214 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



THE BIRDS OF DUNGENESS. 

 By Thomas Hepburn. 



A fortnight or more spent in the vicinity of Dungeness 

 Beach enabled me to considerably amplify the notes which I 

 made in 1900 on the birds of this interesting district. Making 

 my headquarters close to Rye, I extended my walks over the 

 whole of the beach, and over a much larger portion of the marsh 

 on the landward side than I did before, including also the 

 stretches of beach and marsh close to Rye on either side of the 

 estuary of the Rother. 



A line drawn from a point on the coast somewhat to the south 

 of Littlestone, through Lydd to Jury's Gap, would cut off a 

 triangle of land, with Dungeness Lighthouse at its seaward apex, 

 enclosing practically the whole of Dungeness Beach proper — an 

 area of land sometimes two or three miles wide, which is almost 

 entirely covered by a deposit of pebbles. To the north and west 

 is the marsh country, but the dividing line between the marsh 

 or grass land and the shingle is of course much broken up, 

 narrow points of grass land running into the beach ; and occa- 

 sionally a long strip, generally with a big ditch, or sewer, as it is 

 called, running in the centre of it, makes a narrow gap through 

 the pebble country right up to the sea-front. 



I do not know whether there is any scientific explanation or 

 reason why the sea should throw up a huge collection of pebbles 

 at particular spots on our coast. In the case of Dungeness it 

 has evidently been the work of a lengthened period of time, and 

 there are distinct ridges, roughly parallel to the coast-line, which 

 show how the sea has been gradually receding and leaving behind 

 it the banks of shingle. The more ancient of these ridges, where 

 they have been undisturbed, are becoming covered with vegeta- 

 tion, which generally grows most freely on the crests. In some 

 parts this vegetation consists of stunted blackthorn, sloe, and 

 broom bushes, which all seem to be trying to learn how to grow 



