146 &ROADLAND SPORT 



matter what direction fancy takes ; the Ant and its tribu- 

 taries may be especially mentioned. 



The shooting round St Bennet's Abbey is very good, and 

 fortunate is the man who can hire sufficient of the rough 

 swamps favoured by snipe to occupy a whole day's beat. 

 Within a gun-shot of the ruined walls excellent sport may 

 also be obtained upon the marshes, which in this neighbour- 

 hood are cultivated by the farmer to his advantage during 

 a dry season. In standing beans hares are mostly found, but 

 the cover is so dense and high that they are very difficult to 

 shoot or to drive into the open. On some of the stubbles of 

 these marshes are many coveys of birds, and until quite late 

 into the autumn they are easy to obtain, on account of the 

 quantity of cover which everywhere abounds ; but it must be 

 remembered by the visitor that this class of shooting is of 

 marketable value, consequently it is preserved. Inquiries in 

 the neighbourhood will soon make known what tracts there 

 may be undisposed of, their rentals, and all concerning 

 them. 



This shooting has a special charm ; a half day on the 

 uplands, together with a half day on the marshes, producing 

 a bag of great variety. The unusual nature of the surround- 

 ings, the difficulty of the shooting by reason of the variety 

 of the quarry, the passage of the broad dykes, the negotiation 

 of the smaller ones by means of a jumping pole, all add to 

 the experience which an ordinary common or garden shoot 

 lacks. Not only this, but when any ordinary mortal would 

 consider sport at an end, the evening flight can be relied upon 

 for a few shots. 



The shooting above referred to lies more to the north of 

 St Bennet's Abbey than to the south. On the south side of the 

 River Bure the marshes are all laid down to grass, and one 

 must tramp many miles to obtain sport, unless exceptional 

 fortune favour the shooter. This does not apply to the 

 swamps which lie contiguous to the broads, which are strictly 

 preserved, and generally let with the upland. At all times 

 of the year they furnish a most interesting observation 



