SAND-DUNES AND BLOWING SAND. 
135 
here in abundance, are comparatively rare elsewhere. The 
large, bright-red geranium ( Geranium sccnguineum) grows 
thickly over the landward slopes of the hills in many places ; it 
has been recorded from but one other spot in Northumberland, 
.and that spot is only three miles from the shore. A variety of 
the same beautiful flower ((?. Lancastriense) occurs on the 
sands of W alney Island. 
It is probable that but little alteration in the coast line of 
Northumberland has taken place during the historic period. 
Rede describes Holy Island, or Lindisfarn, as separated at every 
tide from the main land ; although there is much blown sand 
there it has not shut out the tides, nor can the channel have 
been materially altered in the course of 1,100 years. 
Durham and Yorkshire have but little sand blown along their 
coasts. The latter county is cliffy along its northern shore, and 
along the southern half the sea is making rapid inroads, which 
it would not do if there were barriers of sand. 
There is a good deal of blown sand in some places along the 
coasts of Lincolnshire, and the eastern counties. In this 
•district the term “ links ” is no longer used, but the hills are 
called “ denes ” or “ downs.” Near Lowestoft the blowing sand 
has overtopped, and in great part concealed, the low sea-cliff. 
On the south side of the Thames the first important area of 
blown sand is that near Sandwich, on the north of Deal. The 
stratified nature of the sand is there well shown by bands of 
carbonaceous matter, marking former surfaces, which have been 
successively covered up by fresh accumulations of sand. 
The great alluvial flat of Romney Marsh is a most interest- 
ing field in which to study recently-formed deposits. Here, or 
in its wide tributary valleys, we have alluvial silt and sand — 
both freshwater and marine — submerged peat and forest-beds, 
shingle and blown sand. The quantity of the last is but small, 
but it is of some interest from the relation which it has to present 
or past tidal inlets and mouths of rivers. Here, as along the 
south-eastern coast generally, the shingle travels up the 
English Channel, driven by the waves which are formed by the 
prevalent south-westerly winds. The shingle is generally 
arrested, or the travel largely checked, on the west or wind- 
ward side of inlets ; on the east or lee side of which there is 
frequently an accumulation of blown sand. One small patch 
of sand near Hythe seems to have existed in the ninth century ; 
on the south of it there was an inlet to which tidal waters had 
access, and which some antiquaries have supposed to be the 
old mouth of the river Limen, now called the Rother. Until 
the middle of the thirteenth century the Rother entered the 
sea at Romney ; it then, during some violent storms, changed 
its course, and went out to sea at Rye. At Romney there is 
blown sand on the north, or lee side, of the old channel. 
