WILD LIFE IN A SOUTHERN COUNTY. 341 



is crossed by bays (formed of piles and clay), which 

 either irrigate adjacent meads or keep the water in 

 ponds at a convenient level. 



A lonely moss-grown hatch, which stands in a quiet 

 shady corner not far from the lake, is a favourite 

 resort of the kingfishers. Though these brilliantly- 

 coloured birds may often be seen skimming across 

 the surface of the mere, they seem to obtain more 

 food from the brooks and ponds than from the broader 

 expanse of water above. In the brooks they find 

 overhanging branches upon which to perch and watch 

 for their prey, and without which they can do noth- 

 ing. In the lake the only places where such boughs 

 can be found are the shallow stretches where the bot- 

 tom is entirely mud, and where the water is almost 

 hidden by weeds. Willows grow there in great quan- 

 tities, and some of their branches may be available ; 

 but then the water is hidden by weeds, and, being 

 muddy at bottom, is not frequented by those shoals 

 of roach the kingfisher delights to watch. So that 

 the best places to look for this bird are on the streams 

 which feed the mere (especially just where they enter 

 it, for there the fish often assemble), and the streams 

 that issue forth, not far from the main water. 



This old hatch it is so old and rotten that it is a 

 little dangerous to cross it is situate in the latter 

 position, on the effluent, and is almost hidden among 

 trees and bushes. Several hedges there meet, and 

 form a small cover, in the midst of which flows the 

 dark brook ; but do not go near carelessly, for the 



