MR. W. G. CLARKE ON THE MERES OF WRETHAM HEATH. 507 
portions. In 1896 tlie dog of the shepherd who then lived close 
by the Punch Bowl, would go into Fowlmere and catch the 
sluggish Tench which there abounded — often bringing out large- 
sized specimens. This mere was fairly high in June, 1898, but by 
March 18th, 1899, it was almost dry. In September of that year 
the waters covered half their full area, and on the 26th, over 150 
dead Tench lay upon the southern shore. Before the heavy rains 
of the previous week or so the waters had been lower and as many 
more Tench, ranging from one to three pounds in weight, had been 
exposed. Mr. It. Stevenson of Fowlmere Farm says in a letter 
to the writer that Fowlmere gradually decreased from 1883 to 
September, 1901, when it became quite dry. lie had it harrowed 
and ploughed without any difficulty. The horses could walk as 
well as though on an ordinary field, with the exception of two low 
places, where the animals were not allowed to go. As the mere 
lies half in Croxton and half in Wretham the occupier of each farm 
planted about four acres of beet, swedes, and cabbages. When I 
visited the mere on May 17th, 1902, it was absolutely dry and 
apparently about two-thirds of the bed of the large pool was 
ploughed up and partly protected by wire netting. The soil 
seemed a stiff loam, rather chalky, and contained numbers of large 
flints. The bed of the mere slopes downwards from east to west, 
the lowest part being at the north-west, but there was nowhere any 
indication of moisture. The extremely stony beach on the eastern 
shore had not been ploughed up. On the high land close by I 
found a number of Neolithic flint implements, also a Wood Wren’s 
nest with six eggs, neatly built beneath the sere and overhanging 
bracken fronds of the previous year. The aspect of the southern 
end of the mere has been greatly changed of late years by the 
planting of trees. On September 4th there was promise of a splen- 
did root crop in Fowlmere. A belt of ground across the middle 
of the mere, dividing the parochial areas, was covered with weeds, 
chiefly spotted persicaria, while thistles and nettles flourished 
exceedingly around the borders. The promise of a good crop was- 
fulfilled. From the Croxton portion of the mere a swede weighing 
twenty-three pounds, and a cabbage weighing fifteen pounds, were 
taken, and exhibited in Thetford market on November 8th. 
On the Wretham portion there were about 2| acres of beet from 
