﻿THE 
  BIRDS 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  KENT. 
  163 
  

  

  now 
  enclosed 
  within 
  the 
  walls 
  was 
  like 
  before 
  they 
  were 
  built. 
  

   The 
  larger 
  saltings 
  are 
  all 
  intersected 
  and 
  cut 
  up 
  by 
  tidal 
  

   creeks, 
  and 
  they 
  appear 
  at 
  high 
  tide 
  like 
  so 
  many 
  flat-topped 
  

   islands, 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  greyish 
  green 
  vegetation, 
  consisting 
  

   chiefly 
  of 
  some 
  species 
  of 
  sea-heath. 
  At 
  the 
  seaward 
  edge 
  they 
  

   almost 
  invariably 
  drop 
  sheer 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  mud, 
  the 
  height 
  

   varying 
  from 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  to 
  ten 
  or 
  fifteen 
  feet. 
  The 
  cement 
  

   trade 
  is 
  having 
  some 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  saltings, 
  

   especialbv 
  in 
  the 
  Medway. 
  The 
  clay 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  formed 
  

   is 
  a 
  necessary 
  material 
  in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  cement, 
  and 
  large 
  

   quantities 
  are 
  annually 
  dug 
  out 
  at 
  low 
  tide, 
  and 
  taken 
  away 
  by 
  

   barge. 
  This, 
  assisted 
  by 
  miniature 
  landslips 
  taking 
  place 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  at 
  the 
  spots 
  where 
  the 
  men 
  are 
  digging, 
  has 
  had 
  the 
  

   effect 
  of 
  forming 
  several 
  large 
  open 
  basins 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  

   saltings. 
  

  

  Along 
  the 
  outer 
  edge 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  narrower 
  strips 
  of 
  salt- 
  

   marsh 
  there 
  are 
  thrown 
  up, 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  irregular 
  way, 
  

   banks 
  of 
  shells 
  and 
  sand, 
  which 
  stand 
  rather 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  

   saltings 
  themselves, 
  and 
  at 
  high 
  tide 
  will 
  be 
  dry, 
  while 
  the 
  

   salting 
  is 
  partly 
  submerged. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  shells 
  are 
  

   also 
  covered 
  at 
  the 
  highest 
  spring 
  tides, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  

   which 
  can 
  easily 
  be 
  distinguished 
  by 
  the 
  strength 
  of 
  vegetation 
  

   growing 
  on 
  them, 
  which 
  have 
  evidently 
  not 
  had 
  salt-water 
  over 
  

   them 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  and 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  green 
  is 
  fast 
  concealing 
  

   the 
  sand 
  and 
  shells 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  formed. 
  A 
  curious 
  feature 
  

   about 
  these 
  banks 
  is 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  consist 
  entirely 
  of 
  the 
  

   shells 
  of 
  the 
  Edible 
  Cockle. 
  There 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  

   district 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  (or 
  were, 
  for 
  sometimes 
  the 
  tide 
  washes 
  

   them 
  away 
  again) 
  deposits 
  of 
  Cockle-shells 
  several 
  feet 
  thick, 
  

   without 
  a 
  particle 
  of 
  sand 
  or 
  anything 
  else 
  mixed 
  with 
  them. 
  

   But, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  these 
  banks, 
  locally 
  known 
  as 
  " 
  shelly 
  beaches," 
  

   consist 
  of 
  broken 
  shells, 
  sand, 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  shingle. 
  The 
  Cockle 
  

   is 
  the 
  predominant 
  shell, 
  but 
  Mussels 
  sometimes 
  occur 
  in 
  thick 
  

   beds 
  of 
  smaller 
  area, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  also 
  always 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  

   considerable 
  numbers 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  pink 
  and 
  white, 
  or 
  yellow 
  and 
  

   white, 
  bivalve 
  (Scrobicularia 
  alba), 
  a 
  rather 
  delicate 
  white 
  or 
  

   yellowish 
  bivalve 
  (S. 
  pijjerata), 
  a 
  large 
  coarse 
  white 
  or 
  brownish 
  

   bivalve 
  (My 
  a 
  arenaria), 
  and 
  also 
  small 
  Oyster- 
  shells 
  and 
  numbers 
  

   of 
  Periwinkles. 
  Living 
  specimens 
  of 
  all 
  these 
  shells 
  can 
  be 
  

  

  o 
  2 
  

  

  