SHORE COLLECTINQ AT WITHERNSEA, ETC. 



T. FETCH, B.Sc, B.A., 

 Hedon. 



The continuous rains of the last summer, though interfering 

 with many projected excursions to the somewhat inaccessible 

 shores of Holderness, indirectly proved of service in compelling 

 attention to be given, if at all, to those localities which lie 

 nearest to a railway station, and we have in consequence a 

 number of unexpected records for Withernsea due to the 

 abnormal condition of the shore at that place during the last 

 year. 



Normally the Holderness littoral consists of two well-defined 

 regions : a sloping bank of sand and gravel, of a width depend- 

 ing on the force and direction of the last gale, which changes 

 abruptly into an almost level stretch of firm wet sand with 

 a few large boulders at long intervals at the foot of the shingle 

 slope. Large shallow lagoons, known locally as ' gyles,' are 

 formed occasionally on the level sand. But though the general 

 character of the beach is constant, its condition at any given 

 place is subject to perpetual variation : a single tide may 

 obliterate the gyles, carry away or bury the boulders, and 

 remove larg-e quantities of shingle. Under these circumstances, 

 zoophytes, worms, and mollusca found living on the beach from 

 Bridlington to Spurn must be regarded as settlers of very 

 precarious tenure ; some of the smaller Crustacea, not requiring 

 a fixed habitation, are always present. 



At Withernsea in 1903 a gyle extended southwards along- 

 the base of the shingle slope for nearly a mile. Large boulders 

 covered the landward side and formed islands in the middle, 

 whilst ridges of stones crossed it here and there and held up the 

 water. The following species were found there on 25th July, 

 those marked ('^) being additions to the list given in the 

 Transactions of the Hull Scientific and Field Naturalists' Club, 

 Vol. HL, pp. 37-41 : — Crustacea — Carcinus moejtas (Penn.), 

 Cancer pagitrus Linn., Enpagurus bernhardus (Linn.), Hyas 

 coarctatiis Leach, Stenothoe i^Montagud) marina (Spence Bate), 

 '''Calliope Iceviuscida (Kroyer), Gammarus marinus Leach, G. 

 locusta (Linn.), SphcBronia rugicauda Leach, Sph. serratmn 

 (Fabr.), Idotea marina Fabr. , Eurydice pulchra Leach, 

 ''^Li^nnoria ligiiorum (Rathke). Anthozoa — Tealia crassicornis 

 (Miill.), six specimens. Hydrozoa — Tubiilaria indivisa Linn.^ 



1904 January i. 



