THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST. 



made the basis of extensive contributions to botanical 

 knowledge. 



GEOGRAPHY AND GLACIAL TOPOGRAPHY* 



Long Island belongs to the inner part of the Atlantic 

 Coastal Plain. Its greatest length is 118 miles and its great- 

 est width 23 miles. The south shore is double — the inner 

 or primary shore line is the border of a broad lagoon, — 

 Great South Bay and its extensions ; the outer shore line con- 

 sists of narrow sand reefs of remarkably regular outline 

 enclosing shallow bays and salt marshes. Opportunity is 

 given to observe this double shore line in the annual ex- 

 cursion of the Laboratory to the south shore, Great South 

 Bay being about one hour's drive by automobile from the 

 Laboratory. The north shore is without notable indenta- 

 tion, but the western half is deeply en: bayed by a dozen or 

 more well developed fiords such as Cold Spring Harbor, 

 with steep sides and noteworthy depth of water. Here the 

 fiord is five miles long and hardly a mile wide opening into 

 Long Island Sound, itself an inland sea.** The vegetation 

 of these harbors is well typified by that at Cold Spring 

 Harbor, which has been made the subject of extensive study 

 by Transeau ('13) Johnson, York and Conard ('15), Con- 

 ard ('24). 



The profile section of Long Island north to south as one 

 approaches the shore, indicates first a high plateau going 

 inland. After a number of miles there arises abruptly to 



* Topographic maps of the U. S. Geological Survey dealing with 

 the immediate region of Cold Spring Harbor are those of the Oyster 

 Bay and Northport quadrangles. Others dealing with Long Island 

 are those of Staten Island, Brooklyn, Hempstead, Babylon, Fire Island, 

 Sag Harbor, Easthampton and Montauk quadrangles on the southern 

 shore; the Harlem, Setauket, Moriches, Riverhead, Shelter Island, 

 Gardiner's island on the north shore. Geological Folios have been 

 issued for the Staten Island, Harlem and Brooklyn quadrangles. The 

 prices of the maps are $.10 each when obtained from the Survey, but 

 they may also be obtained from Abercrombie and Fitch, 57 Reade St., 

 N. Y., or at Rancl, McNally Co., 42 E. 22nd St., at a slightly ad- 

 vanced price. 



** The results of a Biological Survey of the waters of Long 

 Island Sound by Dr. P. S. Galtsoff are in preparation and will be 

 published by the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries. 



—6— 



