282 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 
1864 
1 865 es 493 a” 
1866 - 614 3 
1867 - 631 55 
1868 - 486 5 
1869 - 273 as 
These statistics are pretty good evidence that the sea-fowl 
do not all sleep at night. Grey Crows will rob the nets’ 
when they get the chance; so will another sort of two- 
legged poacher. One of the latter kind forgot he had a 
Prince of Wales’ feather on the sole of his boot, which left 
an-impression at every step, and led to his ultimate 
detection. 
The nets, which are about five feet high, are generally 
placed at high-water mark. All of them together reach at 
least a third of a mile. They are fatal to everything 
between a Lark anda Shelduck. Ifa Dunlin so much as 
touches with the tip of his wing it is wound round in an 
instant, and there he hangs until he is taken out and killed. 
The majority of the birds are taken out alive, and many 
small waders so caught, especially Knots, have been pre- 
sented by Mr. Cresswell to the Zoological Society, and have 
lived for some years in the ae at the south end of the: 
fish-house. 
