THE RECLAIMED LAND OF THE HUMBER DISTRICT. 229 



was Festuca duriusciila, which is also I believe the principal 

 grass of the salt-marsh ; it had, however, become so modified 

 that, according to the foreman in charge of the works, sods 

 taken from the enclosure to repair the bank died because of 

 the salt water. 



In 1904 there were no mollusca or waterplants in the 

 newly dug cattle ponds on the last enclosure. Palcemonetes 

 varians is common in the ditches within the 1850 bank. In 

 the letter of 171 1, quoted by Allen from Leland's " Itinerary," 

 woad is said to be cultivated on Sunk Island. It would be 

 interesting to discover whether there are any evidences of its 

 cultivation; a "Wood Farm" is marked on maps printed 

 about 1850. The same letter mentions the introduction of 

 black rabbits; these still occur, while the common form is so 

 abundant that a gamekeeper is employed to reduce their 

 numbers. 



2. — Salt Marsh, &c. 



The tides of the Humber, according to the published 

 tables, reach at Hull 6*5 ft. O.D. at the lowest neaps, and 

 J 3'5 ft - O.D. at the highest springs. The actual height 

 attained depends on other factors ; Shelford (Proc. Inst. 

 Civ. Eng., vol. 28) states that the highest recorded tide 

 up to 1868 occurred on the 8th February in that year, when 

 a north-west wind piled up the waters to 157 ft. O.D. The 

 level of the reclaimed land is about 10 ft. O.D., and the 

 banks are maintained at 16 to 17 ft. O.D. 



We have, therefore, a vertical average range of 7 feet 

 C 6 ^ - ^^ O.D.), in which it is possible to have salt-marsh. 

 The mud which is submerged at every high tide grows only 

 Zostera. From observations on the Wash it should also 

 grow Salicornia herbacea, but the latter plant is compara- 

 tively rare on the Humber shore, so rare that it is almost 

 unknown in the neighbouring villages. I have only met 

 one " samphire" gatherer, and he, poor man, was not quite 

 sane. There is practically none on the flats from Spurn to 

 Welwick; small specimens are plentiful in the salt-marsh, 

 and dwarf examples, usually very red, may occur at 12 ft. 

 O.D. I have not been able to confirm Mr. J. F. Robinson's 

 observation on Vaucheria dichotoma as a pioneer silt-retainer. 

 The plant is common enough amongst the grasses, &c, of 

 the salt-marsh. 



Nowhere on the Yorkshire side of the Humber does the 

 shore rise gradually through the full seven feet. Instead, 

 we have in the only extensive areas outside the bank a series 



