NATURAL HISTORY.
In the department of Natural History, this district possesses but little which is deserving of particular notice. Of birds there are none which can now be considered peculiar to this part, the drainage of the fen lands having entirely banished the great variety of aquatic birds which used, previous to that event, to be found here.
A variety of plants, many of which are of rare occurrence in other parts, are indigenous to this neighbourhood: a list of them is given in the following table.
| Names of the Plants.
| Where found.
|
| Achillea ptarmica
| Bridle road to Hemingby
|
| Agrimonia eupatoria
| Ditto.
|
| Alchemilla vulgaris
| Ditto.
|
| Alisma plantago
| Ditto, wet ditches.
|
| Allium ursinum
| Tetford Wood.
|
| Anemone nemorosa
| Tetford and Thornton Woods.
|
| Antirrhinum linaria
| Horncastle, dry banks.
|
| Arabis thaliana
| Ditto, sandy grounds.
|
| Artemisia vulgaris
| Ditto, long hedge.
|
| Artemisia absinthium
| Tetford.
|
| Arum maculatum
| West Ashby.
|
| Asperula odorata
| Tetford, Stovin, and Whitehall Woods
|
| Asplenium adiantum
| Tattershall.
|
| Berberis vulgaris
| Scrivelsby, Horncastle,
|
| Betonica officinalis
| Tetford and Stovin Woods,
|
| Bryonia dioica
| Horncastle, West Ashby.
|
| Campanula trachelium
| Tetford Wood, Revesby.
|
| Cardamine hirsuta
| Bridle road to Hemingby.
|
| Carduus marianus
| Stovin Wood, Kirkstead.
|
| Centaurea scabiosa
| Horncastle, long hedge.
|
| Chironia pulchella
| Ditto, Blind lane, Scrivelsby road.
|
| Cichorium intybus
| Revesby.
|
| Cineraria palustris
| Sturton.
|
| Comarum palustre
| West Ashby furze-hill.
|
| Cornus sanguinea
| Horncastle, woodcock-lane.
|
| Convallaria majalis
| Bardney.
|
| Cynoglossum officinali
| Martin, Thornton.
|
| Crepis biennis
| Thornton, West Ashby.
|
| Digitalis purpurea
| Holbeck, Salmonby.
|
| Dipsacus sylvestris
| Horncastle.
|
| Drosera longifolia
| Tattershall.
|
| Drosera rolundifolia
| Ditto.
|
| Echium vulgare
| West Ashby.
|
| Erica vulgaris
| Moor.
|
| Erysimum alliaria
| Poolham.
|
| Eriophorum angustifolium
| Bridle road to Hemingby.
|
| Eupatorium cannabinum
| Tetford.
|
| Frugaria vesca
| Somersby.
|
| Galeobdolon luteum.
| Tetford and Stovin Woods.
|
| Genista anglica
| Horncastle.
|
| Gentiana amarella
| Greetham, Hemingby.
|
| Gentiana pneumonanthe
| Tattershall Park.
|
| Geum rivale
| Horncastle, wet meadows.
|
| Geum urbanum
| Ditto, banks of the Old Bane.
|
| Galium saxatile
| Moor.
|
| Hedysarum onobrychis
| Golceby.
|
| Hottonia palustris
| Thornton Mill.
|
| Hydrocotyle vulgaris
| Bridle road to Hemingby.
|
| Hyosciamus nigrum
| Hemingby, Baumber, Roughton.
|
| Hypericum audrosæmum
| Tattersall.
|
| Hypericum perfoliatum
| Ditto.
|
| Hypericum pulchrum
| Tattershall.
|
| Hypericum elodes
| Bridle road to Hemingby.
|
| Hydrocharis morsus ranæ
| Ditto.
|
| Iris pseudacorus
| Bridle road to Hemingby.
|
| Jasione montana
| Horncastle.
|
| Ligustrum vulgare
| Edlington, West Ashby.
|
| Linum perenne
| High Tointon.
|
| Lonicera periclymenum
| Holbeck, Roughton.
|
| Lycopsis europæus
| Horncastle.
|
| Lysimachia nemorum
| Roughton.
|
| Lythrum salicaria
| Thornton mill.
|
| Lychnis flos cuculi, var. flor. alb.
| West Ashby furze-hill.
|
| Malaxis paludoso
| Moor.
|
| Melampyrum pratense
| Tetford and Stovin Woods.
|
| Menyanthes trifoliata
| Horncastle.
|
| Myrica gali
| Moor.
|
| Ophyris apifera
| Mareham-le-fen.
|
| Ophrys ovato
| Thornton Wood.
|
| Oxalis acetosella
| Tetford Wood.
|
| Ophioglossum
| Langton, Stixwold.
|
| Ononis arvensis
| Horncastle.
|
| Orchis mascula
| Tetford and Thornton Woods.
|
| Orchis maculata
| Ditto.
|
| Orobus tuberosus
| Daw-Wood.
|
| Parietaria officinalis
| Horncastle Church, Kirkstead Abbey.
|
| Paris quadrifolia
| Tetford Wood.
|
| Parnassia palustres
| Horncastle.
|
| Pedicnlaris palustris
| Ditto.
|
| Pinguicula vulgaris
| Tattershall.
|
| Polygonum bistorta
| Horncastle.
|
| Poterium sanguisorba
| Ditto.
|
| Primula elatior
| Thornton Wood.
|
| Pyrethrum parthenium
| Wilksby.
|
| Ranunculus flammula
| Ditto.
|
| Ranunculus lingua
| Woodhall wharf.
|
| Reseda luteola
| Tetford Wood.
|
| Rhamnus catharticus
| Thimbleby.
|
| Rubus idæus
| Wood at Somersby.
|
| Sagittaria sagittifolia
| Thornton Mill.
|
| Salvia verbenaca
| Horncastle.
|
| Sanicula europea
| Stovin and Tetford Woods.
|
| Saponaria officinalis
| Baumber, West Ashby, Horncastle.
|
| Scandix pecten veneris
| Hemingby.
|
| Scilla bifolia
| Thornton Wood.
|
| Scrophularia aquatica
| Bridle road to Hemingby.
|
| Serratula tinctoria
| Thornton, Stovin and Tetford Woods
|
| Solanum dulcamara
| Horncastle, Golceby.
|
| Solidago virga aurea
| Tattershall.
|
| Spartium scoparium
| West Ashby, Harrington.
|
| Spirea fillipendula
| Bridle road to Hemingby.
|
| Tamus communis
| West Ashby.
|
| Tanacetum vulgare
| Salmonby, Golceby.
|
| Teucrium scorodonia
| Holbeck, Salmonby.
|
| Tormentilla repens
| Bridle road to Hemingby, Scrivelsby.
|
| Trachelium majus
| Revesby.
|
| Tussilago farfara
| Horncastle.
|
| Tussilago hybrida
| Horncastle, Hemingby.
|
| Tussilago petasites
| Horncastle.
|
| Typha latifolia
| Tetford.
|
| Vaccinium oxycoccum
| Moor.
|
| Valeriana sylvestris
| Horncastle, Tattershall.
|
| Verbascum
| Tetford Wood.
|
| Verbena officinales
| West Ashby.
|
| Vinca major
| Salmonby.
|
| Viola albus
| Edlington.
|
| Viola canina
| Tetford Wood.
|
| Viola hirta
| Ditto.
|
| Viola tricolor
| Holbeck, Salmonby, Tetford.
|
Minerals occur rarely in this part, and in very small quantities. Lumps of sulphuret of iron in the oolite stratum, earthy oxide of iron and prussiate of iron in a valley at Salmonby, and a stalactitic oxide of iron in the ferruginous gravel, comprise all the varieties which have yet been found.
Although organic remains are to be found in some parts of this district in considerable quantities, yet they do not include many varieties. The following list of those now in the collection of the author, comprises one of almost every species which has yet been found.
From the Chalk Stratum. No. 2.
A cast within some bivalve Venus.
A cast within Terebratula semiglobosus. Sowerby’s Mineral Conchology, 15 and 59.
From the Sand Stone Stratum. No. 5.
An Ammonites, curious and not named. It is without a keel; else like Ammonites inflatus.
A Cardita. Sowerby’s Mineral Conchology, 197.
An Inoceramus.
An Unio.
A Terebratula approaching glaber.
A Terebratula approaching acerminatus.
A cast within a bivalve, not named.
A cast within a Trochus.
From the Shale or Clunch Clay. No. 6.
An Os Femoris of some large quadruped.
Part of a large Vertebræ.
Part of a small Vertebræ.
An Ammonites, not named.
A Venus equales. Sowerby’s Mineral Conchology, 21.
An Ostrea crista galli. Linnæus.
A Cardita.
An Unio hybrida. Sowerby’s Mineral Conchology, 154, fig. 2.
An Ostrea under valve, with a cast of the inside of the upper valve.
A Griphites incurva. Sowerby’s Mineral Conchology, 112, 1 and 2.
An Ammonites seratus. Sowerby’s Mineral Conchology, 24.
An Inoceramus Cuvierii hinge.
Several Unios.
A piece composed entirely of shells, the chief part of which are the Serpula auricula. It also contains an inside cast of a small turretted shell.
From the beds of Ferruginous Gravel in Alluvium of Shale. No. 8.
A Madrepore.
An Alcyonium, or Spongites.
An Astarte.
A cast of Shell, not named.
An Echinus.
A cast of an Unio indistinct.
A part of a Spongites.
An Ostrea, with a cast of the upper valve.
An impression of a Cactus, or an Euphorbia, or some other Oriental plant. Sowerby’s Mineral Conchology, 40.
In the valley at Salmonby, near to the spot where the earthy oxide of iron is found, is a chalybeate spring, the water of which is of the same nature as that of Tunbridge, but much stronger.
APPENDIX