304 Wild Life in a Southern County 



Occasionally sea-birds come particularly a species 

 locally called the 4 sea-swallow,' which frequently appears 

 after rough winds and remains flying about over the water 

 for a week or more. Six or eight of these are sometimes 

 seen 'at once. The common gull comes at irregular in- 

 tervals, generally in the winter or spring ; it is said to 

 foretell rough weather. Occasionally a gull will stay some 

 time, and I have seen them also in the water-meadows. 

 Considering the distance from the sea, the gull cannot be 

 called an uncommon bird here. 



Towards winter the wild ducks return ; and during all 

 the cold months a flock of them, varying in number, re- 

 mains. They are careful to swim during the day in the 

 centre of the very widest part of the lake, far out of gun- 

 shot ; at night they land, or feed along the shore. Teal, 

 and sometimes widgeon also, visit the place. Once now 

 and then wildfowl come in countless numbers : it is said 

 to be when they are driven south by severe weather. On 

 one occasion I saw the lake literally black they almost 

 covered it for a length of half a mile and a breadth of 

 about a quarter. It was a sight not to be quickly for- 

 gotten ; and the noise of their wings as vast parties every 

 now and then rose and wheeled around was something 

 astonishing. They only stayed a few days. 



How many times I have endeavoured to trace the V 

 said to be formed by duck while flying, and failed to detect 

 it ! They fly, it is true, in some sort of order, but those 

 that come to the mere here travel rather in a row, or line, 

 slanting forwards, something like what military men call 

 in echelon. The teal seem much bolder than the wild 

 duck : they are often shot as they rise out of the brooks ; 

 but the ducks very rarely go to the brooks at all, and can 

 still more rarely be approached when they do. They swim 



