284 WILL HAVE THEIR OWN WAT. [CHAP. iv. 



water was overgrown with aquatic weeds, so much so 

 that in the month of June in former years no water was 

 visible, but its surface looked like a green continuation 

 of the lawn and the meadow; the bottom was paved 

 with a network of gigantic roots of water-lilies, both 

 white and yellow, reminding one of the extinct vegeta- 

 tion of a former world, and there was a rich variety of 

 every plant which delights in such a situation. Water 

 Hens abounded. By-and-by we cleared out a greater 

 part of this superabundant mass of weeds, and the Water 

 Hens disappeared. But at the same time a railway was 

 opened, passing within a few yards of one margin of the 

 moat, and to this latter cause we then attributed the 

 flight and retirement of the birds. Mallards and Herons 

 used occasionally to frequent the spot, but have never 

 since appeared there. The weeds, however, have very 

 much grown again ; the lilies were scotched, not killed ; 

 seeds, insects, and aquatic larvae now abound, and Water 

 Hens are again abundant, although the trains run scream- 

 ing past as frequently and as furiously as ever. 



In short, they are utterly self-willed creatures ; they 

 will do what they like, and come and go as they like, 

 and can neither be coaxed by kindness, nor be frightened 

 away by threats and onslaught, as we soon discovered. 

 For, being pleased to watch their curious tricks and 

 fancies, we at first forbade any to be shot, in the hope 

 of getting up a large head, by preserving them : but 

 the old birds drive off the young ones late in autumn to 

 seek their fortunes elsewhere : a single pair establish a 

 sort of lordship over each small pond, or each reach of 

 a larger piece of water ; those in possession of the pre- 

 mises will admit of no intruders ; and so we have tried 

 how they answer in a pie, of which we can give a very 



