BIRDS OF BROADLAND AND STREAMSIDE. 185 



thing with light and fragrance to the music of a 

 thousand happy birds, making the air palpitate 

 with their notes of gladness. 



In addition to this particular part of Britain 

 being a favourite halting-place for migrants on 

 their journeyings north or south, according to 

 the season, it has a splendidly varied and in- 

 teresting list of breeding species, a few of the 

 most, characteristic of which I propose to deal 

 with in the present chapter. 



The birds of Broadland may be roughly 

 divided into two classes those you see and hear 

 a great deal of and those you generally only hear. 



The redshank belongs par excellence to the 

 former class, and in some districts its loud and 

 oft-repeated took, took, took note may be heard 

 morning, noon, and frequently all night long. 

 Although much in evidence, it is a shy, suspicious 

 bird when anything like an intimate acquaintance 

 with its domestic arrangements is attempted. It 

 hides its nest with consummate skill in the coarse 

 herbage of the marsh, and generally leaves it on 

 the first intimation of approaching danger. Fre- 

 quently the eggs are more securely hidden by 

 the bird's twisting and bending of the grass stems 

 and blades immediately over them into an all- 

 hiding tuft. And whether from design or mere 

 fickleness, several nesting sites are scratched out 

 in tussocks round the one actually occupied. 



