372 Wild Life in a Southern County. 
It is said that otters used to come to the mere 
many years ago ; but they have never done so lately, 
though stories of their having been seen are frequent. 
One summer the story was so positive and so often 
repeated that I made a thorough search, and found 
that it originated in the motions of a large diving 
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. 
Occasionally sea-birds come—particularly a 
species locally called the ‘sea-swallow,’ which 
frequently 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, generally 
in the winter or spring ; it is said to foretell rough 
weather. Occasionally 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 very widest part of the 
