TOPOGRAPHY OF BLAKENEY POINT. 13 



being mostly in a state of greater or lesser mobility, rarely 

 acquires the close continuous turf of plants characteristic of 

 ordinary ground. Of this, portions are outside direct influence 

 of the tide, whilst the lower slopes on the Marams area have 

 not a little in common with the salt marshes, in view of the 

 opportunity of continuous colonisation of the advancing fringe 

 of shingle from that source. 



Then, contrasting with the main bank, are the laterals whose 

 stabilised shingle bears a characteristic vegetation. Between 

 the laterals is the long series of little bays occupied by salt 

 marshes in various phases of development. Many of these, 

 both on the Headland and Marams alike, are of the narrow 

 mouth type, and all bear a continuous carpet of halophytes. At 

 places, as to the East and West of the Hood (Fig. 1, p. 489), 

 the bays are open and exposed to scour, so that the establish- 

 ment of halophytes is much retarded in comparison with those 

 protected by L-shaped terminals. 



A very distinct series of habitats forming the principal, if 

 not the sole, localities of several of the most interesting plants 

 on the same area is what may be termed generically the shingle 

 low. These are depressions left between closely juxtaposed 

 banks, and occur especially at the convergence of laterals near 

 their junction with the main bank. Being accessible to the 

 highest tides, a covering of mud is deposited on the shingle. 

 In the neighbourhood of sand dunes these lows are liable to be 

 cut off from the tide, and to be drifted over with blown sand ; 

 this change of substratum modifies the vegetation in the sense 

 that several of the original colonists tend to die out, whilst 

 new ones make their appearance. 



Finally there are the dunes already referred to, which are 

 represented in the nascent state on the sea front of the Head- 

 land, and in established series of varying ages by the extensive 

 Beacon Hills of the Headland, the Long Hills, and the Hood. 



Here, as with the marshes, hooks, and shingle lows, a great 

 stimulus to detailed study arises from the fact that all these 

 different sorts of habitats are present in rich series, the 



