The Shingle Beach as a Plant Habitat. 87 
Between the ravines, which in some places are very close together, 
in others more remote, are buttresses of shingle in a quiescent 
state and bearing a sparse vegetation. The faces of these buttresses 
are inclined at a lower angle than the sides of the ravines and they 
merge above without material change of slope in the sloping back 
of the bank. 
The accompanying sketch (text-fig. 6) for which I am indebted 
to my friend Mr. T. G. Hill, gives a good idea of the detailed relief 
Fig. 6. Shingle ravines on the Cliesil Bank as seen from the Terrace. 
Sketch by Mr. T. G. Hill. 
of these ravines. It is taken from the foot of a buttress where it 
joins the terrace. The sides and floor of the nearest ravine are 
bare of plants except for the solitary bush of Suceda fruticosa 
around which shingle is being thrown. The flat top of the buttress 
(above the bush) bears scattered plants of Silene maritima, whilst 
beyond this is a succession of other ravines and buttresses. The 
water’s edge is outside the picture to the right, about twenty feet 
