Literature Relating to Staten Island 17 



For example, the Cretaceous clays which underlie the entire region 

 are stated to have been " deposited here when the great Laurentian 

 glacier moved down from the north." As a matter of fact the 

 evidences of glaciation are relatively inconspicuous, and in places 

 are lacking entirely, — the surface material, over certain areas, be- 

 ing composed of either recent dune sand or Tertiary sands and 

 gravels. There are no glacial clays and but little glacial till in 

 sight. In other words this portion of Staten Island is geolog- 

 ically a part of the adjacent coastal plain of New Jersey, which 

 accounts for the many floral elements that they have in com- 

 mon and which are not found elsewhere on the island. The 

 author's lack of knowledge in regard to these elemental facts, 

 which have been so frequently described and discussed, is some- 

 what difficult to understand. 



Incidentally, also, it is amusing to note the following paragraph : 

 " In many places one could gather quantities of salt-water clam 

 shells in the sand, showing that at a comparatively recent period 

 this portion of the island was submerged." Evidently the Indian 

 shell heaps and " kitchen middens," the constituents of which are 

 spread over acres of ground in this region, were characteristic 

 features with which the author was not acquainted, and the wind- 

 blown dune sand was mistaken for a water deposit. 



A. H. 



A Long Cruise in a Little Ship® 



This is a pleasingly written and well illustrated description of a 

 trip from Casco Bay, Me., to Great Kill, Staten Island, in a 

 twenty-five foot sailboat, accomplished by tvyo of our well known 

 local sailing enthusiasts who are designated, very modestly, as 

 " the skipper " and " the mate," but whose -identity as Mr. and 

 Mrs. H. Prescott Wells, of Great Kill, is revealed in their por- 

 traits. To those who appreciate roughing it more or less, with 

 the added spice of some danger, actual and potential, this little 

 sketch will be appreciated and will prove both amusing and inter- 



^ By " the Mate," Yachting, Nov. 1913 : 246-248; Dec. 1913 : 301-304,. 13 f. 



