79 
8oo acres. That of Lymington is of a triangular shape, with a 
maximum length of six miles and a maximum width of almost 
one mile. Including the waterways and so-called “ lakes," or 
open sheets of water, it may be estimated at between two and 
three square miles. 
It has already been stated that the first record of Townsend's 
Spartina dates back to 1870, when it was collected near Hythe, 
but mistaken for the old English Spartina stricta. The extent of 
the Spartina beds near Hythe as they were then, cannot be 
estimated exactly, but they cannot have been either very large 
or old, as no botanist could have overlooked them. Later on, 
in the seventies and; about 1880, it was stated by the brothers 
Groves to occur in considerable abundance on the mudflats above 
and below Hythe, where it was conspicuous among colonies of 
Spartina alterniflora. In 1883 it had not yet travelled beyond 
Cracknore Hard, two miles north of Hythe Pier, but in 1887 it 
was alreadv recorded from Southampton. i hen, towards the 
end of the eighties, something occurred that favoured the spread¬ 
ing of the grass. For in 1893 several strong patches of it were 
observed by the brothers Groves near Yarmouth, and in the same 
year it made itself noticeable at the mouth of Newton River. 
Two years later it was found by Stratton in little creeks on the 
west side of Medina River. All this was in the Isle of \\ ight. 
But it also travelled eastwards. In 1899 it was, for the first 
time, collected near Bosham and Chichester, in 1900 in Hayling 
Island and near Havant and Emsworth, in 1901 in Thorney 
Island. This was at the eastern end of the area. On the western 
side we find it first recorded from the Lymington area in 1903. 
Two years later Dr. J. Cosmo Melvill found the salt marsh 
near Keyhaven (in the same area) overrun with it, although nine 
or ten years previously there was no trace of it there. By that 
time it had also established itself in Beaulieu River. By 1907 it 
had run up the river to within half-a-mile of Beaulieu village, 
forming in places dense beds. In Poole Harbour it appeared in 
1899, when Mansel-Pleydell pointed out a single small clump in 
the roadstead of Poole. In 1905 it was found in some quantity 
by the Fever Hospital, whereas in 1907 it was described as occur¬ 
ring in the Plarbour in hundreds of clumps. .There was then 
Tittle of it to the south-east of Parkstone Bay, and the last clump 
was observed in a sheltered position where West Road comes 
down to the shore. To-day it has advanced almost to the Haven. 
In 1907 the clumps could be counted in Hole Bay. Since then 
they have multiplied enormously, and in many places run 
together. Mr. Sherring also traced it all over the western 
bays and creeks of Poole Harbour. The grass also 
occurs on the North Coast of the_ Isle of Wight, from 
King’s Quay to near Binstead, in the Hamble 1 River, 
and in a few other places on the east side of Southamp¬ 
ton Water, and in Portsmouth and Langston Harbours. Some 
six or seven years ago a small colony was reported from Little- 
