400 HOLLICK 



also describes Cuttyhunk as thickly wooded, principally with 

 beech and cedar. They also found, he says : " red and white 

 strawberries, as sweet and much bigger than ours in England," 

 also raspberries, goosebernes and whortleberries. He next 

 mentions the " great store of deer and other beasts, as appeared 

 from their tracks " and finally states that they all grew fat on 

 the young sea fowl which they found in nests upon the banks 

 and in low trees. 



CONCLUSIONS 



If the superficial facts, as previously outlined, be considered 

 in connection with the adjacent submarine contours,^ it may be 

 readily seen that a comparatively slight elevation would com- 

 pletely drain the channels which now separate the islands from 

 each other and from the mainland and would convert the entire 

 series into a long peninsula, consisting of a range of morainal 

 hills extending in a southwestern direction from Wood's Hole. 



In order to emphasize this point I have prepared the accom- 

 panying map [Plate XV] of the islands, showing the location of 

 the 8 -fathom contour,- together with the few other soundings of 

 greater depth in Buzzard's Bay and Vineyard Sound. From this 

 it may be seen that if the 8-fathom contour be considered as the 

 shore line of a previous period in the history of the region, not 

 only would the islands form a continuous ridge of land, but this 

 ridge would be considerably extended both in length and width 

 and Buzzard's Bay would be almost obliterated. 



If the windings of the contour be followed around it is evident 

 that the indication of the first break which was made through 

 the ridge is at Quick's Hole and that the area which includes 

 Nashaweena, Cuttyhunk and Penikese formed one island before 

 Pasque and Naushon had been separated from each other or 

 from the mainland. Penikese was apparently the next to be 

 isolated, then Cuttyhunk and Nashaweena, then Pasque and 

 finally Naushon. 



1 See Coast Survey Chart No. 1 12. Vineyard Sound and Buzzard's Bay. 



2 Note. — My reason for taking the 8-fathom contour was because a contour of 

 any greater depth would almost entirely eliminate Buzzard's Bay as a former feature of 

 the region. 



