2 9 o THE YORKSHIRE FEN 



from the ordinary paths of the labourers on the farms. 

 In the half-light every splash of a water-rat or rail 

 suggested the immediate rise of duck ; and when they 

 did fly up from the deep brook, sometimes in a flock 

 of from eight to a dozen, over-anxiety and the dusky 

 light often made the shooting less straight than it 

 should have been. By the time the true " carrs " were 

 reached the sun was well risen, and the view across the 

 flat " line landscape " with its level waste of snow, long 

 black lines of dyke, and straight walls of trees fringing 

 the distance was very striking. The drains and rivers 

 were almost without bridges ; there are no more roads 

 than when the marsh was impassable, and the farm- 

 houses and villages to which the " carrs " are annexed 

 lie far away. Consequently there are neither men 

 nor houses on the marsh, and the early visitor is 

 absolutely alone. When the duck had been dis- 

 turbed in the higher levels of the " carrs," it was not 

 unusual to see a " wedge " flying steadily down the fen, 

 seeking open water in the main river. This was an 

 exciting moment, for if they pitched, owing to the high 

 banks, a shot was certain. On one occasion the writer 

 and another watched seven duck come down the level, 

 and suddenly descend into the river where it is joined 

 by the brook. Here there is always open water even 

 in hard frost, and the duck will even lie in the rough 

 grass in the angle between the streams. 



" Ille terrarum mihi praeter omnes 

 Angulus videt." 



