62 THE BOOK OF THE OPEN AIR 



We have arrived at the Moorhen, our of the old gunners waving beneath it > 



old Noah's ark, perched high and dry this bird delights to feed on the succu- 



and shored up on Banham's rond. lent stems of this semi-marine species 



She used to bear her owner in her of vegetation, and most adroitly nips 



smarter days into Broadland haunts j off the less palatable blades of darker 



her present moorings, like the old ship green, which float downstream on the 



Agnes's, are final. She is now our " ob- ebb tide to tell some ancient eel-babber 



servatory." Tie the punt to the little that the " smee " have been dining in 



jetty, and step inside. Fold up those goodly numbers " up above," and he 



blankets, and set the table from this cup- sighs (if these passionless men ever do) 



board, while I light a fire and put the when he remembers how he, in the old 



kettle on. While the water boils we'll days, "afore protection done for him," 



sit in the stern sheets outside. The tide used to " cut lanes ' ' through their ranks 



is at its full, and will presently begin with his swivel gun. The coffee is ready; 



to ebb. On the rond to the right are and the sandwiches invite discussion. 



a score and more curlews awaiting its A flock of large gulls is gathering a 



fall. Some redshanks from the marshes hundred yards or more away in front 



impatiently hurry by, and, like Noah's of us. There are at least fifteen adult 



dove, return, to come again shortly great black-backed gulls, and twenty 



when there is standing room assured, of a younger generation, clad in the 



A greenshank flits by just after, utter- mottled grey of the second year ; two 



ing his loud clear pleu ! pleu ! pleu ! others are blotched, and have already 



We heard him piping a mile away. He passed their third year. Myriads of 



settles in a " low " in the rond, and shore-crabs prowl about among the 



immediately begins to methodically Zostera, chasing each other in anger 



work the shallow puddle. when not pursuing shrimps and gobies, 



Away to the right a mile or more, on and running after each other again in 



the " Fleet " near Dan Banham's Mill, a envious mood when one has secured 



hundred black specks dot the waters, its prey. On these greedy crustaceans 



Take this old telescope, and see if the gulls are feeding. With sometimes 



you recognize them. They are wigeon. four thousand gulls on Breydon, it 



Most of them appear to be asleep ; one is a wonder to me that any crabs re- 



>now and again may be observed tug- main at all ! 



ging at the Zostera the ' ' wigeon grass " * * 



