48 RECREATIONS OF A NATURALIST 



Little Gull would be brought in by a gunner, and 

 in hard weather a great Glaucous Gull would come 

 into the harbour, accompanied perhaps by a few 

 Skuas and Petrels. But these never stayed long, 

 and, if not shot at and killed, drifted away like rest- 

 less spirits over the beach and away seaward. Now 

 and again some solitary belated Guillemot or Razor- 

 bill would put in an appearance, and might be 

 observed diving in one of the channels as the tide 

 ran out, but these " cliff-birds " did not often come 

 far up the harbour ; they were more often to be seen 

 on the seaward side of the shingle beach, and 

 generally some little way out from shore. I seldom 

 paid much regard to these birds, except just to note 

 their species and watch them fishing when a good 

 opportunity occurred. It was to the Plovers, Cur- 

 lews, Redshanks, Godwits, Knots, et id genus oinne, 

 that I paid most attention in autumn, and to Ducks 

 and Black Geese in the winter months I devoted 

 many a long and often successful day. 



The extensive marshes lying to the westward of 

 Pagham Harbour, between Siddlesham and Selsea, 

 are intersected, as such marshes usually are, by 

 broad dykes to help the drainage, and keep in the 

 cattle which grazed there. Times have changed, 

 but thirty years ago these marshes were seldom 

 visited by any but those who looked after the stock. 

 The birds which resorted there were consequently 

 very little disturbed, and it was possible to make a 

 very nice little " mixed bag " if one happened to hit 

 off the proper season. 



Duck and Mallard, and Teal were often in the 



