THE SWANNERY AT ABBOTSBURY 71 



semicircle of tamarisk boughs stuck in the earth around 

 its nest, and so clearly defining its territory. 



Whether viewed from the land seawards, or from 

 Chesil Beach across the Fleet, the scene was alike rich 

 in life and colour. The strangeness of the view from 

 Chesil Bank inwards makes it perhaps the more striking. 

 To the right stretches an apparently endless line of 

 dark-blue sea, separated from the lighter waters of the 

 Fleet by the golden shingle of " the Bank," which 

 vanishes into yellow haze towards Portland Island. 

 On the Fleet opposite floated hundreds of white swans, 

 among which the black coots and cormorants swam 

 and dived like imps among the angels. The further 

 shore was again fringed with the dead-gold of the reed- 

 stumps, backed by the rich green of the hills beyond. 

 As the evening drew on, the birds and animals of the 

 shore and the lake seemed to enjoy an exclusive 

 dominion over their respective haunts. No human 

 being was in sight, and the nine miles of Chesil Beach 

 were probably untrodden by any creature larger than 

 the hares which came hopping down from the hills to 

 feed upon a wild vetch which grows among the shingle 

 on the shore. The mackerel-fishing had not begun, 

 and the men of Abbotsbury and Chickerel village were 

 busy with farm work, leaving the eels and grey 

 mullets which swarm in the Fleet to the cormorants 

 and divers, which were busily fishing in the shallow 

 water. Gregory Gill, the swanherd, and his boy had 

 just crossed the water-meadows on their way to the 

 village ; every labourer had gone home an hour before ; 



