AND ITS SURROUNDINGS. 243 



At about a mile from Street-gate the Lea is crossed by 

 Slapton Bridge, which divides it into two parts, called ir- 

 respectively the Upper and the Lower Lea. The Upper Lea 

 is entirely overgrown with various kinds of reeds and other 

 aquatic plants; but the Lower Lea is open water, with the 

 exception of reeds growing near the shore, especially at the 

 end near Torcross. That most voracious of all fresh water 

 fish, the jack or pike, here sometimes attains the size of from 

 twenty to thirty pounds, but the generality vary from three 

 to ten pounds each. They feed mostly on their neigh- 

 bours, the perch and roach, but they are sometimes known 

 to pull under and devour the coots and young ducks which 

 breed there in great abundance. The little coots may be 

 seen swimming about amongst the reeds after their parents, 

 almost as tame as domestic ducks. The common wild duck 

 breeds in the meadows adjoining, and immense flocks of 

 starlings roost in the reeds in the winter, but when summer 

 comes you will not see one in the whole district. In the 

 morning they separate in smaller or larger flocks, and range 

 abroad in search of their daily food, perhaps to a distance of 

 twenty or thirty miles; and as evening approaches they 

 return, and may be seen dropping down in amazing numbers 

 to their nightly repose. In the autumn, swallows, martins, 

 and sand-martins, make this place their rendezvous, and 

 about a fortnight previous to their departure to more genial 

 climes they roost in the reeds in almost incredible numbers. 

 In the winter the Lea is frequented by almost every kind of 

 water-fowl, and some very rare specimens have been taken. 

 The spoonbill, a pair of the glossy ibis, the little bittern, and 

 the little bustard, have been captured in the valleys near by, 

 and the osprey, or fishing eagle, visits this spot at rare 

 intervals. On the sands between the Lea and the sea are 



