THE NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. ; 19 
“ A various group the herds and flocks compose; 
—on the grassy bank 
Some ruminating lie; while others stand 
Half in the flood, and, often bending, sip 
The circling surface.” 
Wolmer Pond, so called, I suppose, for eminence sake, is a 
vast lake for this part of the world, containing, in its whole 
circumference, 2646 yards, or very near a mile and a half. 
The length of the northwest and opposite side is about 704 
yards, and the breadth of the southwest end about 456 yards. 
This measurement, which I caused to be made with good 
exactness, gives an area of about sixty-six acres, exclusive of a 
large irregular arm at the northeast corner, which we did not 
take into the reckoning. 
__ On the face of this expanse of waters, and perfectly secure 
_ from fowlers, lie all day long, in the winter season, vast flocks 
of ducks, teals, and widgeons, of various denominations ; where 
they preen and solace and rest themselves, till towards sunset, 
when they issue forth in little parties (for in their natural 
state they are all birds of the night) to feed in the brooks and 
meadows ; returning again with the dawn of the morning. 
Had this lake an arm or two more, and were it planted round 
with thick covert (for now it is perfectly naked), it might 
make a valuable decoy. 
Yet neither its extent, nor the clearness of its water, nor 
the resort of various and curious fowls, nor its picturesque 
groups of cattle, can render this meer so remarkable as the 
great quantity of coins that were found in its bed about forty 
years ago. But, as such discoveries more properly belong to 
the antiquities of this place, I shall suppress all particulars for 
the present, till I enter professedly on my series of letters 
respecting the more remote history of this village and district. 
