78 R. H. Yapp. 
increasing by this means much more rapidly than the “ wet plants.” 
Perhaps the commonest seedlings are those of Spiraea Ulmaria, 
but Rhamnus Frangula, Lysimachia vulgaris, Thalictrum Havutn, 
Lythrum Salicaria, &c., are also abundant. 
Changes in the Vegetation. 
It is probable that in Britain generally, the prevailing climatic 
conditions are less favourable to the rapid growth of peat than 
formerly. 1 Indeed, so far as the Fenland is concerned, some 
writers maintain that peat-formation has practically ceased. 2 
Others say that “ if peat is only removed down to water level, it at 
once begins to grow again, and grows at the rate of a foot in twenty 
years.” 3 In any case, on Wicken Sedge Fen the peat is certainly 
not being denuded, as it is in many parts of Scotland, &cd: and 
though the upward growth may be slow, it can scarcely be doubted 
that the level is gradually, if slowly, rising, and therefore becoming 
drier, by the accumulation of plant remains. 
Moreover, not only is Wicken Fen surrounded for the most 
part by comparatively dry lands; but owing to the system of lodes 
connected with it, inundations are probably much more rare than 
formerly. Thus Wicken Fen is almost undoubtedly, as the older 
Fenmen assert is the case, becoming gradually drier. 
Again, apart from the sweeping changes in the flora brought 
about by the draining of the Fens, it is well known that the flora of 
Wicken Fen itself has undergone changes in quite recent times. 
In addition to the disappearance of some of the rarer species, 
certain of the plants mentioned in Babington’s list of Wicken Fen 
plants 5 would appear to be less common now than formerly. 6 For 
example, Schcenus nigricans is given in the list as one of the 
commonest plants. It is still abundant at Chippenham Fen, but at 
Wicken I have only seen a single tuft, by the side of Wicken Lode. 
1 Lewis, The Sequence of Plant Remains in the British Peat 
Mosses, Science Pi'ogress, Oct. 1907, p. 2. 
3 Miller & Skertchly, l.c., p. 556, and Reed, l.c., p. 224. 
3 Fearnsides, The Geology of Cambridgeshire (in The Nat. Hist. 
of Camb., ed. Marr & Shipley), p. 49. 
4 Lewis, l.c., p. 3. 
6 Babington, Flora of Cambridgeshire, 1860, pp. 312 to 313. 
0 On the other hand, Epipactis lougifolia and Myrica Gale, which 
Babington {l.c., p. 314) mentions as absent from Wicken Fen, 
are now to be found there. Of course a number of other 
additions could be made to Babington’s list. 
