Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 1 (1897).djvu/465



the Introduction to his 'Birds of Norfolk,' the late Mr. Stevenson gave an admirable description of the physical features of the county of Norfolk, in which he pointed out that its surface might be sharply divided into six very distinct sections, both with relation to the very marked characters of each area, and also in the light of its distinctive fauna and flora. These divisions, which may be traced with the greatest precision on the map, he designated—1st, "the Broad" district, including the great alluvial plains bordering the sluggish rivers of East Norfolk, which have always hitherto been known as "Marshes," Reed Bonds, or Levels; 2nd, the "Cliff"; 3rd, the Meal, consisting of sandy warrens and salt-marshes near the coast; 4th, the "Breck," consisting of the extensive (for the most part unenclosed) lands and sheep-walks to the west and south-west of the county; 5th, the "Fen," confined to the south-west border; and 6th, the "Inclosed," or more highly cultivated portion, constituting the east central division of the county, extending from north to south. It is only with the first and fifth of these divisions that we have here to deal, and my purpose in contributing the following remarks is to protest against the misuse of the term "Fens," which has of late been frequently applied (e.g. in your own Journal, p. 351) to the fine tracts, mostly of

Zool. 4th ser. vol. I., October, 1897.