HORSE Y DISTRICT 1 99 



some very good perch may be caught ; in fact, Hickling Broad 

 and Heigham Sounds hold an enormous amount of coarse 

 fish of all descriptions, and good sport is certain if only the 

 right places can be found. The district is also celebrated for 

 rare birds, but as those who shoot them are seldom well 

 versed in ornithology, many valuable specimens are lost and 

 never heard of. 



There is a wildness attached to this neighbourhood which 

 is most attractive. On either hand, as far as the eye can see, 

 a vast expanse of water, swamp and marshland stretches away 

 into the distance : to the north a range of white-capped sand- 

 hills shuts out the German Ocean from the marshland, and 

 if these sand-hills are visited, and the visitor climbs to the 

 summit of one of them, he will wonder why the gales do not 

 break down the thin barrier and flood the whole of the sur- 

 rounding country. Most of the land is out of cultivation, or 

 is cultivated so badly that one is unable to distinguish whether 

 an attempt has been made to till it or not, but it affords some 

 excellent rough shooting for those whose tastes lie in that 

 direction. Quarters can be obtained in the villages with 

 little or no difficulty. A large acreage should be hired, the 

 rental of which is not great, but the shooter must have plenty 

 of time on his hands, as big bags cannot be obtained without 

 hard work and plenty of it. 



The shooting round the wilds of Hickling Broad is 

 fascinating in that it is so different to any other shooting which 

 one is accustomed to. To give some idea of the sport obtained, 

 the following extract has been taken from a diary of the 

 author's. 



" Starting early in the morning from an old-world village 

 in the Flegg district, where the only building worthy of note 

 was the church, which, like many other churches thereabouts, 

 was dedicated to the Virgin Saint (it was decorated and 

 fitted up in a manner far beyond the requirements of the 

 district, having also a large tower and well-hung belfry), 

 we cross the churchyard, hunting on our way the rank herbage 



