A Vast Flock of Wildfowl. 331 



bird. This bird swam under water with wonderful 

 rapidity, and often close to the surface, so that it 

 raised a wave and could be traced by it. This was 

 the supposed otter. The bird was afterwards shot, 

 but its exact species does not seem to have been 

 satisfactorily ascertained. Several kinds of divers, 

 however, have without doubt been killed. Grebes 

 are often shot. 



Occasionalh' sea-birds come — particularly a spe- 

 cies locally called the ' sea-swallow,' which fre- 

 quently appears after rough winds and remains 

 flying about over the water for a week or more. 

 Six or eight of these are sometimes seen at once. 

 The common gull comes at irregular intervals, gene- 

 rally' in the winter or spring : it is said to foretell 

 rough weather. Occasionalh' a gull will stay some 

 time, and I have seen them also in the water- 

 meadows. Considering the distance from the sea, 

 the gull cannot- be called an uncommon bird here. 



Towards winter the wild ducks return ; and during 

 all the cold months a flock of them, varying in 

 number, remains. They are careful to swim during 

 the day in the centre of the ver}' widest part of the 

 lake, far out of gunshot ; at night they land, or feed 

 along the shore. Teal, and sometimes widgeon 

 also, visit the place. Once now and then wildfowl 

 come in countless numbers : it is said to be when 

 they are driven south by severe weather. On one 

 occasion I saw the lake Uterally black — they almost 

 covered it for a length of half a mile and a breadth 

 of about a quarter. It was a sight not to be quickly 

 forgotten ; and the noise of their wings as vast jjar- 

 ties every now and then rose and wheeled around 



