﻿512 
  Nichols: 
  The 
  vegetation 
  of 
  Connecticut 
  

  

  1 
  

  

  areas 
  varies 
  with 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  exposure 
  and 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  

   tidal 
  currents. 
  In 
  the 
  more 
  sheltered 
  situations, 
  as 
  in 
  embay- 
  

   ments 
  and 
  behind 
  barrier 
  beaches, 
  the 
  deposit 
  is 
  mostly 
  muddy; 
  

   in 
  less 
  sheltered 
  situations, 
  as 
  along 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  shore 
  which 
  face 
  

   on 
  the 
  open 
  Sound, 
  it 
  is 
  mostly 
  sandy; 
  in 
  relatively 
  exposed 
  situa- 
  

   tions 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  stony. 
  Broadly 
  speaking, 
  all 
  portions 
  of 
  a 
  deposit- 
  

   ing 
  oceanic 
  shore, 
  which 
  lie 
  above 
  low 
  tide 
  level 
  and 
  below 
  the 
  

   topographic 
  form 
  produced 
  by 
  agencies 
  other 
  than 
  the 
  sea, 
  may 
  

   be 
  classed 
  as 
  beach.* 
  Popularly, 
  however, 
  the 
  term 
  beach 
  Is 
  

   generally 
  applied 
  only 
  to 
  sandy 
  or 
  stony 
  shores, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  sense 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  mainly 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  paper, 
  muddy 
  shores 
  (in 
  so 
  

   far 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  tidal 
  marshes) 
  not 
  being 
  classed 
  

   as 
  beach. 
  As 
  above 
  defined, 
  the 
  beach 
  includes 
  only 
  areas 
  of 
  

   water-deposited 
  material; 
  but 
  the 
  concept 
  may 
  conveniently 
  be 
  

  

  r 
  

  

  extended 
  to 
  embrace 
  the 
  contiguous 
  areas 
  of 
  wind-blown 
  sand 
  

   which 
  commonly 
  overlie 
  the 
  higher 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  beach 
  proper. 
  

   Beaches 
  may 
  take 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  spits 
  and 
  off-shore 
  barriers, 
  or 
  they 
  

   may 
  fringe 
  the 
  mainland. 
  In 
  the 
  latter 
  case, 
  the 
  upper 
  limit 
  of 
  

   the 
  beach 
  proper 
  is 
  usually 
  marked 
  by 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  bluffs 
  or 
  sand 
  dunes- 
  

  

  11. 
  THE 
  VEGETATION 
  OF 
  DEPOSITING 
  AREAS 
  AND 
  

  

  ITS 
  ECOLOGICAL 
  RELATIONS 
  

  

  ■t 
  

  

  A. 
  Stony 
  bottoms 
  and 
  beaches 
  

   I. 
  Associations 
  of 
  the 
  sublittoral 
  region 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  occasional 
  areas 
  of 
  stony 
  bottom 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  

   have 
  originated 
  through 
  a 
  process 
  of 
  aggradation 
  rather 
  than 
  one 
  

   of 
  degradation, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  nigh 
  impossible 
  to 
  draw 
  sharp 
  lines 
  

   of 
  demarcation 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  types. 
  On 
  the 
  whole, 
  stony 
  

   bottoms 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  characteristically 
  associated 
  with 
  eroding 
  

   portions 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  than 
  with 
  portions 
  in 
  which 
  deposition 
  pre- 
  

   dominates: 
  in 
  either 
  case 
  they 
  are 
  developed 
  only 
  in 
  fairly 
  exposed 
  

   situations, 
  and 
  in 
  both 
  cases 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  vegetation 
  is 
  

   essentially 
  the 
  same 
  (see 
  preceding 
  paper 
  of 
  this 
  series, 
  p- 
  109). 
  

  

  * 
  In 
  this 
  connection, 
  see 
  especially 
  discussion 
  of 
  Lake 
  Michigan 
  beaches 
  by 
  Cowles 
  

   ('99. 
  pp. 
  112 
  et 
  seq.). 
  of 
  Long 
  Island 
  beaches 
  by 
  Transeau 
  ('13), 
  and 
  of 
  sand 
  formations 
  

   on 
  marine 
  coasts 
  by 
  Olsson-Seffer 
  (*ioa). 
  Cowles. 
  defining 
  the 
  beach 
  in 
  the 
  sense 
  

   given 
  above, 
  distinguishes 
  between 
  xerophytic 
  and 
  hydrophytic 
  beaches. 
  Transeau 
  

   defines 
  the 
  beach 
  as 
  including 
  "all 
  of 
  the 
  areas 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  shore 
  drift 
  in 
  transit." 
  

  

  