ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM DENMARK. 89 



level of the water is low, it can be waded to. Klaegbanken is 

 clothed with dense aquatic vegetation (especially Phragmites 

 communis, Scirpus Tabenuemontani). On its east side there 

 is deep mud ; on the west the ground is of a more sandy 

 character, so that it is easy to walk along the shallow outside 

 the vegetation. 



On May 26th, 1909, I visited Klaegbanken with Hr. Hvass, 

 of Tarm. From Tarm we went by train to Lem (passing Deib- 

 jserg, famous for the discoveries of prehistoric waggons in 1881 

 and 1883), and cycled thence to Halby, on the shore of the 

 lagoon opposite the bank. As far as Venner there was a fairly 

 good road, but the last mile or two from Venner to Halby was 

 extremely bad. When coming back we loitered too long at 

 Halby, enjoying the kindly hospitality of the ferryman, who 

 showed us a shorter track by which to return to Lem. At first 

 we rode easily on hard field paths, but darkness overtook us 

 among the ruts and sand-drifts of a terrible bye-road. My 

 friend seemed accustomed to this kind of going, but for consider- 

 able distances I was quite unable to ride, and finally we arrived 

 at Lem too late for the last train to Tarm. We found comfort- 

 able quarters for the night in the inn at Lem. 



Though of less extent than Tipperne, Klaegbanken is an even 

 more singular place. So low that from the mainland bank it is 

 scarcely noticeable, the green line grows upon the eye as you are 

 punted over the channel, until you land upon the tussocks which 

 rise from the mud, and are saluted by the screeching chorus of 

 the thousands of Black-headed Gulls which are the feature of 

 the islet, and whose nests are scattered or crowded almost all 

 over its surface. Klaegbanken is also very rich in breeding 

 Ducks, Mallards, Shovelers, and Pintails, and Coots are nume- 

 rous. As we blundered through the boggy reed-beds every few 

 minutes we roused a Duck from its warmly-lined nest and full 

 clutch of eggs. A patch of reeds had recently been burnt, and 

 amid the blackened space was a nestful of Mallard's eggs scorched 

 and cracked by the flames. Mallards seemed to me the most 

 numerous of the Ducks, but their nests were less concealed 

 than those of the Shovelers, which certainly were also abun- 

 dant. A nestful of small Duck's eggs perhaps belonged to a 

 Garganey. 



