[Illustration: THE BOYS HAWKING ON THE BROAD.]
THE SWAN
AND HER CREW,
_OR THE ADVENTURES OF_
THREE YOUNG NATURALISTS AND SPORTSMEN
_ON THE BROADS AND RIVERS OF NORFOLK_.
BY
G. CHRISTOPHER DAVIES,
AUTHOR OF "MOUNTAIN, MEADOW, AND MERE;" "RAMBLES AND ADVENTURES OF
OUR SCHOOL FIELD CLUB;" "ANGLING IDYLLS;" ETC., ETC.
SECOND EDITION.
_WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS._
London:
FREDERICK WARNE AND CO.,
BEDFORD STREET, STRAND.
NEW YORK:--SCRIBNER, WELFORD AND ARMSTRONG.
LONDON:
R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS,
BREAD STREET HILL,
QUEEN VICTORIA STREET.
PREFACE.
A preface is like the bow of an actor when he comes on the stage, or
like the hand-shaking of two friends when they meet--the prelude to the
entertainment, or the friendly conversation. I suppose, therefore, I
must follow the fashion, and say, "How d'ye do?" in this way. I hope the
answer will be, "Quite well, thank you, and much the better for seeing
you."
In a book of similar character to this one, which I published a short
time ago, I offered to reply to any questions which any of my young
readers, who wished for further information upon any of the subjects
mentioned in that book, might put to me, by means of letters addressed
to me, to the care of the publishers. I then had the pleasure of
answering many such letters, and I now repeat the offer to the readers
of this book.
I am indebted to my friend Mr. William Whitwell, of Oxford, who is, like
myself, a lover of boys, for the chapter on the "LIFE OF A FERN."
CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER I.
Greeting.--The Broad District.--Hickling Broad.--Felling a
Tree.--Dodging the Swallows.--Shooting the Crossbills.--The
Boat-house. 1
CHAPTER II.
Stuffing the Crossbills.--The proposed Yacht.--An impaled
Woodcock. 8
CHAPTER III.
A Momentous Decision. 13
CHAPTER IV.
Digging for Pupæ.--Dick Carleton.--Metamorphoses of
Butterfly. 14
CHAPTER V.
Building the Yacht.--The Launch.--Great Crested Grebe's
nest.--A floating Coot's nest.--Golden Crested Wrens.--
Their Migration.--The Flight of a Heron. 20
CHAPTER VI.
Mr. Meredith.--"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it
with thy might."--A Botanical Lecture.--The Goat
Moth.--Blowing up a Tree.--An astonished Cow.--Caterpillars
in the Wood. 31
CHAPTER VII.
A Trial Sail.--Preparing for a Cruise.--Charging a Reed
Bed.--An explosion of Birds.--The First Adventure.--
Orange-Tip Butterfly.--No Salt.--How Salt is obtained. 36
CHAPTER VIII.
An Eerie Night.--A Ghostly Apparition.--The Barn Owl.--A
Will-o'-the-Wisp.--The Ruff and Reeve.--Snaring
Ruffs.--A Nest.--Wroxham Broad.--Mud-boards and
Leaping-pole.--Wild Duck's Nest in a Tree. 43
CHAPTER IX.
Chameleon.--Light-coloured Eggs.--Sitting Birds have no
Scent.--Forget-me-nots.--Trespassing.--The Owner.--A
Chase.--Capture.--Pintail Duck.--Drumming of
Snipe.--Swallow-tail Butterfly.--A Perilous Adventure. 51
CHAPTER X.
Moonlight.--Instinct and Reason.--Death's Head Moth.--
Bittern.--Water-rail.--Quail.--Golden Plover.--Hen-Harrier
and Weasel.--Preserving Bird-skins. 63
CHAPTER XI.
To the Rescue.--A Long-tailed Tit's Nest.--A Shower of
Feathers. 75
CHAPTER XII.
Yarmouth.--The "Rows."--A Stiff Breeze.--An Exciting
Sail.--Sparrow-hawk's Nest.--A Nasty Fall.--Long-eared
Owl.--Partridge.--Sandpiper. 79
CHAPTER XIII.
A Grizzly Bear.--Gossamers.--Strike only on the Box. 88
CHAPTER XIV.
Oulton Broad.--Lateeners.--Lowestoft.--Ringed Plover's
Nest.--Oyster-catcher.--Shore-fishing.--A Perilous Sail. 92
CHAPTER XV.
Animals which never die.--A Wonderful Tip to his Tail.--
Thunderstorm.--Swan's Nest.--Bearded Tit.--Reed-wrens
and Cuckoo. 97
CHAPTER XVI.
Old School-fellows.--Tom-Tit's Nest in Boot.--Nuthatch.--
Wryneck.--Ant-hill.--Marsh-Tit.--A Comical Fix. 104
CHAPTER XVII.
The Boat-race.--Winning.--Mr. Marston.--Nightingale and
Nest.--The noise of the Nightingales. 113
CHAPTER XVIII.
A queer Umbrella.--Visit to Scoulton Gullery.--Driving
Tandem.--Running away.--Black-headed Gulls.--Collecting
the Eggs.--Carp.--Wood Argus Butterfly.--Scarlet
Pimpernel.--Grasshopper Warbler.--Chiff-Chaff.--Gall-Fly.--
Robins' Pincushions. 121
CHAPTER XIX.
Back again.--Taken in Tow.--Bobbing for Eels.--Glow-worms.--
Home.--Urticating Caterpillars. 132
CHAPTER XX.
Golden Oriole.--Landrail.--House-martins in Trouble.--
Siskin.--Peacock and Red Admiral Butterflies.--Winchat's
Nest.--Bitten by a Viper.--Viper and Snake.--Slow-worm. 137
CHAPTER XXI.
Fishing.--Jimmy's Dodge.--Bream-fishing.--Good Sport.--
Fecundity of Fish.--Balance Float.--Fish-hatching.--Edith
Rose.--A Night Sail. 149
CHAPTER XXII.
Calling for Landrails.--Landrail Shamming Death.--
Yellow-Under-wing Moth and Wasp.--Dragon-Fly and
Butterfly.--Stink-horn Fungus.--Sundew. 158
CHAPTER XXIII.
Setting Night-Lines.--An Encounter with Poachers. 161
CHAPTER XXIV.
Water Insects.--Aquaria. 165
CHAPTER XXV.
Making a Fern Case.--Ferns.--Harvest Mouse.--Mole.--
Ladybird.--Grasses. 176
CHAPTER XXVI.
The Life of a Fern. 185
CHAPTER XXVII.
On the "War-path."--Rabbit-shooting.--Flapper-shooting.--
Duck-shooting.--Wood-pigeons.--Life in an Oak-tree.--
Burying-beetles.--Lace-wing Fly.--Stag-beetle.--Hair-worm. 194
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Purple Emperor.--His taste for Carrion.--Woodpecker.--
Blue and Small Copper Butterflies.--Buff-tip Moth.--Moths
at Ivy.--Strange-looking Caterpillars. 202
CHAPTER XXIX.
How to Attract Perch.--Perch-fishing.--Pike.--Good
Sport.--Plaster Casts.--Model Eggs. 209
CHAPTER XXX.
Eel-fishing.--Setting the Nets.--Elvers.--The Merivale
Float. 214
CHAPTER XXXI.
Hawking. 220
CHAPTER XXXII.
Heron-hawking.--Great Bustard.--Stock-Dove in
Rabbit-hole.--"Dowe" Dogs.--Search for Bustard's Egg. 227
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Water-hen swallowed by Pike.--Casting-net.--Trapping
Water-hen for Bait.--A Monster Pike. 235
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Fishing on Stilts.--A Capsize.--Wild-fowl Shooting.--
A Flare-up. 239
CHAPTER XXXV.
Punt-shooting on Breydon.--A Narrow Escape. 242
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Drifted to Sea.--A Perilous Position.--Rescue. 246
CHAPTER XXXVII.
The Broad Frozen.--Skating.--Fish Frozen in Ice.--Birds
Frozen to the Ice.--Ice Ships. 249
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
The Thaw.--Cromer.--Prehistoric Remains. 251
CHAPTER XXXIX.
The Boys' Note Book. 253
CHAPTER XL.
The Regatta.--The "Waterlog's" Victory. 259
CHAPTER XLI.
The Conclusion. 264
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
THE BOYS HAWKING ON THE BROAD _Front._
CROSSBILL 9
WOODCOCK 12
METAMORPHOSES OF BUTTERFLY 16
THE PARK IN SUMMER 17
WHITE HAWTHORN BUTTERFLY 19
BUILDING THE BOAT 22
A YARMOUTH YAWL 24
THE COMMON COOT 28
COMMON WREN AND EGG 29
HERON 30
ORANGE-TIP BUTTERFLY 40
THE BARN-OWL AND EGG 44
WILD DUCK 50
ROACH 52
CHAMELEON 53
REDBREAST AND EGG 55
YACHT 57
COMMON SNIPE 60
SWALLOW-TAIL BUTTERFLY 61
MOONLIGHT SCENE 64
DEATH'S-HEAD MOTH 65
BITTERN 66
WATER-RAIL 68
AFRICAN BUSH QUAIL 69
NEST OF GOLDEN PLOVER 71
HEN-HARRIER 74
WEASEL 74
LONG-TAILED TIT AND EGG 78
SPARROW-HAWK 82
LONG-EARED OWL 84
COMMON PARTRIDGE 85
EGG OF COMMON PARTRIDGE 86
COMMON SANDPIPER 87
LATEEN SAIL 92
RINGED PLOVER 94
OYSTER-CATCHER 95
SWAN'S NEST 100
SWAN 101
CUCKOO AND EGG 103
TOM-TIT AND EGG 106
NUTHATCH 107
WRYNECK 108
WORKING ANT AND PORTION OF ANT-HILL 109
EGG OF WRYNECK 110
MARSH-TIT AND EGG 111
PAIR-OARED BOAT 116
MR. MARSTON'S HOUSE 117
NIGHTINGALE 119
NIGHTINGALE'S NEST 120
COMMON GULL 126
YOUNG GULLS COVERED WITH DOWN 127
CARP 128
CHIFF-CHAFF 130
OAK-GALL FLY 131
GLOW-WORM 136
ORIOLE 138
NEST OF AMERICAN SPECIES OF ORIOLE 139
LANDRAIL OR CORNCRAKE 140
HOUSE-MARTIN 141
SISKIN 141
PEACOCK BUTTERFLY, CHRYSALIS, AND CATERPILLAR 142
RED ADMIRAL BUTTERFLY 143
WINCHAT AND EGG 144
VIPER 145
COMMON RINGED SNAKE 146
SLOW-WORM 148
BREAM 150
ANGLING 153
TROUT 155
DRAGON-FLY 159
METAMORPHOSES OF FLESH-FLY 166
WATER-BEETLE 166
PUPA AND COMPOUND EYE OF DRAGON-FLY 167
LARVA OF GNAT. ESCAPE OF GNAT FROM ITS PUPA-CASE 167
METAMORPHOSES OF PLUMED GNAT 168
PUPA-CASE, LARVA, AND FLY OF CADDIS-WORM 169
MINNOW 170
SMOOTH NEWT 171
METAMORPHOSES OF NEWT 172
WATER-FLEAS AND ANIMALCULÆ IN DROP OF WATER AS
SEEN UNDER THE MICROSCOPE 173
FRESH-WATER AQUARIUM 174
METAMORPHOSES OF FROG 175
SEA-WATER AQUARIUM 176
WALL SPLEENWORT 177
FORKED SPLEENWORT 177
GREEN SPLEENWORT 177
OAK FERN 178
FRUCTIFICATION OF FERNS 179
WALL RUE, JERSEY FERN, MARSH FERN 180
HARVEST MOUSE AND NEST 181
MOLE 182
LADYBIRD AND ITS STAGES 183
FERN SPORES 187
SCALY SPLEENWORT OR "RUSTY BACK" 191
WILSON'S FILMY-FERN, TUNBRIDGE FILMY-FERN 192
WILD RABBITS 195
WOOD-PIGEON 197
SUSPENDED LEAF TENTS 198
LACE-WINGED FLY 200
STAG-HORNED PRIONUS AND DIAMOND BEETLE 201
GREEN WOODPECKER 204
BLUE BUTTERFLY 204
THE HAUNT OF THE PURPLE EMPEROR 205
PERCH AND GUDGEON 211
PIKE 212
EELS 218
APPARATUS USED IN HAWKING 221
COMMON HERON 228
GREAT BUSTARD 230
DOVES 231
WILD DUCK SHOOTING 244
MOLE CRICKET 254
COMMON LIZARD 255
OSPREY 256
GREAT CRESTED GREBE 256
WHITE ANTS' NEST, ANTS, ETC. 257
HEDGEHOG 258
HONEY BUZZARD 258
The Swan and her Crew.
CHAPTER I.
Greeting.--The Broad District.--Hickling Broad.--
Felling a Tree.--Dodging the Swallows.--
Shooting the Crossbills.--The Boat-house.
With the same feeling of pleasure which one experiences when one writes
to an old friend, I commence to write this new book, which I hope will
be read by many a boy friend.
It is very pleasant to an author to feel that he has a large circle of
acquaintances whom he has never seen, and who know him only through his
books. It should be his aim and endeavour to extend that circle of
friends, and to increase the good feeling which they bear towards him.
Therefore, my dear boys, I hope that after reading this book which I now
submit to your approval, you will conceive as affectionate a regard for
me as I have for you.
This is a story of sport and adventure, natural history and science, and
the movers in it are three boys just like yourselves; and that you may
understand the better what they did, I shall first describe the scene of
their exploits. It is the eastern part of Norfolk, and no better place
could be found as a field for the doings of three enterprising young
naturalists and sportsmen. It is known as the "Broad District," and it
consists almost entirely of lake, river, and marsh. If we take Yarmouth
on the sea-coast as the starting-point, and look inland, we shall see
first of all a large tidal lake known as Breydon Water. From this
radiate three rivers going north-west, west, and south-west. The chief
of them is the Yare, which winds for thirty miles inward to the old city
of Norwich. On our right is the river Bure, or North River, which after
a very long and winding course leaves the marsh, and enters a
richly-wooded country. To the south is the Waveney, a clear and
beautiful stream, which flows past Beccles and Bungay, two towns in
Suffolk. All these rivers are slow of current, wide and navigable not
only for yachts, but for vessels of large burden, such as wherries,
billy-boys, and small steamers. The banks of the rivers are fringed with
tall reeds, and they flow through miles of level marsh, where, as far as
the eye can reach, there is nothing to be seen but the white sails of
the yachts and the dark sails of the wherries, and occasional windmills
which are used for pumping the water out of the drains into the rivers.
In order to deepen the channel of the river for the purposes of
navigation, the embankments have been raised so high that the surface of
the water is much above the level of the drains which carry the water
off the surrounding marshes, and so the water has to be pumped into the
river out of the drains by means of pumps set in action by windmills.
Here and there amid the wide extent of marsh are large lakes or lagoons,
which are locally termed "broads." These are very numerous and many of
them very large. Most of them are connected with one or other of the
rivers. Those on the Yare, are Surlingham and Rockland Broads; on the
Bure, or connected with it by long dykes, are Filby and Ormesby Broads,
Walsham, Ranworth, Hoveton, Wroxham, Barton, Martham and Hickling
Broads, and Heigham Sounds. All these broads are full of fish, large
pike and perch, and shoals of enormous bream. They are all very shallow,
and are surrounded by dense aquatic vegetation, reeds, rushes, flags and
bulrushes, and these are the haunts of many rare birds, and swarm with
wild-fowl.
The great characteristic of this part of the county is its utter
loneliness and wildness, both qualities which are of especial interest
to the sportsman and naturalist. As it is also the most eastern county
of England, it is the first to receive many of the rarer migrants on
their passage to our shores, and more rare birds are caught there each
year than in any other part of our "tight little island."
It is on the shores of Hickling Broad, and on a bright December day,
the first of the Christmas holidays, that our story opens. A tall
large-limbed boy, about sixteen years of age, yellow-haired, and
blue-eyed, stands with his hands in his pockets, looking over the waste
of waters on which the wavelets are dancing before a fresh breeze. His
name is Frank Merivale, and he appears deep in thought.
The broad waters he is gazing over are lonely and deserted save for
occasional flights of wild-fowl, a marshman slowly pulling his boat
across, and a wherry (as a Norfolk sailing barge is called) beating to
windward along the broad, making very slow tacks to and fro, the reason
of which would not be apparent to one who did not know the broad. Why
does she not take long stretches which would take her more swiftly on
her course? The reason is this, the broad is not more than three feet
deep all over, save for a narrow channel in the middle, which is marked
out by posts at long intervals, and if the wherry forsook this channel
she would run aground.
The Norfolk wherries are of very peculiar build and graceful appearance.
They are long, low, and shallow, rather flat-bottomed, but fine and
sharp in the stem and stern, which gives them a good hold of the water.
They have one mast, stepped well forward and weighted at the foot so
that it can be lowered to pass under bridges, and be easily raised
again. This mast supports one immense sail, tanned black or red-brown.
They sail wonderfully fast, even rivalling the yachts in their speed,
and they can go very close to the wind. They are generally worked by two
men, who live and sleep in the little cabin astern.
We left Frank Merivale very much absorbed in thought. All at once a
happy thought seemed to strike him, for he started from his reverie, and
began to execute a step something between a walk and a war-dance. A
clump of rushes put an untimely end to this by tripping him up, and
causing him to measure his length upon the ground. With philosophical
composure he picked himself up, and walked off, whistling merrily,
towards a fir copse which stood upon the crest of a rising, lying above.
We should say that while the flat marsh stretches between Hickling Broad
and the sea, to the westward and inland the country is diversified with
woods, and slight elevations forming a very pretty sylvan district.
Reaching the fir-wood Frank entered it, and after looking about for a
little time, he fixed upon a tall slender young larch-tree. He walked
round and round it, and examined it critically, finally lying down on
his back at its foot, and, with his eye close to its stem, glanced up it
to see if it were perfectly straight. Satisfied on this point, he took
out a large clasp-knife, and marked the trunk with a huge cross. Then he
crossed the hedge and took his way through a large park, until he came
to a paddock and pleasant house nestling among some large lime-trees,
and surrounded by croquet lawns and well-kept gardens. It was an old
house, built with many wings and projections and in many styles of
architecture, the most prominent of which was a heavily-timbered
Elizabethan style. Around the two principal sides of the house ran a
wooden veranda, which in summer was luxuriantly hung with roses.
This was Frank Merivale's home, and vaulting over the gate which
separated the paddock from the lawn, he went into the house. Coming down
the broad staircase into the hall, he met his two sisters; the eldest, a
girl of thirteen, was like her brother, blue eyed and yellow-haired,
with a face full of fun and mischief. Her name was Mary. The younger
sister bore the same strong family likeness and was barely eleven.
"Well, merry Mary Merivale," said Frank, "is the pater in?"
"Yes, Frank, he is in the library."
"That's all right; and where are you going?"
"We are going to dig pupæ for you," answered Mary.
"Then you are a good little woman," replied Frank, catching her round
the waist, and giving her a kiss.
"Have you got a mat to kneel upon, so as not to catch cold?"
"Yes, we have got a mat and a trowel, in this basket, and we mean to get
you a lot of moths. Don't we, Florrie?"
"Yes, ever so many."
Frank went along the passage, and entered the library. Mr. Merivale was
seated at the table writing. He was a pale and studious-looking man,
with a very kind and genial expression of face. He owned a small estate
on the shores of the Broad, and was a deep thinker and scholarly writer,
writing books which were intended chiefly for college libraries. He
looked up as his son entered, and said,--
"Well, Frank, what is it?"
"Please father, my birthday is next week."
"I had not forgotten it, my boy."
"Well, sir, I suppose you are going to give me a present of some sort as
usual, and I thought, if you don't mind, that I should like to choose my
present this time for myself."
"If you choose wisely, you shall have what you wish, Frank."
"Well, sir, all that I want is that you should let me have one of the
straight young larches by the Broad. I want to cut it down at once that
it may season by the spring."
"It is rather a strange birthday present, Frank, but you may have it, in
addition to the one your mother and I were about to get you, which was
Morris's _British Birds_."
"Oh, father, I am so glad. That is just the book I have been wanting."
Mr. Merivale did not ask his son what the larch-tree was for. He thought
that if Frank wished him to know he would have told him at once. He had
a most perfect trust in his children, and he delighted to let them see
that he had this trust in them. Hence it was their pride to deserve the
confidence placed in them, and a happier family was not to be found in
all Norfolk. Mr. Merivale supposed his son had good reasons for not
making him a confidant in the matter of the larch-tree, so forbore to
ask him.
Frank quickly made his way to the outbuildings, where he obtained a
couple of axes and a long rope. Laden with these he set off along a
thickly-hedged lane until he came to a cottage, set far back in an
old-fashioned garden. Here lived Jimmy Brett, his great friend, a boy
about the same age as himself, who lived with his grandmother, Mrs.
Brett, in this quiet little cottage. As Frank went up the garden walk he
saw Jimmy perched on a ladder, engaged in painting a long board, a foot
wide, which he had fixed up the whole length of the front of the
cottage, just below the bed-room window.
"What on earth is that for, Jimmy?" cried Frank, in astonishment.
Jimmy turned round, revealing himself as a slight, pale-faced lad, with
an eager and intelligent countenance, and replied--
"Well, you see, the swallows build in such great numbers in these wide
old-fashioned eaves that they are rather a nuisance, and grandmother
does not like the mess they make of the door-steps and windows below,
so I thought if I put a board all the way along beneath their nests it
would do away with the nuisance."
"That is a clever idea, Jimmy; but do you not think that the swallows
will build _below_ the board next year. They will think you put it there
just on purpose for them."
"I never thought of that, Frank," replied Jimmy, looking rather blank;
"but now you mention it I think it is likely enough they will;" and by
way of parenthesis I may say that next spring the swallows and
house-martins did build under the new board in great numbers, and so
frustrated Jimmy's plan altogether.
"What are you going to do with those axes and that rope, Frank?"
"Come and see; but first finish your painting, while I go in and see the
grandmother."
As the two boys walked off to the fir-copse, Frank told his friend that
he meant to cut down the tree, but he would not tell him what it was
that he wanted it for, and Jimmy's curiosity was provoked to a great
degree.
When they reached the wood they proceeded to the tree which Frank had
marked, and Jimmy was sent up to fasten the rope to the top of it. Then
while Frank took off his coat and applied the axe vigorously to the
bottom of the tree, making the chips fly in all directions, Jimmy took
the other end of the rope over the fence, and kept a steady pull upon
it. At last the tree began to creak and groan, and then fell over with a
crash. Jimmy then took the other axe, and the two began to lop off the
branches. This was a long job, and when it was finished they were very
warm and tired, and sat down to rest for a while on the fallen tree.
A clicking and cracking sound in the wood about them now became audible
to their quick ears. It might have been heard before had it not been
drowned by the noise of the axes. They looked up, and to their great
delight they saw a small flock of birds larger than a green linnet, and
with plumage of red, brown, and yellow. They were flitting about the
fir-trees, cutting off the fir-cones with their bills, and then holding
them on the branches with their claws, and cracking them, and picking
out the seeds, producing at the same time the noise which had attracted
the attention of the boys.
"What are they?" exclaimed Jimmy; "their beaks are hooked, and cross
each other. I never saw birds like them before."
"They are crossbills, as sure as we are here!" said Frank, excitedly.
"Run to the boat-house as quick as you can, while I watch them, and
bring the gun."
Brett sped off like a deer, while Frank followed the movements of the
strange birds with interest.
Jimmy returned with the gun, and quite out of breath.
"Now," said Frank, "from the difference in colour there are evidently
males and females here, and we must get one of each; and we must do it
without disturbing the others, as if we don't frighten them they may
stay here and breed."
They watched for some time before they could get the desired chance, and
then two birds flew, toying with each other, to some distance from the
rest. They were evidently male and female. Frank put the gun to his
shoulder, a report rang through the wood, and both the crossbills, for
such they were, fell dead to the ground.
Frank might have shot many more, but he was a thorough naturalist, and,
as such, he disliked the idea of indiscriminate and useless slaughter.
He had procured specimens sufficient, and he humanely let the others go.
"Now, Jimmy, we have got a prize. Crossbills are not seen every day. Let
us go to the boat-house and skin them, and read something about them in
our books."
The boat-house, which belonged to Mr. Merivale, stood at the edge of a
little bay of the Broad. It was a large, substantial structure,
projecting out into the water, and having a large room above, approached
by a staircase. This had been appropriated by Frank as his "den," and
here it was that he and his friend transacted all their private
business, held their natural history meetings, skinned and stuffed
birds, and kept their collection of birds' eggs and butterflies.