266 DENUDATION OF THE LAND Chap. VI. 



of the castings thrown up on the level parts 

 of these same fields. On some fine grassy- 

 slopes in Holwood Park, inclined at angles 

 between 8° and 11° 30' with the horizon, 

 where the surface apparently had never been 

 disturbed by the hand of man, castings 

 abounded in extraordinary numbers : and a 

 space 16 inches in length transversely to the 

 slope and 6 inches in the line of the slope, 

 was completely coated, between the blades of 

 grass, with a uniform sheet of confluent and 

 subsided castings. Here also in many places 

 the castings had flowed down the slope, and 

 now formed smooth narrow patches of earth, 

 6, 7, and 7^ inches in length. Some of these 

 consisted of two castings, one above the other, 

 which had become so completely confluent 

 that they could hardly be distinguished. On 

 my lawn, clothed with very fine grass, most 

 of the castings are black, but some are 

 yellowish from earth having been brought 

 up from a greater depth than usual, and the 

 flowing-down of these yellow castings after 

 heavy rain, could be clearly seen where the 

 slope was 5° ; and where it was less than 1° 

 some evidence of their flowing down could 



