5G4 
PROFESSOR NEWTON ON THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1852-3 
portions of farming implements, together with large quantities of 
litter and fodder, washed out of neighbouring farm-yards. The 
lower storeys of all the houses near, not very many in number, were 
quite unfit for habitation, many of them having two feet of water 
over their floor. Most of the inhabitants had taken refuge in the 
neighbouring villages, not only on that account, but because the 
foundations had been injured, and the buildings were in an insecure 
and even dangerous state. We did not see any great variety of 
birds upon that day, but among them I find we noticed one 
Peregrine Falcon, two Merlins, several pairs of Stonechats, three 
Lesser Redpolls, one Tree-Sparrow, several Magpies, a trip of 
fifteen Golden Plovers, large flocks of Lapwings, two Herons, a 
flock of eighteen Teal, and one of about three hundred Wild 
Lucks at the decoy, one Wild Goose (species undetermined), and 
large lloclcs of either Herring or Lesser Black-backed Gulls, or 
of both. 
The succeeding day (10th February) weaccompanied Mr, Hewcome, 
again by boat, on Feltwell and Ilockwold Fens. There we saw among 
other birds — one Mealy Redpoll, a flock of Lesser Redpolls (these 
on the alder trees in the holts) large flocks of Lapwings, a pair of 
Teal, a flock of eleven Wigeons, several flocks (amounting to about 
one hundred birds) of Pochards, one Black-headed Gull, and large 
flocks of either Herring or Lesser Black-headed Gulls or of both. 
The next day (11th February) we made another trip in the same 
direction, seeing several Redwings, large flocks of Lapwings, two 
Snipes, a pair of Wild Ducks, one Teal, a pair of Wigeons, a flock 
of thirteen Pochards, a Hock of Black-headed Gulls, a Hock of 
what we supposed to be Common Gulls, several Greater Black-backed 
Gulls, and a flock of about five hundred consisting of both Herring 
and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Both these last days were stormy 
and cold, and the birds were consequently very restless. A great 
part of our time was passed on one or other of the droves, or under 
the shelter of a peat-stack, while Mr. Newcome was endeavouring, 
with but poor success, if I remember right, to stalk fowl in his punt. 
On one occasion, so as not to interfere with his proceedings, we had 
to stop for some time in open water, and to stay the boat from 
drifting with the wind wo cast out a grapnel. On hauling it in 
before going on, we found that our anchorage had been a Swedish 
turnip. 
