WHEN MARCH WINDS BLOW. 117 



marismas. Even these, when thoroughly explored, 

 will give a vast amount of new information. Inland 

 waters, marshes, lakes, compared with which the 

 once-famed Whittlesea Mere would only be a mere 

 plash, are there to harbour and supply food for 

 hosts of creatures. By the way, why is it that the 

 great reed-warbler or babbler, that looks like a 

 water-thrush, so very rarely crosses the Channel ? 

 It is certainly somewhat strange, for he is numerous 

 enough on the other side of it. All birds move about 

 more or less, but some very much more rarely than 

 others this large reed-babbler, for instance. 



I must crave my reader's indulgence for this long 

 preamble, and we will now turn to the birds that 

 are with us when March winds blow. They have 

 lately been blowing till they reach the point we may 

 term a gale, for this has been a ''farmer's March" 

 quite blustering enough to make the rooks hold 

 a noisy meeting on the great beeches four miles 

 away, at the foot of this hill district, where they 

 have nested and roosted for many years. It is very 

 difficult to get at rook records accurately, but there 

 I know they have been flapping, hopping, and 

 croaking and cawing to their hearts' content. But 



