A SURVEY OF THE LOWER TEKS MARSHES 95 



parish ; its limits may be regarded as the 25 foot contour line 

 on the north, and on the south, as a lode or runner following 

 more or less exactly that of 12 feet. This lode, which I call 

 the South or Upper Lode, falls into the Lower Lode, and this, 

 in turn, runs into the Beck. 



Crossing the marsh almost due north and south, are one or 

 two traverse drains, too narrow to be dignified by the title 

 " lode," and of too little capacity to be of great value in drain- 

 age. Linking these up east and west, is a further small ditch, 

 likewise of no value as a drain, but of great significance in 

 dividing the marsh into two sections, a high level marsh and 

 a slightly lower one, the dividing line following the contour 

 line of 18 feet. 



North, east and west of the marsh, we pass abruptly into 

 cultivated land, whilst on the south the break of the lode 

 merely separates us from the rich water meadows, which, 

 although intersected by the Lower Lode, stretch right down to 

 to Billingham Beck. 



Winter and summer, viewed from a distance, the Trollms 

 Bog bears a dull uninteresting aspect owing to the obtrusive- 

 ness of the predominating Monocotyledonous components of 

 the plant communities. However, when the reeds flower, the 

 gently swaying heads of the purple-flowered Phragmitis are 

 not without a certain sombre beauty which becomes even 

 striking when the reeds, massing themselves in an isolated 

 " island " tower high above the various J^unci and their 

 associates. Nor do the seasonal colour changes appear great 

 from a distant viewpoint ; in winter the tall dead reeds with 

 their yellow brown tints blot out everything just as successfully 

 as the yellow green of the leaves, mingled with the brown of 

 the dying tips, do in summer. 



But a closer approach alters everything; even the swaying 

 reeds, with their streamer-like leaves waving to and fro under 

 the influence of the prevalent easterly winds, present a novel 

 and pleasing sight to us dwellers in the North Eastern counties 



