THE WILTSHIRE STREAMS 125 



Near Sidbury, in the northern half of the county, 

 is an interesting point, for here what Aubrey the 

 naturaHst called the " three several waies " of Wilt- 

 shire have their sources. First, there is not far 

 from Sidbury the permanent source of the Kennet 

 — the spring at Cleveancy fields is uncertain — with 

 the German Ocean as its goal ; secondly, at 

 Culston the Blackland Brook, which through the 

 (Bristol) Avon flows to the Atlantic ; and thirdly, 

 at Bishops Canning, the source of the (Christ- 

 church) Avon, which flows to the English Channel. 

 As regards the chalk streams of Wiltshire, it is 

 interesting to notice that they do not follow the 

 course of the chalk valleys as might be expected, 

 but flow in gorges or transverse fissures. Thus 

 the great plain of chalk called Salisbury Plain 

 is pierced by the Bourne Brook, the Avon, Wylye, 

 and Nadder, which meet near Salisbury. In the 

 same way the Chiltern Hills are pierced by the 

 Thames, and the North Downs by the Daren th and 

 other streams. 



The (Christchurch) Avon rises, as wc have seen, 



at Bishops Canning, and, receiving the Wylye 



the Bourne Brook, the Ebble, with one 



The 

 or two smaller tributaries which do not (Christ- 



call for notice, flows due south, passing church) 

 Devizes, Beachingstoke, Wivelsford, Charl- 

 ton, Rushall, Upavon, Enford, Haxton, Nether 

 Avon, Figheldean, Durrington, Bulford, Ames- 

 bury, Wilsford, Creat Durnford, Stratford, Salis- 

 bury, Nunton, Downton, Braemore, Fordingbridge, 

 Ibbesley, Ellingham, Ringwood, and Christchurch, 

 where it enters the English Channel. I am in- 

 indebted to an excellent and well-known sports- 

 man, the Rev. William Awdry. of Ludgershall. for 



