180 



THE BOOK OF THE OPEN AIR 



for the kingfisher's shrill alarm-note, ing mechanically at a great speed : 



always loudest when seeking safety in this is done to disturb the worms and 



flight from real or fancied harm, he other small invertebrates that are in 



would far oftener escape, and remain hiding : let them but make a dash to 



longer a delightful ornament to our escape, and the gull " pins " them 



watersides. in a moment. A foot long whiting 



The tides on an easterly wind are or an unfortunate smelt, left behind 



usually low. A nor'-wester sees a by the falling tide, is a welcome addi- 



greater bulk of water sent into the tion to the sea-bird's larder. The 



German ocean, and Breydon gets a queer antics, the harmless squabbles, 



foot or two more of it. Southerly the sips and dips in the shallows, make 



winds make poor tides too. Some- up a great deal of the joyous birds' 



times the highest flats are two feet life : the little fellow " Yahs ! " for 



under ; at others half of them remain very exuberance of spirits. It is a 



uncovered. Five decades ago the flats pity that every costumier who makes 



were bare less than the third of a tide : up " murderous millinery " cannot 



they have " silted up " wofully since watch for at least once in their lives a 



then. We will not discuss the causes, happy scene like this, 

 but will rest content to see the most There ! your footfall has disturbed 



of things as they are to-day. 1 them all ; and away they wing them- 



Now then, open the boat doors selves to a safer location. Those great 



gently. Have your glasses handy. " grey " gulls yonder, and their elder 



By the gabble we can hear we must brethren the adult " saddlebacks," are 



have a goodly menagerie of birds patrolling the stranded Zoster a and the 



around us on the yet uncovered flat, tangled "raw" weed (Chatomorpha 



Black-headed gulls in some numbers linum), at intervals digging into it, and 



are scattered all around, most of them flinging it aside in big-tufted bundles, 



paddling about in the inch or two deep searching for Carcinus mcenas (the shore 



puddles here and there dotting the crab) hiding beneath in fancied security, 



flat : very few stranded shrimps and The upturned crab may protest as 



little fishes will escape their keen eyes, he likes, but to no purpose, the strong 



Several are doing something very like mandibles close at once upon him, and 



a step dance, their flat red feet patter- now a crushed, lifeless, limp crustacean, 

 1 The author has fully discussed this problem in Nature in Eastern Norfolk. 



