TRENT PROVINCE. 319 
which still bears this name, though it is all arable 
fields], he took in or embanked about [blank] acres 
across the north end of the 114 belonging to my 
fa{ther] and Mr Hall. There was a sandhill on it 
on which grew great furze or whins. It was a creat 
place for snakes, as they were safe there [when the 
other part of the common was flooded, and a creat 
deal of it was under water most of the winter before 
the enclosure]. When the first tide was taken in 
T{homas] L[ockwood] had several men walking on the 
top of the banks to be ready to stop it if any water 
came through [the recently made embankments]. 
When the water from the Trent had got amongst 
the furze on the hill, the snakes left it and swam 
to the bank where the men were, who killed them 
as soon as they got out of the water. Old Thomas 
Stocks, who was one of the men, told me more than 
50 [were killed in this way], and he was always a 
very punctual [ze accurate] man. [The viper and 
common grass snake are still found on the commons 
close by. I have heard old men speak of ‘the 
wonderful sight’ to see ‘a flooding’ before warping 
became common. The fox, hare, rabbit, stoat, and 
weasel, as well as the marsh and sand-common birds, 
all attempted to escape to the banks at once, and 
became an easy prey to the watchers with guns and 
sticks. | 
“The higher cultivation of Lincolnshire is fast de- 
stroying our snakes. Year by year there is less and 
