MARITIME GRASSES. 155 



white. The Sea-reed, Mat-grass, or Sea-bent 

 ( Arundo arenaria) is common on various parts of 

 our sandy shores, and easily recognised ; the straw 

 is stiff, and of a greenish yellow colour. The root 

 of this species of grass is creeping, and often twenty 

 feet in length, and being very tough, and sending 

 forth numerous fibres, it serves the valuable 

 purpose of binding the loose sand, and preventing 

 its being blown away during high winds. On the 

 coast of Norfolk, between Hunstanton and Wey- 

 bourne, low hills or " dunes " of blown sand are 

 found along the shore, some of which are fifty or 

 sixty feet in height. They are composed of dry 

 sand, but they are bound into a compact mass by 

 the long creeping roots of this useful species of 

 grass. It has been planted for the same purpose 

 on the shores of some of the islands of the 

 Hebrides, and there are several parts of the Irish 

 coast on which it might be encouraged with great 

 advantage. The Arundo arenaria has also been 

 employed in various useful manufactures; it is 

 not only well adapted to make door-mats and 

 floor brushes, but it forms ropes of considerable 

 strength, and is employed in making sacks for 

 holding grain, and hats for summer use. For 

 these purposes it is the peculiar toughness of the 

 straw which renders it available. In addition to 

 these there are two species of Glyceria or Sweet- 

 grass peculiar to sandy places on the sea-shore ; the 

 fescue grass (Festuca uniglumis), remarkable for 

 its being single-husked, and which also affects the 

 sand ; the Sea Hard-grass (Rotibollia incurvata) 



