40 LAND WON FROM THE SEA 



quinquevulnem, which I believe has been found only 

 in two or three places in England. The wild evening 

 primrose, Mnothera vulgaris, is found both here and 

 at St. Helens 'Dover/ as well as the sea-holly. 



" The St. Helens * Dover ' is interesting on account 

 of the beautiful and somewhat rare plants found 

 growing thereon. It is a strip of land that stretches 

 out and forms one of the arms of Brading Harbour 

 (now better known as Bembridge Harbour), and com- 

 posed almost entirely of sea-sand that has been washed 

 and drifted up since the days of Sir Hugh Myddelton. 

 It is covered entirely with vegetation peculiar to this 

 soil, and the undulating surface of neat and fine turf, 

 formed chiefly of the sheep's fescue grass, forms the 

 very beautiful links of the Royal Isle of Wight Golf 

 Club. In summer I constantly find patches of the 

 great sea-bindweed, Calystegia soldenella, growing 

 there. It trails and spreads over the sands, and twines 

 about amongst the reeds and grasses, bearing a profusion 

 of large, mauvy-pink, convolvulus-like flowers, quite 

 2j or 3 inches in diameter. The sea-holly, Eryngium 

 maritimum, is another beautiful object that grows 

 profusely ; its silver-grey branches being surmounted 

 by blue heads of teazle-like flowers. The common 

 thrift or sea-pink, Armeria vulgaris, grows every- 

 where, and forms part of the ordinary turf. In the 

 autumn, thousands of tiny heads of the light-blue 

 autumn squill, Scilla autumnalis, spring up amongst 

 the turf, and the white and yellow varieties of the 

 common stonecrop abound everywhere." 



