284 HAMPSHIRE DAYS 



families ; and altogether it seemed that their lines had 

 fallen to them in pleasant places, although it cannot 

 be said that the placid current of their existence was 

 never troubled. 



I know not what happened to disturb them, but 

 sometimes all at once cries were heard which were 

 unmistakably emitted in anger, and sounds of splash- 

 ing and struggling among the sedges and bulrushes; 

 and the rushes would be swayed about this way and 

 that, and birds would appear in hot pursuit of one 

 another over the water; and then, just when one was 

 in the midst of wondering what all this fury in their 

 cooty breasts could be about, lo ! it would all be over, 

 and the little grebe would be busy catching his silvery 

 fishes ; and the moor-hen, pleased as ever at her 

 own prettiness, nodding and prinking and flirting her 

 feathers ; and the coot, as usual, mermaid-like, combing 

 out her slate-coloured tresses. 



We have seen that of these three species the little 

 grebe was not so happy as the others, owing to his 

 taste for little fishes being offensive to the fish-breeder 

 and preserver. When I first saw how this river was 

 watched over by the water-keepers, I came to the 

 conclusion that very few or no dabchicks would suc- 

 ceed in hatching any young. And none were hatched 

 until August, and then to my surprise I heard at 

 one point the small, plaintive peep-peep of the young 

 birds crying to be fed. One little grebe, more cun- 

 ning or more fortunate than the others, had at last 



