Moorland and Fenland 73 



old lakes, etc., where the water-supply is poor in mineral 

 food (lowland moor) ; and generally where surface-water 

 poor in soluble mineral salts has accumulated. The hill 

 moors are partly formed above the wood limit, and partly 

 replace woodland, as may be proved from the abundant 

 remains of trees buried in the peat. Moor covers wide 

 areas of hill country in the north of England, and in 

 Scotland and Ireland. It is related to heathland on one 

 side and to the damper grasslands on the other. Much 

 of what is called moorland in common parlance is really 

 heathland, i.e. developed on shallow peat over a coarse 

 porous sod. 



5. Fenland (on deep peat with high mineral content) 

 is developed on the edges of lakes and 

 estuaries where considerable quantities of 

 nutritive salts are present. It bears a very different 

 vegetation from moorland, though some species are 

 common to both, and transitions occur. By far the 

 largest area of fen was formed round the upper part 

 of the old estuary now represented by the Wash, the 

 common estuary of several rivers. It hes in the counties 

 of Lincoln, Norfolk, Huntingdon and Cambridge. The 

 sod. of the lower part of this old estuary (the area near 

 the present coast) is formed of marine silt, and was no 

 doubt at one time salt-marsh. This is sometimes distin- 

 guished as the "Marshland" as opposed to the "Fenland" 

 or "the Fens" ipar excellence. The whole area is almost 

 entirely drained and under arable cultivation. Consider- 

 able areas of fen occur in east Xorfolk in the old estuaries 

 of the Bure, Yare and Waveney, which have now silted 

 up, and these fens are still largely in a natural condition. 

 Their formation from the shallow lakes or "broads," 

 probably the remains of the waters of the old estuaries, 

 maybe studied in detail (Chap. X). Fenland has a special 

 characteristic type of woodland of which the alder (Alnus 

 Totundifolia) is the dominant tree. 



