﻿162 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  wall, 
  are 
  no 
  doubt 
  lacking 
  in 
  picturesque 
  qualities. 
  And, 
  as 
  a 
  

   matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  it 
  is 
  perfectly 
  true 
  that 
  at 
  low 
  tide, 
  in 
  both 
  

   estuaries, 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  expanse 
  of 
  mud 
  and 
  ooze 
  which 
  is 
  far 
  

   larger 
  in 
  extent 
  than 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  then 
  comparatively 
  small 
  

   rivers, 
  hardly 
  discernible 
  from 
  the 
  shore. 
  But 
  to 
  the 
  observer 
  

   of 
  bird-life 
  it 
  is 
  scarcely 
  necessary 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  the 
  ornithological 
  

   possibilities 
  which 
  the 
  stretches 
  of 
  ooze 
  present, 
  possibilities 
  

   which 
  are 
  often 
  in 
  some 
  measure 
  fulfilled, 
  and 
  would 
  no 
  doubt 
  be 
  

   more 
  frequently 
  accomplished 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  for 
  the 
  considerable 
  traffic 
  

   which 
  passes 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  both 
  rivers. 
  And 
  after 
  all, 
  the 
  gently 
  

   rising 
  upland, 
  with 
  its 
  well- 
  cultivated 
  fields, 
  separated 
  by 
  hedge- 
  

   rows 
  and 
  scattered 
  elms, 
  is 
  typically 
  English 
  scenery 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  

   flat 
  marshland 
  has 
  a 
  charm 
  for 
  some 
  men 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  

   describe, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  not 
  altogether 
  easy 
  to 
  account 
  for. 
  

  

  As 
  already 
  stated, 
  a 
  river-wall 
  divides 
  the 
  land 
  and 
  water 
  for 
  

   the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  coast-line, 
  although 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  places 
  

   where 
  the 
  upland 
  rises 
  direct 
  from 
  the 
  shore. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  to 
  know 
  how 
  long 
  these 
  walls 
  have 
  been 
  built, 
  and 
  the 
  

   land 
  thus 
  enclosed, 
  reclaimed 
  from 
  the 
  sea. 
  A 
  walscot 
  is 
  levied 
  

   on 
  the 
  farmers 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  for 
  keeping 
  the 
  walls 
  in 
  repair, 
  the 
  

   authority 
  for 
  doing 
  so 
  being 
  claimed 
  under 
  an 
  Act 
  passed 
  in 
  the 
  

   reign 
  of 
  Henry 
  VIII. 
  There 
  seems 
  reason 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  the 
  

   walls 
  nearer 
  London 
  owed 
  their 
  origin 
  to 
  the 
  Romans, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   presumable 
  that 
  the 
  extension 
  eastward 
  of 
  these 
  defences 
  against 
  

   the 
  sea 
  was 
  gradual, 
  and 
  spread 
  over 
  a 
  considerable 
  period 
  of 
  

   time, 
  some 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  marshland 
  also 
  bearing 
  out 
  this 
  

   theory. 
  Where 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  shelves 
  steeply 
  down, 
  the 
  

   outer 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  is 
  faced 
  with 
  stones, 
  in 
  the 
  cracks 
  and 
  

   crannies 
  of 
  which 
  Eats 
  are 
  numerous, 
  and 
  in 
  places 
  a 
  few 
  Eabbits 
  

   are 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  In 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  coast-line 
  there 
  

   are 
  quite 
  respectable 
  stretches 
  of 
  sandy 
  beach, 
  which 
  extend 
  

   from 
  the 
  wall 
  with 
  a 
  gradual 
  slope 
  until 
  they 
  merge 
  into 
  the 
  ooze 
  

   of 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  or 
  sometimes 
  stretch 
  out 
  into 
  long 
  shingly 
  

   flats 
  reaching 
  some 
  distance 
  into 
  the 
  tideway, 
  and 
  forming 
  

   pleasant 
  hunting-grounds 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  Oystercatchers 
  (Hcematopus 
  

   ostralegus), 
  occasionally 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  there 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  and 
  

   winter 
  months. 
  In 
  other 
  parts 
  there 
  are 
  large 
  areas 
  of 
  salt- 
  

   marsh, 
  the 
  largest 
  being 
  in 
  the 
  Medway. 
  These 
  " 
  saltings 
  " 
  are 
  

   curious 
  places, 
  and 
  possibly 
  give 
  one 
  some 
  idea 
  of 
  what 
  the 
  land 
  

  

  