182 THE BOOK OF THE OPEN AIR 



of a meadow pipit arouses our hunting brilliant sides to the sun in lightning 



instincts, and with very little trouble capers. Dip ! dip ! dip ! the terns are 



we discover a late brood of stumpy- busily flinging themselves upon them, 



winged progeny. sometimes missing, at other times 



By the time we have returned to seizing the surface-swimming fry. It 



the Moorhen the tide is ebbing. We is pretty to see the old birds wheeling 



lock up, and tumble into the punt, round to the flat whereon their shrill- 



with just sufficient depth of water to squealing little ones flutter in eager 



float us out of our amateur-cut drain anticipation. Each bird seems quite 



into the " George's deck," a naturally to know its own progeny, for you will 



formed drain that a half-mile further notice half a dozen youngsters are 



on empties itself into the larger " Ship passed ere the object of its solicitude 



drain," which joins the main channel, is reached ; or it may be only two, or 



A stranger had not better try to navi- eight may beg in vain. They must 



gate Breydon alone ! An old stager trust to their own careful parents, 



feels his way about at night with his Sometimes the little herring is dropped 



oars ! We are in no great hurry ; and on the mud, and the youngster has 



will drift leisurely downstream. The to pick it up, at others it is dropped 



gulls yonder, at the flat margin, glisten with marked adroitness into the gaping 



white in the sun like a row of newly- mouth as the mother bird dashes by. 



dug flints : how oddly tall they appear I cannot distinguish either a feather or 



by reflection in the stream : a novice a semi-tone of difference in them, but 



might easily mistake them for spoon- parental instincts can. There are a 



bills or storks : I have occasionally few common terns, and maybe a couple 



been deceived myself until my glasses of the Arctic species flying around, 



have dispelled the illusion. They are Our suspicions are correct, for we 



resting after a hard-earnt breakfast. note the longer forked tail of the latter 



What a number of little terns there species. Far more matter of fact, 



are about. Last year we saw few, not nearly so dainty, and far less 



for " herring-syle " was scarce ; the attractive, several rooks are teaching 



present season finds the waters teem- their young, reared in an adjacent 



ing with myriads of the so-called rookery, to prog for themselves. Oc- 



" whitebait " ; they flash like strips of casionally a youngster still caws and 



burnished silver as they turn their flutters its wings in solicitation of a 



