On this hill, or down, at the highest point, you have the Severn Sea before you, and, beyond, the blue mountains of Glamorganshire, and, on the shore, the town of Cardiff made beautiful by distance, vaguely23 seen in the blue haze24 and shimmering25 sunlight like a dream city. On your right hand, on your own side of the narrow sea, you have a good view of the big young growing town of Weston-super-Mare—Bristol's Margate or Brighton, as it has been called. It is built of Bath stone, and at this distance looks grey, darkened with the slate26 roofs, and a little strange; but the sight is not unpleasant, and if you wish to retain that pleasant impression, go not nearer to it than Brean Down, since on a closer view its aspect changes, and it is [Pg_190] simply ugly. On your left hand you look over long miles, long leagues, of low flat country, extending to the Parret River, and beyond it to the blue Quantock range. That low land is on a level with the sea, and is the flattest bit of country in England, not even excepting the Ely district. Apart from the charm which flatness has in itself for some persons—it has for me a very great charm on account of early associations—there is much here to attract the lover of nature. It is the chief haunt and paradise of the reed warbler, one of our sweetest songsters, and here his music may be heard amid more perfect surroundings than in any other haunt of the bird known to me in England.
This low level strip of country is mostly pasture-land, and is drained by endless ditches, full of reeds and sedges growing in the stagnant27 sherry-coloured water; dwarf28 hawthorn29 grows on the banks of the ditches, and is the only tree vegetation. Standing on one of the wide flat green fields or spaces, at a distance from the sandy dyke30 or ditch, it is strangely silent. Unless a lark31 is singing near, there is no sound at all; but it is wonderfully bright and fragrant32 where the green level earth is yellowed over with cowslips, and you get the deliciousness of that flower in fullest measure. On coming to [Pg_191] the dyke you are no longer in a silent land with fragrance33 as its principal charm—you are in the midst of a perpetual flow and rush of sound. You may sit or lie there on the green bank by the hour and it will not cease; and so sweet and beautiful is it, that after a day spent in rambling34 in such a place with these delicate spring delights, on returning to the woods and fields and homesteads the songs of thrush and blackbird sound in the ear as loud and coarse as the cackling of fowls35 and geese.
It is in this district, from Brean Down westwards along the coast to Dunster, that I have been best able to observe and enjoy the beautiful sheldrake—almost the only large bird which is now permitted to exist in Somerset.
The sheldrake of the British Islands, called the common sheldrake (or sheld-duck) in the natural history books, for no good reason, since there is but one, is now becoming common enough as an ornamental36 waterfowl. It is to be seen in so many parks and private grounds all over the country that the sight of it in its conspicuous37 plumage must be pretty familiar to people generally. And many of those who know it best as a tame bird would, perhaps, say that the descriptive epithets38 of strange and beautiful do not exactly fit it. They would [Pg_192] say that it has a striking appearance, or that it is peculiar39 and handsome in a curious way; or they might describe it as an abnormally slender and elegant-looking Aylesbury duck, whiter than that domestic bird, with a crimson40 beak41 and legs, dark-green glossy42 head, and sundry43 patches of chestnut44-red and black on its snowy plumage. In calling it "strange" I was thinking of its manners and customs rather than of the singularity of its appearance.
As to its beauty, those who know it in a state of nature, in its haunts on the sea coast, will agree that it is one of the handsomest of our large wild birds. It cannot now be said that it is common, except in a few favoured localities. On the south coast it is all but extinct as a breeding species, and on the east side of England it is becoming increasingly rare, even in spots so well suited to it as Holy Island, and the coast at Bamborough Castle, with its great sand-hills. These same hills that look on the sea, and are greener than ivy with the everlasting45 green of the rough marram grass that covers them, would be a very paradise to the sheldrake, but for man—vile man!—who watches him through a spy-glass in the breeding season to rob him of his eggs. The persecuted46 bird has grown exceedingly shy and cautious, but go he must to [Pg_193] his burrow47 in the dunes48, and the patient watcher sees him at a great distance on account of his conspicuous white plumage, and marks the spot, then takes his spade to dig down to the hidden eggs.
On the Somerset coast the bird is not so badly off, and I have had many happy days with him there. Simply to watch the birds at feed, when the tide goes out and they are busy searching for the small marine49 creatures they live on among the stranded50 seaweed, is a great pleasure. At such times they are most active and loquacious51, uttering a variety of wild goose-like sounds, frequently rising to pursue one another in circles, or to fly up and down the coast in pairs, or strings52 of half a dozen birds, with a wonderfully graceful53 flight. If, after watching this sea-fowl by the sea, a person will go to some park water to look on the same bird, pinioned54 and tame, sitting or standing, or swimming about in a quiet, listless way, he will be amazed at the difference in its appearance. The tame bird is no bigger than a domestic duck; the wild sheldrake, flying about in the strong sunshine, looks almost as large as a goose. A similar illusion is produced in the case of some other large birds. Thus, the common buzzard, when rising in circles high above us, at times appears as big as an eagle, [Pg_194] and it has been conjectured55 that this magnifying effect, which gives something of sublimity56 to the soaring buzzard, is caused by the sunlight passing through the semi-translucent wing and tail feathers. In the case of the sheldrake, the exaggerated size may be an effect of strong sunlight on a flying white object. Seen on the wing at a distance the plumage appears entirely57 of a surpassing whiteness, the dark patches of chestnut, black, and deep green colour showing only when the bird is near, or when it alights and folds its white wings.
When the tide has covered their feeding-ground on the coast, the sheldrakes are accustomed to visit the low green pasture-lands, and may be seen in small flocks feeding like geese on the clover and grass. Here one day I saw about a dozen sheldrakes in the midst of an immense congregation of rooks, daws, and starlings feeding among some cows. It was a curious gathering58, and the red Devons, shining white sheldrakes, and black rooks on the bright green grass, produced a singular effect.
Best of all it is to observe the birds when breeding in May. Brean Down is an ancient favourite breeding-site, and the birds breed there in the rabbit holes, and sometimes under a thick furze-bush on the ground. At another spot on this coast [Pg_195] I have had the rare good fortune to find a number of pairs breeding at one spot on private enclosed land, where I could approach them very closely, and watch them any day for hours at a stretch, studying their curious sign-language, about which nothing, to my knowledge, has hitherto been written. There were about thirty pairs, and their breeding-holes were mostly rabbit-burrows scattered59 about on a piece of sandy ground, about an acre and a half in extent, almost surrounded by water. When I watched them the birds were laying; and at about ten o'clock in the morning they would begin to come in from the sea in pairs, all to settle down at one spot; and by creeping some distance at the water-side among the rushes, I could get within forty yards of them, and watch them by the hour without being discovered by them. In an hour or so there would be forty or fifty birds forming a flock, each couple always keeping close together, some sitting on the short grass, others standing, all very quiet. At length one bird in the flock, a male, would all at once begin to move his head in a slow, measured manner from side to side, like a pianist swaying his body in time to his own music. If no notice was taken of this motion by the duck sitting by his side dozing60 on the grass, the drake, [Pg_196] would take a few steps forward and place himself directly before her, so as to compel her to give attention, and rock more vigorously than ever, haranguing61 her, as it were, although without words; the meaning of it all being that it was time for her to get up and go to her burrow to lay her egg. I do not know any other species in which the male takes it on himself to instruct his mate on a domestic matter which one would imagine to be exclusively within her own province; and some ornithologists may doubt that I have given a right explanation of these curious doings of the sheldrake. But mark what follows: The duck at length gets up, in a lazy, reluctant way, perhaps, and stretches a wing and a leg, and then after awhile sways her head two or three times, as if to say that she is ready. At once the drake, followed by her, walks off, and leads the way to the burrow, which may be a couple of hundred yards away; and during the walk she sometimes stops, whereupon he at once turns back and begins the swaying motion again. At last, arriving at the mouth of the burrow, he steps aside and invites her to enter, rocking himself again, and anon bending his head down and looking into the cavity, then drawing back again; and at last, after so much persuasion62 on his part, [Pg_197] she lowers her head, creeps quietly down and disappears within. Left alone, the drake stations himself at the burrow's mouth, with head raised like a sentinel on duty; but after five or ten minutes he slowly walks back to the flock, and settles down for a quiet nap among his fellows. They are all married couples; and every drake among them, when in some mysterious way he knows the time has come for the egg to be laid, has to go through the same long ceremonious performance, with variations according to his partner's individual disposition63.
It is amusing to see at intervals64 a pair march off from the flock; and one wonders whether the others, whose turn will come by and by, pass any remarks; but the dumb conversation at the burrow's mouth is always most delightful to witness. Sometimes the lady bird exhibits an extreme reluctance65, and one can imagine her saying, "I have come thus far just to please you, but you'll never persuade me to go down into that horrid66 dark hole. If I must lay an egg, I'll just drop it out here on the grass and let it take its chance."
It is rather hard on the drake; but he never loses his temper, never boxes her ears with his carmine67 red beak, or thrashes her with his shining [Pg_198] white wings, nor does he tell her that she is just like a woman—an illogical fool. He is most gentle and considerate, full of distress68 and sympathy for her, and tells her again what he has said before, but in a different way; he agrees with her that it is dark and close down there away from the sweet sunlight, but that it is an old, old custom of the sheldrakes to breed in holes, and has its advantages; and that if she will only overcome her natural repugnance69 and fear of the dark, in that long narrow tunnel, when she is once settled down on the nest and feels the cold eggs growing warm again under her warm body she will find that it is not so bad after all.
And in the end he prevails; and bowing her pretty head she creeps quietly down and disappears, while he remains70 on guard at the door—for a little while.
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1
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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gushing
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| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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3
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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crevices
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| n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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8
vociferous
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| adj.喧哗的，大叫大嚷的 | |
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torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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10
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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hippopotamus
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| n.河马 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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14
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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promontory
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| n.海角；岬 | |
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farmhouse
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| n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房） | |
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tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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25
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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slate
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| n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订 | |
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stagnant
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| adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的 | |
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dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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hawthorn
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| 山楂 | |
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dyke
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| n.堤，水坝，排水沟 | |
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lark
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| n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏 | |
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fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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34
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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epithets
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| n.（表示性质、特征等的）词语( epithet的名词复数 ) | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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40
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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chestnut
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| n.栗树，栗子 | |
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45
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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46
persecuted
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| （尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人 | |
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47
burrow
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| vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞 | |
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48
dunes
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| 沙丘( dune的名词复数 ) | |
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49
marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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50
stranded
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| a.搁浅的，进退两难的 | |
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51
loquacious
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| adj.多嘴的，饶舌的 | |
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52
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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54
pinioned
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
conjectured
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| 推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
sublimity
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| 崇高，庄严，气质高尚 | |
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57
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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58
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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59
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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60
dozing
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| v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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61
haranguing
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| v.高谈阔论( harangue的现在分词 ) | |
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persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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65
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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66
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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carmine
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| n.深红色，洋红色 | |
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68
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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repugnance
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| n.嫌恶 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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