FROM ANTWERP TO ROTTERDAM. 117 



their huge thatched barns may often be seen apparently 

 immersed in that element. Fruit-trees, particularly apples, 

 are planted abundantly on the slopes of the dikes, especial- 

 ly near the cottages or houses of the boors, for so the farmers 

 here are styled. The Dutch term boer, or German bauer, 

 it may be right to notice, conveys no reproach, or no more 

 than the term small farmer does with us. In Holland, the 

 merchants are the principal people : Owing to the very limit- 

 ed territory of the State, and the still scantier proportion 

 of arable land, farms are necessarily of trifling extent, and, 

 with a few exceptions, the occupiers are far from being rich. 

 The fruit-trees are low-grafted, but they spread wide.; of- 

 ten forming very large trees, the branches extending per- 

 haps from fifty to sixty feet in diameter. The greater 

 part has evidently been long planted ; probably from sixty 

 to a hundred years. The trees were at this time very ge- 

 nerally loaded with fruit ; forming a striking contrast with 

 what we had seen in our own country, where the apple- 

 crop had this year failed. We remarked very many trees 

 of the belle fieur variety, the brilliant red fruit of which 

 produces a rich appearance ; but it is only of indifferent 

 quality. This is one of the kinds very commonly sent to 

 Leith from Rotterdam in wicker hampers. 



In the course of our progress into this land of meadows 

 and waters, we had been making inquiries about the storks 

 (Ardea Ciconia, L.), which every year visit Holland in the 

 breeding season ; and we learned that the great flock had 

 taken its departure about ten days before. We observed 

 several of their nests, set like wicker-baskets on the roofs of 

 the dwelling-houses ; and we had the good fortune to see 

 one solitary dam still covering her brood, on account proba- 

 bly of the young one not having been sufficiently fledged to 

 enable it to accompany the main body. We persuaded 

 the conductor to allow us to get out of the carriage, and 



