SAND DUNES 



together with the bending of the trees, sug- 

 gested the possibility of some motion down 

 the slope. On May 30th, the face of the " gla- 

 cier ' ' was covered with sand, but marks made 

 on a tree showed that the drift had sunk forty- 

 two inches since May 8th. A week later, on 

 June 6th, I dug for the glacier but could not 

 find it. 



While these snowbanks in the dunes are 

 suggestive of alpine glaciers, the ice forma- 

 tions on the beach and ocean are suggestive 

 of the polar seas. Both are miniatures of the 

 real thing. During severe frosts an ice cliff 

 forms at the upper edge of the beach, and this 

 presents to the advancing tide a sea-wall from 

 two to eight feet high. Against this the waves 

 beat, and the spray flung up on the top freezes 

 and adds to the height. While the top is fairly 

 smooth, except where it is eaten away by the 

 waves that have broken through it, the sea 

 facade is hoUow^ed into caverns or built out 

 in parapets and festooned here and there with 

 icicles. 



Although the beach itself, uncovered by the 

 tide, is generally free fi^om ice, it is occasion- 

 ally glazed over and strewn with great cakes 

 that in zero weather extend out over the water 



33 



