a 

 gathering of fowl in that part of the marsh I had 

 never seen before. I soon knew the cause of it. 

 Leaving the birds, I made my way over the marsh, 

 for it was well on in the afternoon, past five by my 

 watch. As I passed the weeds a shiver ran through 

 them, making their stems rattle, then all was still. It 

 seemed to grow suddenly gloomy ; where did that 



