. Birds, beasts and fishes of the Norfolk broadland . glossy backs. But what would you ? Tis better than beingupon the stormy grey sea. The saddle-back gulls, too, great and small, are to be seenoften in the spring and summer; nor do they stop long onthe waters, merely coming in to wash and drink, and do alittle poaching, ere they return to the sea—their home. None of these birds are to be seen for long on the broad,nor have I seen any of them following the plough—as poetshave written. The gull that follows the plough is thepuit, or puit-gull, * for they love worms as dearly as agull loves a s
. Birds, beasts and fishes of the Norfolk broadland . glossy backs. But what would you ? Tis better than beingupon the stormy grey sea. The saddle-back gulls, too, great and small, are to be seenoften in the spring and summer; nor do they stop long onthe waters, merely coming in to wash and drink, and do alittle poaching, ere they return to the sea—their home. None of these birds are to be seen for long on the broad,nor have I seen any of them following the plough—as poetshave written. The gull that follows the plough is thepuit, or puit-gull, * for they love worms as dearly as agull loves a shrimp. But ever welcome are the strong bright gulls, with theirflashing bodies and wild sea-cries — birds cradled uponthe blue sea, upon whose restless bosom they must seektheir living or perish—birds into whose bodies the spirits ofthe Norfolk sailors used to go—fishermens brothers, sincetheir old men are tarned ter gulls —for ever doomed torove the restless deep—brave, and hardy, and free! * Not pewit-gull, as Mr. Saunders writes herrixg-GULLs nest .d eggs. {Yorkshire.) CHAPTER XCVI GREAT NORTHERN DIVER When the March winds rustle the frayed, sere, amber reed-stalks surrounding the blue waters of the broad, and each par-ticular reed stands bright and clear, and the lifeless tree-formsbite sharply as an etching into the hard blue sky, and the land-scape is hard and metallic, the fine great northern diver makeshis appearance upon the cold waters, for then the fish are inthe finest condition for man and bird. At this hard, coldseason of the year, though the spring equinoxes hurl thecold sea-water upon the wet sea-beaches, and the stars glitterhungrily by night, and the winds howl, still, above the noiseof the storm, is heard the melancholy howl of the greatnorthern diver—a wild voice of defiance to the wilder voiceof March. And by day, if you watch him, you will seehim fishing for silvery roach and red-finned rudd, divinginto the hard blue waters, and taking
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirdsen, bookyear1895
