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  Nichols: 
  The 
  vegetation 
  of 
  Connecticut 
  513 
  

  

  2. 
  Associations 
  of 
  the 
  littoral 
  and 
  supralittoral 
  regions 
  

  

  The 
  associations 
  of 
  sJmtgle 
  beaches.— 
  Along 
  coasts 
  which 
  are 
  

   open 
  to 
  the 
  ocean, 
  beaches 
  of 
  this 
  description 
  — 
  built 
  up 
  very 
  

   largely 
  of 
  water-rounded 
  stones, 
  ranging 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  pebbles 
  up 
  

   to 
  cobbles 
  six 
  inches 
  or 
  more 
  m 
  diameter, 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  cast 
  

   ashore 
  by 
  the 
  heavy 
  seas 
  of 
  winter 
  storms 
  — 
  are 
  the 
  common 
  type; 
  

   Even 
  along 
  the 
  relatively 
  sheltered 
  Connecticut 
  coast 
  the 
  beaches 
  

   of 
  comparatively 
  exposed 
  situations 
  commonly 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   gravelly 
  or 
  stony, 
  | 
  but 
  typical 
  shingle 
  beaches 
  are 
  infrequent. 
  

   The 
  best 
  example 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  writer 
  is 
  at 
  Compo 
  Beach, 
  West- 
  

   port 
  — 
  a 
  rather 
  surprising 
  location, 
  since 
  it 
  lies 
  well 
  toward 
  the 
  

   head 
  of 
  the 
  Sound. 
  Here 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  built 
  up 
  a 
  stony 
  spit, 
  

   perhaps 
  a 
  hundred 
  yards 
  wide 
  and 
  rising 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  feet 
  above 
  

   ordinary 
  high 
  tide 
  level, 
  which 
  extends 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  mainland 
  

   about 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  approximately 
  at 
  right 
  

   angles 
  to 
  the 
  southeasterly 
  winds 
  which 
  here 
  sweep 
  unobstructed 
  

  

  across 
  the 
  Sound. 
  

  

  typ 
  

  

  shingle, 
  consisting, 
  in 
  the 
  supralittoral, 
  of 
  pebbles 
  and 
  small 
  

   cobbles.^ 
  Its 
  vegetation 
  is 
  sparsely 
  developed, 
  comprising 
  a 
  small 
  

   number 
  of 
  herbaceous 
  xerophytes 
  which 
  grow 
  scattered 
  over 
  the 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  beach 
  above 
  high 
  tide 
  level. 
  The 
  following 
  species 
  

   are 
  characteristic: 
  

  

  Chenopodizim 
  album 
  Lalhyrus 
  marilimus 
  

  

  Atriplex 
  patula 
  hastata 
  Solidago 
  sempervirens 
  

  

  Salsola 
  Kali 
  ' 
  Ambrosia 
  artemisii 
  folia 
  

  

  Cakile 
  edentnla 
  ' 
  Xanthium 
  canadense 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  lee 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  spit 
  the 
  substratum 
  is 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  

   stones, 
  gravel, 
  and 
  sand, 
  and 
  here 
  the 
  vegetation, 
  while 
  very 
  open, 
  

   is 
  somewhat 
  more 
  luxuriant, 
  including 
  in 
  particular 
  a 
  varied 
  assort- 
  

  

  * 
  Shingle 
  beaches 
  are 
  well 
  developed, 
  for 
  example, 
  along 
  the 
  Cape 
  Breton 
  coast, 
  

   where 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  in 
  some 
  detail, 
  with 
  several 
  figures, 
  by 
  the 
  

   ('i8, 
  pp. 
  324-330). 
  

  

  t 
  But 
  the 
  stony 
  "beaches*' 
  which 
  commonly 
  are 
  developed 
  along 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  

   eroding 
  bluffs 
  of 
  glacial 
  drift 
  are 
  built 
  up, 
  not 
  of 
  materials 
  washed 
  ashore 
  by 
  the 
  

   waves, 
  but 
  of 
  boulders 
  and 
  stones, 
  originally 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  heterogeneous 
  mass 
  of 
  rock 
  

   waste 
  which 
  comprises 
  the 
  drift, 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  left 
  behind 
  when 
  the 
  finer 
  materials 
  

   were 
  washed 
  out 
  and 
  carried 
  away 
  by 
  the 
  waves. 
  The 
  gradual 
  accumulation 
  in 
  this 
  

   way 
  of 
  boulders 
  along 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  an 
  exposed 
  bluff 
  may 
  come 
  to 
  form 
  an 
  effective 
  

  

  w 
  

  

  protection 
  against 
  excessive 
  wave 
  action. 
  

  

  X 
  It 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  possible 
  to 
  visit 
  this 
  beach 
  at 
  low 
  tide, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  littoral 
  

   region 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  studied. 
  Presumably 
  its 
  vegetation 
  is 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  stony 
  

   shores 
  in 
  the 
  littoral 
  as 
  elsewhere 
  described 
  (Nichols, 
  /.r.. 
  p. 
  iii). 
  

  

  