A. Rampton—Waterfowl at South Lake , Woodley 291


And, having bought one or two pairs, it was soon decided to get more,

and then more still; so that by the time of writing we have a fairly

representative collection.


However, before enumerating some of the more interesting water-

fowl on the property at present, it would be as well to give some idea

of the conditions under which they are kept.


Although there are two lakes, the tame birds are only kept on

one, the other being set aside for the winter migrants, and such surplus

stock as we decide in the future cannot be safely accommodated

with the rest of the ornamental birds. The lake on which the birds

are kept, then, is a piece of water of some 20 acres in extent,

surrounded on three sides by rhododendrons, and on the fourth by

a more or less continuous line of reed beds. One end is deep, 18 feet

in places, and the other shallow, for the most part never exceeding

4 or 5 feet, and a good deal considerably less. The bottom of the

lake is a mixture of mud and coarse gravel, with enough mud to ensure

a plentiful supply of insect life, and enough gravel to give the Ducks

anything they need in the way of grit, etc. There are two islands

in it, one covered in grass and the other in loose scrub, as well as an

eminence, which when covered with lumps of pudding-stone, provides

an admirable rocky projection on which the birds can rest. At one

end the lake narrows into a bottle-neck, which is wired off as an enclosure

for new arrivals and young birds. Finally there is an arm, which

consists of a pond, connected with the lake by a cutting. This, too,

is wired off and is useful for quarrelsome males and such in the breeding

season. Surrounding the whole lake and taking in another 70 or

80 acres of rough land (rhododendron, woods, bramble, and swamp)

is a fox-proof wire fence. The birds therefore have nearly 100

acres of all sorts of ground on which they can roam at will. The

soil is light and does not hold the water (a great advantage in time

of hard frost). The one thing lacking is grass ; for, except for the

lawn and a few places round the edge of the lake, there is none at

all. Despite that the Geese and other grazing Ducks do not seem

to suffer any noticeable disability. Why we do not know, but we

suppose they get enough vegetable food of other sorts to keep them

in health.



