Abbotsbury Two bits of England, one in Dorset, and one
in Sussex, are in the national eye. One is threatened, the other promised. To begin with the threat, Abbotsbury, where the swans come from, has no parallel the world over ; and is, of course, fathoms deep in history. It has more virtues than, so far as I have read, are mentioned in any of the pleas. It is the home of a thousand swans ; and has been since the early days. It was certainly old in Queen Elizabeth's days. In no other retired place does the sea grass that they delight to feed upon so flourish. The swans matter most ; but Abbotsbury is also one of the best sanctuaries in the kingdom for birds and indeed for plants that are not at home in other places. It contains one of the oldest of the duck decoys. If the edge of Abbotsbury became an arena of aeroplane activity the effect would be disastrous. Birds do not mind high aeroplanes but they fear the low plane and the loud noise. It is not improbable that the swans might be a threat to the plane as well as the plane to the swans. The plea for the preservation of Abbotsbury from this threat is very much more than an ornithologist's complaint. The place is as historical as the monastery.
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