Chapter I 

 THE SEASHORE NATURALIST 



An ancient glacier in its northward retreat over our 

 continent left in the vicinity of Glen Cove a legacy in 

 the form of great masses of stone, gravel, and sand. 

 Centuries of wind and rain have done much to change 

 the general appearance of the original deposits, and 

 they are now resolved into green-clad hills and marshy 

 coves. Owing to the loose character of the soil, the 

 rains have washed out valleys of considerable size, and 

 where these depressions adjoin the waters of Long 

 Island Sound they compose the harbors and coves that 

 give these shores their characteristic aspect. 



But the wind and the rain have not been the only 

 forces to determine the appearance of this region; the 

 sea also has been a mighty factor. Many massive 

 headlands have been slowly crumbling away under the 

 incessant pounding of the waves. And even to-day, the 

 comparatively quiet waters of Hempstead Harbor can 

 be seen Insidiously trying to level the land of the sur- 

 rounding shore. 



Near the mouth of the cove rises a high prominence. 

 The gentle ebb and flow of the tides have laid it open 

 so deeply that it cannot much longer sustain itself in 

 the struggle against the sea; but with the debris thus 

 removed, the waters are building a barrier across the 



I 



