CU SPATE FORELANDS AT BAY OF QUINTE 109 



The material which forms the loose debris of the shore is in 

 part derived from the wasting of the cliffs, in part from the gla- 

 cial deposits. The material which forms the single spit which 

 occurs on the east side of the middle section, and also that of 

 the spit which occurs on the north side of the eastern section of 

 the bay, seem to be wholly of glacial origin. The materials of 

 the three forelands and the flying spit which occur along the 

 south side of the eastern section of the bay are largely derived 

 from the bed-rock where it outcrops along the shore, but there 

 is a slight admixture of gravels derived from the glacial deposits. 



MOVEMENTS OF THE WATERS OF THE BAY OF QUINTE. 



Ctirre?its.- — Before describing each of the spits in detail, and 

 ■discussing the question of their origin, it is considered advisable 

 to say a word about the movements of the waters of the bay. 

 As is well known, there are no appreciable tides on the Great 

 Lakes ; hence tidal currents do not enter as a factor in the dis- 

 tribution of shore waste. The volume of water discharged by 

 tributary streams into the upper part of this bay is considerable, 

 but its ratio to the total amount of water in the bay is so small 

 that no appreciable outflowing currents are set up. It is alto- 

 gether doubtful that any portion of the bay water below Deso- 

 ronto has a normal current from this cause of over a mile per 

 day. 



The seiches of Lake Ontario periodically affect the height of 

 the water of Kingston. Accurate data are not at hand to permit 

 of any statement of their exact periodicity, but by calculation 

 it should be about sixteen hours between wave-crests. The change 

 at Kingston ordinarily does not exceed a foot and a half, except 

 during and after exceptional storms, when it is much greater. 

 The water that is backed into the bay at the time the crest of the 

 seiche-wave is at Kingston must theoretically cause an oscillatory 

 movement in the bay, as the crest and trough of the seiche- 

 wave travel up the bay. At Napanee, at the head of the naviga- 

 ble portion of the Napanee River, about seven miles above 

 Desoronto, this seiche-wave often makes a difference in water 

 level of about 3 feet. Here, however, the water is backed 



