274 IN BIRD-LAND 



while all the feathers on its body were puffed out, 

 making it appear to be nearly twice its natural 

 size. It snapped its beak, then viciously and 

 loudly hissed, and continued to show anger until 

 the Rooks were quite out of sight. 

 . To any one who, like myself, loves Nature's 

 solitudes, the Broads are an ideal place to spend a 

 holiday. One seems to have the pleasures of 

 sailing without the murmur of breaking waves, 

 such as are nearly always to be heard on the sea, 

 although even that may be music of another kind. 

 Then, however charming the London suburbs may 

 be as regards their scenery and air, they seem to 

 lack quiet ; there is always to be heard some 

 symptoms of the roar of the Great City not far 

 awav the whistle and rumbling of railways, and 

 extra traffic in the lanes and highways. 



Among the Broads there is perfect stillness, 

 especially during the long twilight of a late spring 

 or early summer evening. At such times, just 

 before sunset, I liked to row out alone to the 

 centre of a small Broad, and while resting on the 

 oars, to let the boat drift whither it would. All 

 around would be signs of coming summer ; all 

 things which met the eye contained some promise 

 of returning life and fruitfulness. In the west the 

 sun would go down beyond the wide expansej 



