A SUBVF,Y OF THE LOWER TICKS M/VRSHKS 131 



of resulting in the severing of an immense fleet like Holme 

 Fleet, holding a fine sheet of deep fresh water, here we have 

 isolated a great stretch of shallow water very variable in its 

 limits and always kept salty by the occasional accessions of 

 sea water by indirect means. There are present also a brave 

 array of pans which vary from tliose seen in Greatham Marsh 

 in being founded on very sandy soil, and in being abundantly 

 supplied with vegetation of an extremely interesting type. On 

 rare occasions, the predominant sheet of water, when at its 

 greatest limits (and this implies a rise of about a foot), over- 

 flows the whole area for the breadth of a hundred yards or so 

 from the sea wall. 



Outside the sphere of influence of the main pools and pans, 

 the general level of the Marsh has undergone great changes 

 in very recent times. Only a dozen years ago it rejoiced in 

 the same grassy stells as Saltholme winding around grassy 

 hummocks bearing such arenicolous plants as Glyceria distans, 

 Galiiun ven/in, Ononis sptnosa,- Asfragahts Hypogloitis, Lotus 

 cornicitlatus and the like. Now all is transformed, stells and 

 hummocks alike are gone, and with them the water birds they 

 attracted ; the Ruff and Reeve court here no longer. At the 

 present time the vegetation displays the same general com- 

 plexion as that of the highest levels of Saltholme Marsh. 



The pans, however, as was pointed out, support a very 

 peculiar Flora and one which seems destined to persist ; jiot 

 the least noteworthy fact about it is that one species, in many 

 cases, forms the sole occupant of a single pan, but then almost 

 uniformly it completely fills it. Another wonderful thing, too, 

 is that adjacent pans very often produce dissimilar species. 

 One, a special favourite of mine, yields nothing but Ramin- 

 culus Baudotii var. marinns which, when in full bloom, is well 

 worth a visit; its neighbour, not a yard off, supports a pure 

 growth of Zannichellia maritima. Again, not far away, 

 Potamogefon pectinatus var. salinus is the sole tenant, whilst 

 just a stone's throw from that, Ruppia rostellata alone 

 populates the pans. Of course, occasionally, pans do produce 



