124 
NATURE NOTES. 
The 23rd was a beautiful summer morning, and we set out at 
the appointed time and duly arrived at Loena-Vreeland. Passing 
through the latter village, a cheerful little place amid very green 
meadows, we came to the bank of the little river \'echt, along 
which we walked on the towing path for a long distance. The 
vegetation along the edge of the stream consisted principally of 
reeds, and many pollard willows and small herbage forming a 
sort of hedge, and among them we heard the notes of the great 
reed warbler, which the Dutch call Karra-karra-kwiet, a name 
well expressing the sound of the first portion of its song. We 
could not see the bird. \\'e now arrived at the small village of 
Overmeer, very near the lake, which was entirely concealed from 
us by the high tangled growth. Havdng had some luncheon at 
the little inn, our guide found a boy to show us the way, and 
we followed him some distance on a narrow path through the 
brushwood, till we came out on an open space, where some 
workmen were resting and taking their midday meal, on the 
very edge of the meer. The draining, however, had proceeded 
so far that the lake had practically disappeared, and the rough 
ground was covered with great tussocks of coarse herbage which 
the men were rooting up to burn. We were then joined by the 
engineer in charge, who told us that the spoonbills were still 
there, but that the nesting-place could not now be approached 
without a boat, as it was on an island formed by the water 
drained from the surrounding ditches. This was disappointing, 
as we had wished to find the eggs ourselves ; however, as no boat 
was forthcoming, there was nothing to be done and we were told 
we should see the birds. While the engineer was speaking we 
had seen some peewits, a large moor buzzard and several black 
terns. Presently a pair of spoonbills came in sight, then two 
or three more pairs, and, at last, a little further on, an immense 
flight of perhaps three or four hundred, rose suddenly and 
silently from the willows, their snowy plumage glistening in the 
sun. They settled down some distance off, and we hoped to see 
them again and walked a little further over the rough ground, 
passing some deserted cormorants’ nests which had been occupied 
the year before, but the spoonbills we beheld no more. We now 
returned by the way we came to the village of Overmeer, and, 
being rather tired with the walk, between four and five miles, 
we took a little row-boat on the Vecht. This boat, however, 
proved to be so leaky that the waterman, having done his best 
to bale out the water with an old wooden shoe, thought it best to 
put us ashore on the outskirts of the village, and procure another 
boat. 
This was most fortunate, for while we were waiting two 
of the villagers came to see what had happened, and, hearing 
that we had been to see the spoonbills, informed our guide that 
they had some eggs taken a few days before from some outlying 
nests, which alone were accessible. So we followed them a 
short distance to their cottage ; there they produced a large hand- 
