WHIRLY PITS. 373 



lands, which the surrounding parishes do not pre- 

 sent. The soil of a few fields seems to cover for 

 some depth a rock of coarse limestone, which we 

 never burn for use. In a direction bearing nearly 

 east and west, in a line pointing to the Severn, a 

 number of sinkings and pits are observable, like 

 abandoned shafts, or the commencement of mines. 

 They are called by the country people (6 whirly 

 pits." In some instances the bottoms of them are 

 not visible, owing to the tortuous irregularity of the 

 passages ; in other cases they are only deep hollows, 

 covered with turf. These sinkings are evidently 

 occasioned by the lowering of the surface in conse- 

 quence of the removal of the support beneath. 

 Where the under parts have been entirely displaced, 

 the upper have fallen in, and formed a chasm ; where 

 only partially removed, deep, turfy hollows are 

 formed. These removals have been occasioned, 

 probably, by a stream of water running far beneath, 

 and washing away the support ; and in part by 

 the superfluous water from the ditches and water- 

 courses above draining into the fissures of the rock, 

 and so gradually mining or wearing away a passage ; 

 for they are now frequently the receivers of all the 

 running water from the land, which seems naturally 

 to drain into them, and apparently has been so con- 

 ducted for a long course of years. Some of them 

 present dark and frightful chasms, and bushes and 

 brambles are encouraged to grow about them, to 



