1899] THE DEVELOPMENT OF RIVERS 285 



When the Middle Wye was turned into the Severn system it still 

 continued the northward subsequent, which of course may have been 

 initiated as a tributary when the Middle Wye belonged to the Thames 

 system. That subsequent captured some of the Lug, which, however, 

 seems to have already suffered from the original Coin (Upper Teme). 

 The state of affairs at this date is shown in the sketch map, Fig. 8. 



Meanwhile the Severn was working its way north-eastward, and it 

 successively captured the different portions of the Coin group. It must 

 be supposed that before this took place the Teme had developed a 



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r>/e 



FlG. 8. — Sketc-.li map. Courses of the streams just before the victory of the Severn in the Vale 

 of Gloucester. Brought about — 1, by adjustments of Thames streams among themselves ; 

 2, by adjustments of the South Welsh streams among themselves ; and 3, such adjust- 

 ments in the latter case induced by the headward growth of the Severn. Scale about 

 '20 miles to 1". 



northward subsequent towards Stourport, and beyond, so that when the 

 Coin — into which the Teme then flowed — was captured, this subsequent 

 rapidly developed, and obtained as much of the Upper Severn as had 

 not suffered from the depredations of the Dee. If this had not been 

 the case the Severn would have taken a more northerly or north- 

 easterly direction. 1 



1 North-eastward, somewhat in the direction of the Warwickshire Avon, should have 

 been the main and largest stream of the Severn, working along the strike of weak rocks. 

 Now it has what may be called a somewhat lopsided appearance — an abrupt change of 

 direction at Tewkesbury. So, it will be noted, it had at a prior stage (Fig. 8). That 

 the Avon did not develop faster is due to the proximity of sea on east England favouring 

 successful growth of the Trent, etc., otherwise the Avon had worked back right into 

 Yorkshire. 



