204
Dordrecht to the Hague.
1897.
July 24.
(No. 2). 
which grew various tall-stemmed wild flowers mostly yellow or
crimson none familiar to me.
  There were remarkably few birds. Indeed I saw only three
or four Gulls (L. [blank space]), a few Rooks and Starlings, an occa-
sional Wagtail, Swallows and Martins, and five superb great
Storks (Ciconia alba). The last were flying in company but at
varying heights over a meadow, soaring in circles very like
Wood Ibises and rarely flapping. They all carried the head
and neck extended to the full length.
  We crossed Rotterdam by tram car ad after waiting for an
hour and lunching at an inn took another steamer for Delft.
This boat was very unlike the first being much smaller and
very narrow and low the rail scarce a foot above the water.
The decks were covered with freight and produce of
every description. The canals through which we passed were
exceedingly narrow in places and almost everywhere so crowded
with traffic that it seemed impossible to run a steamer
through them. Much of the time we move very slowly, feeling
our way as it were, but not once did we touch any of the curious
craft that we passed. Along this part of the route I saw hun-
dreds of Lapwings and very many Swallows and Martins. House
Sparrows were numerous in or near some of the villages. They