THE WHY AND WHEREFORE 45 



of several things, and among them the river I have 

 in mind was to be numbered. As a result of the 

 stoppage in shipping the waterway came into dis- 

 use, the river was allowed to assume a wild, un- 

 tended state; wild plants and trees commenced to 

 flourish by its banks, animals made their homes 

 by its hospitable shores, and at last it was diffi- 

 cult in some parts to discern really where the 

 river was ! 



But it is not only to our streams, rivers, canals, 

 brooks, and ponds that the attention of the boy 

 who wishes to know something of his country 

 may be directed, for he will find ample oppor- 

 tunity for study even in the formation and colour 

 of the land of a given district. Some parts of 

 England are flat (Cambridgeshire and Lincoln- 

 shire for example); some parts are hilly (the 

 neighbourhood of the Downs, for instance); some 

 are sparsely wooded; others (like Hampshire, 

 Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire) are noted for 

 their wealth of woods, coppices, and tree-laden 

 hedgerows and fields. 



To reason out the why and wherefore of this 

 variety will afford interesting and extremely 

 valuable information for the seeking, and many 

 points will crop up at unexpected nioments that 

 go to make the quest exciting. 



Should you find hollow ground, endeavour to 

 ascertain why it is hollow even although it is only 



