NORFOLK BROADS AND RIVERS.* " To persons of a certain
bent of mind," say's Mr. Davies, in his preface, " there is an engrossing charm in the lakes and rivers of East Anglia." And that, no doubt, as Corporal Nym
would say, is the humour of it. For although we will not gainsay Mr. Davies's assertion that there is no " playground" in England either'easier of access ormore cheaply to be enjoyed than the Broad district, we fancy that there are " playgrounds " which "would be thought "better," except by "persons of a certain bent of mind." But we do not wish to quarrel even in
a friendly way with so genial a writer as Mr. Davies. His book is full of pleasant reading, even for those to whom nature has denied all love for fishing and amateur yachting ; and they, of course, and they alone, can criticise his book magisterially. We can do no more than describe it, and that, too, only in a desultory manner. For the book itself is very desultory, and consists of a number of chapters on various subjects con- nected with the Broad district, flung together in a way that may be called haphazard. It is only fair to add that this want of arrangement does not affect either the value or interest of this pleasant and instructive volume, but it excuses us from trying to co-ordinate its contents.
The term " Broad" is peculiar to Norfolk, and signifies a broadening out of the rivers into lakes. The rivers in some cases flow through the Broads, and in others are only divided from them by a reed-bed. Whittlesea Mere and other parts of the district were once like the Broads, but the Fens have changed so much since their drainage, that it is to Norfolk, according to Mr. Davies, and to Norfolk only, that one can look now for the " wildness and solitude of marsh and mere so dear to the naturalist and sportsman." Mr. Davies has described very graphically a number of these Broads. His picture of Wroxham Broad, only seven miles from Norwich, is very prettily drawn, for "in all its aspects this Broad has a charm which is irre- sistible, and though it has not the eerie loneliness of the wilder Broads, it has a soft, restful quiet which is a sure medicine for a restless mind." Byron thought otherwise, but Mr. Davies can quote Coleridge in favour of his faith in the healing properties of a place " full of sweet dreams, and health and quiet breathing," like Wrexham Broad. The passage, however, which we shall select as a specimen of our author's skill as a word-painter is from his expedition in a little canvas boat up a dyke or ditch, "bearing the euphonious name of Muck Fleet." It is quieter in tone than his more ambitions efforts in the opening chapter, though we by no means wish to depredate their undeniable merits :-
" Muck Fleet, on which we were now voyaging, thoroughly deserves its name, for although the water is clear, it is in places only a few inches deep, and we had to force our way through mud of but little greater consistency than the water, and extremely malodorous when stirred up. But the banks on either side were a study indeed for their wealth of flower and grass. Curiously enough, for the first two miles all the flowers were on one side, and all the marsh-grasses on the other. On the right hand the water was covered with bright Perticaria' and yellow and white lilies in alternate patches. Low down at the edge of the water were the blue eyes of forgetrme-note, and above them the gaudy irises blazed in the sun. Here and there the stream was white with the summer snow shed by the May trees, which were cast- ing off their blossoms. On the left band the browning grasses quivered airily against the sky. So circumscribed was our view, and so quiet • Norfcik Broads and /liners ; or, the Waterways, Lagoons, and Decoys of East Anglia. By G. Christopher Davies. London ; W. Blackwood and suns. 1833. and lonely the course of the dyke, that a curious feeling came upon us that this was the extent of the world, and that there was nothing beyond the grassy barriers on either side bat infinite space."
Many solitary pedestrians must have experienced this " curious feeling " in analogous circumstances ; it is very transitory, but far from unpleasant while it lasts. And now we hardly know what to choose for our next quotation, for we feel that by quota- tions we are most likely to induce the reader to peruse this volume for himself, which is the sole object of this notice. The chapter about eels is very entertaining. "The eel," says Mr.
Davies, " has puzzled many naturalists, and is destined to puzzle many more." Certainly, some of the facts which he has collected about this fish are very puzzling. We can only notice three :- In spring, in the Severn, Thames, and many other rivers, the young eels come up by millions from the sea, swimming in almost solid columns. They will surmount almost any obstacle, these tiny "elvers," something like darning-needles in size, creeping wherever there is any moisture through grass and over stones and timber. In the Norfolk rivers no " elvers " come from the sea in spring or at any other time of the year. Again, in the upper waters of the Yare and Waveney, the eels sometimes come down in large solid balls, from one to two feet in diameter, heads inside and tails out, just as if they were playing football under Rugby rules. Well, these living balls roll down the river, and plump into the nets with such force as to carry them away. Mr. Davies cannot even guess at the cause of this singular eel- freak. It would be interesting to know if Darwin himself could have " hazarded a wide solution " of this mystery, or of what is still more strange, perhaps, the fact, namely, if we may believe Mr. Davies, that while the South Briton loves eels (to eat), the North Briton hates them. Mr. Davies says that it is not his intention to speak of this diversity of taste, though it is a curious byway of a curious subject. We thank him for nothing, and are almost tempted to be as unmannerly to him as Mr. Sayce has been recently, under somewhat similar circumstances, to old Herodotus. The chapter on the herring fishery is also very interesting, and it will doubtless be news to the majority of our readers that herrings are occasionally caught the fins of which are tinged with a beautiful, bright-red colour, while their bodies are suffused with a shadowy golden haze. The fisherman looks upon these herrings as omens of success, and as soon as one is perceived, it is taken from the net, carefully prevented from touching anything that is made of wood, and at once passed round the " scudding-pole " as many times as the fishermen desire to get lasts of herrings at their next haul. It is very pleasant to read that these herrings, if taken alive, are returned to the water, after having been passed round the scudding- pole. It is not at all pleasant to read that, though herrings die quickly, and there is no unnecessary cruelty attending their capture, " all prime, edible fish are gutted alive, as soon as they are caught, in order that they may keep the better ; and when the knife is being used upon them, they writhe convulsively, but make no noise." " 0 mntis quoque piscibus "—but indignation forbids us to finish the quotation. Certainly, Mr. Davies was ill advised to set this example of horrid cruelty immediately in front of his appeal to the reader, when next enjoying his bloater at breakfast, to bestow a thought upon the" men who, at possible danger to themselves, have provided him with the dainty relish.
A glance at the titles of the forty chapters which compose this book will show how small a portion of its contents we have even hinted at. The author is a sportsman, but we should say not a very keen one ; he is a naturalist and a clever word-painter, but above and before everything, he is a yachtsman. To yachtsmen, therefore, his book will be peculiarly welcome, though it will be
welcomed everywhere by all who can relish healthy writing upon healthy topics. We recommend it unreservedly, but had almost forgotten to say that it is adorned with twelve admirable illus- trations. We shall conclude this notice, therefore, with what we hope it is not affectation to call a small genre picture from the author's pen :—
" We went to the marabman's cottage, and cooked our own dinner of eggs and bacon ; and this was the most exciting incident of the day. Still, curiously enough, though the day was then voted slow, now, when the discomfort of it is forgotten, the calm, quiet beauty of it is retained, and gives a sense of pleasure. Indeed, we fully believe that it is not always those days which are most keenly enjoyed at the time that are the most recreative in the true sense of the term, but those days on which, from some hardly explainable cause, the enjoyment, quiet at first, grows with recollection like the memory of some sweet voice, the gracious freshness of vegetation and the scent of the earth after rain attracting our attention in some time of trouble, and often dwelt upon afterwards."
Previous page
