DAVIS. — OUTLINE OF CAPE COD. 323 



Illustration from the Coast of New Jersey. 



An example suitable for illustration of this case is found in the rela- 

 tion of Sandy hook to the Long Brancli cliffs on the New Jersey coast, 

 as exhibited on the excellent topographical maps of that State. Al- 

 though now protected by the spit of Sandy hook, both Riirasor neck 

 and the Highlands of Navesink are truncated by sea cliffs. The 

 truncation must have been accomplished before the spit was built, and 

 therefore before the Long Branch cliff had been pushed back to its 

 present position. Stage 3, Figure 5, essentially represents this rela- 

 tion. In the change from earlier stages to the present, the 'long-shore 

 action has increased in consequence of the general smoothing of the 

 outline, and the direction of 'long-shore movement has been somewhat 

 changed ; so that now instead of carrying the waste from the Long 

 Branch cliff directly to the truncated headlands next north, it is carried 

 along an independent path forming the spit of Sandy hook outside of 

 the line of truncation. It is interesting to notice that the Long Branch 

 cliffs were evenly graded, and that the spit was formed rather early in 

 the general attack of the sea on the land hereabouts, and that a very 

 slight change in the outline of the chief cliff sufficed to cause the growth 

 of the spit outside of the subordinate cliffs further north. The various 

 fluctuations in the growth of the spit and the intermittent destruction 

 of its slender bar are described in the Annual Report of the New Jersey 

 Geological Survey for 1885, p. 78. 



The Long Branch cliff has for some time been retreating under the 

 blows of the Atlantic breakers. The farther it retreats the longer the 

 stretch of cliff becomes ; it is undoubtedly much longer now than for- 

 merly. It may be fairly inferred that the two great spits, to the south 

 as well as to the north of the cliff, have always been, as now, essentially 

 tangent to the cliff front. It follows necessarily that the point of the 

 attachment of the spits to the mainland has shifted, and that the spits 

 have also been pushed backward at equal pace with the retreat of the 

 cliff. With these conclusions in mind, the problem of High head and 

 the northeast bar may at last be taken up. 



Growth of the Provincelands. 



There is good reason to think that the analogy between Sandy 

 hook and the Provincelands pointed out by Admiral Davis may be 

 carried much further than he suspected. The great convex cliff line 

 on the back of the Cape corresponds to the slightly convex line of the 

 Long Branch cliff ; the northeast cliff of High head is the counterpart 



