PROCEEDINGS OF THE COTTESWOLD CLUB 149 



Montgomeryshire district, a slight milkiness is often im- 

 parted to the whole of the Severn by the kaolin. The 

 Vyrnwy, after very heavy rains, and especially at certain 

 seasons of the year, brings down peat. It is described as 

 sometimes being black with peat. Very little of the actual 

 particles of peat appear to reach Tewkesbury unless on 

 very rare occasions, but the water of the Severn often 

 has a rather strong yellow-brown colour due to staining 

 by vegetable material, though I question whether this 

 colour comes altogether from the Vyrnwy, for, having on 

 the same day collected water from the Vyrnwy and most 

 of the other tributaries, I found the waters of the Perry 

 and of the Tern had much the strongest colour. The 

 Stour is commonly turbid. 



A record is kept at Tewkesbury of the appearance of 

 the Severn water on every day of the year, and the Water 

 Engineer has obliged me with the following information 

 concerning the appearance of the water during the last two 

 years. When the water is chiefly turbid with sand it is 

 called "thick," and when turbid with marl "red," and 

 when it has the fine turbidity due to kaolin and very 

 fine particles of light coloured sand it is termed " milky," 

 and it is " bright " when it has no turbidity. 



1892 1893 



Bright - - - - 187 249 



Milky - - - - 104 60 



Thick - - - - 34 44 



Thick and red . - - 24 12 



Red - - - - 9 — 



Record interrupted - 7 — 



Days 365 365 



I have said that the greater bulk of the water of the 



Severn comes from its two great heads, the Vyrnwy and 



the Upper Severn, in Montgomeryshire. The water of 



these two main sources do not diflfer very much in quality, 



C 



