﻿THE 
  COAST 
  BIBDS 
  OF 
  SOMERSET. 
  83 
  

  

  display 
  a 
  fine 
  stretch 
  of 
  sand 
  about 
  high-water 
  mark, 
  the 
  former 
  

   presenting 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  low 
  sandhills 
  to 
  the 
  advancing 
  tide, 
  the 
  

   latter, 
  for 
  some 
  two 
  miles 
  of 
  its 
  length, 
  the 
  artificial 
  sea-front 
  of 
  

   the 
  growing 
  town 
  of 
  Weston-super-Mare. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  so 
  far 
  passed 
  the 
  muddy 
  estuaries 
  of 
  several 
  streams 
  

   and 
  rivers 
  flowing 
  into 
  the 
  Channel, 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  being 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  Yeo 
  and 
  Axe. 
  All 
  these 
  during 
  the 
  highest 
  tides 
  are 
  

   like 
  little 
  inland 
  arms 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  filled 
  to 
  overflowing 
  with 
  muddy 
  

   brown 
  water, 
  but 
  at 
  lowest 
  ebb 
  their 
  appearance 
  is 
  entirely 
  

   changed. 
  We 
  see 
  then, 
  many 
  feet 
  below 
  us, 
  a 
  tiny 
  stream 
  

   trickling 
  between 
  deep 
  sloping 
  banks 
  of 
  slimy 
  ooze, 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  

   man 
  may 
  sink 
  to 
  his 
  knees, 
  or 
  in 
  places 
  even 
  deeper 
  ; 
  while 
  

   down 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  these 
  banks 
  are 
  little 
  runnels, 
  locally 
  known 
  

   as 
  " 
  pills," 
  cutting 
  their 
  way 
  deep 
  into 
  the 
  soft 
  muddy 
  slopes. 
  

  

  From 
  Brean 
  Down, 
  a 
  bold 
  promontory, 
  over 
  a 
  mile 
  long 
  and 
  

   some 
  320 
  ft. 
  in 
  height, 
  presenting 
  some 
  fine 
  cliffs 
  on 
  its 
  southern 
  

   face, 
  the 
  grassy 
  slopes 
  above 
  which 
  are 
  plentifully 
  sprinkled 
  in 
  early 
  

   summer 
  with 
  the 
  flowers 
  of 
  Helianthemum 
  polifolium 
  and 
  Hippo- 
  

   crepis 
  comosa, 
  the 
  coast 
  runs 
  south 
  to 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  Rivers 
  

   Brue 
  and 
  Parrett, 
  and 
  then 
  turns 
  westward, 
  forming 
  the 
  curve 
  

   known 
  as 
  Bridgewater 
  Bay. 
  This 
  forms 
  the 
  seaboard 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  

   central 
  level 
  of 
  Somerset, 
  and 
  from 
  Brean 
  to 
  Burnham 
  it 
  is 
  faced 
  

   by 
  a 
  lofty 
  and 
  broad 
  range 
  of 
  sandhills, 
  which 
  keep 
  back 
  the 
  

   water 
  from 
  the 
  low-lying 
  pastures 
  and 
  moors 
  of 
  the 
  interior. 
  

   Just 
  south 
  of 
  Burnham 
  the 
  River 
  Brue 
  joins 
  the 
  wide 
  and 
  muddy 
  

   estuary 
  of 
  the 
  Parrett, 
  and 
  together 
  they 
  wind 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  

   Channel 
  between 
  the 
  Berrow 
  and 
  Steart 
  Flats, 
  the 
  widest 
  

   expanses 
  of 
  mud 
  and 
  ooze 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  Somerset 
  coast. 
  Oppo- 
  

   site 
  Burnham 
  the 
  combined 
  rivers 
  pass 
  the 
  low-lying 
  Steart 
  

   Island, 
  and 
  when 
  crossing 
  the 
  bar 
  skirt 
  a 
  bank 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  

   Gore 
  Sand, 
  which 
  is 
  only 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  high 
  spring 
  tides. 
  This 
  

   bay, 
  with 
  its 
  fine 
  stretch 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  high 
  dunes 
  at 
  Brean 
  and 
  

   Berrow, 
  its 
  ridges 
  of 
  shingle, 
  extensive 
  mud-flats, 
  and 
  oozy 
  

   estuaries, 
  and 
  warm 
  shallow 
  waters, 
  bordering, 
  as 
  it 
  does, 
  the 
  

   large 
  alluvial 
  flats 
  of 
  mid- 
  Somerset, 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  most 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  bird 
  resort 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  Somerset 
  coast. 
  

  

  From 
  Clevedon 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Steart 
  mud-flats 
  the 
  

   coast 
  has, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  headlands 
  of 
  Swallow 
  

   Point, 
  Worlebury, 
  and 
  Brean 
  Down, 
  been 
  flat, 
  sandy, 
  or 
  muddy 
  ; 
  

  

  H 
  2 
  

  

  