33 
currents and tides acted on this ridge, and in 1806 broke through 
it, so that at high tides the Church Hill was an island. ... A 
heavy sea in 1806 deepened the breach, and since then the river 
has always run through it, and the channel lias been blocked up by 
sand.” There is now very little water in this old channel, which is 
merely a broad expanse of sticky and slimy mud. The mussels 
cover the mud thickly in places, but are all very small and thin, too 
small and thin to be of any value as bait. It is evidently too dry 
for them, as they do not now get covered for any length of time by 
the tide, and apparently there is not sufficient food, as the stomachs 
are almost invariably empty. Some of the fishermen remember 
when the mussels were good enough to be used for bait, so this 
must once have been a flourishing bed. The animals are unhealthy 
and the shells are very tliin, many dead shells occurring with the 
living specimens. The largest shells measure inches in length, 
but most of them are much smaller. Although all the specimens 
examined in October and November were quite thin all over, in the 
Spring the reproductive lobes were spreading into the mantle to a 
small extent, so that they probably still shed some spat. 
A small form of Littorina rudis is found with the mussels, and 
fairly large Littorina littorea and Cardium edule also occur ; Macoma 
balthica is common. 
It is clear that these mussels are deteriorating rapidly and are 
dying out, and there seems to be no fit place near the river mouth 
or on its banks where mussels might successfully be planted. The 
river banks near the sea being composed almost entirely of soft 
sand, the locality is most ill-adapted for mussel growing. Attempts 
were made to form both oyster and mussel beds, but they were 
unsuccessful, for the mud brought down by the river during floods 
smothered and destroyed both. 
The question arises whether these mussels could be transplanted 
to some more favourable locality before they all die. Arrangements 
are being made to try this and to deposit a few of these mussels on 
the experimental scaup at Amble. It remains to be seen whether 
the mussels are too far gone to be capable of recovery. 
Bl DLE BAY (see Map IV.). — Budle Bay is an extensive 
sandy flat where the River Waren flows into the sea. At low tide 
the sands extend a long way, nearly to Holy Island, which is visible 
in the distance. It is on this flat that one of the best mussel beds 
occurs. The bed is now rented from Mr. Brown, of Callaly, by Mr. 
