THE VEGETATION OF MONTAUK 



27 



water is due to shallow or steep sides to the kettleholes. When it is re- 

 membered that no two kettleholes are topographically the same, few if 

 any of similar depth, it is not surprising that a variety of conditions is to 

 be found. There is, of course, one qualification to this statement regarding 

 the presence of water in the kettleholes. Hundreds of shallow ones, too 



miLS'M'^ 



Figure 5. Pen and ink sketch contributed by Dr. R. L. Dickinson of the same 

 kettlehole as shown in figure four. Note condition of water on July 31, 1921, when the 

 sketch was made and position of water in September, 1920. In August, 1918, the kettle- 

 hole was filled with watef. 



near the tops of the Downs to be near the general watertable of the Point, 

 have no water near their bottoms, and most of these contain no trees but 

 stunted ones such as are found among the patches of "bush" described 

 with the Downs. Some, also, of these upland kettleholes, often mere 

 depressions, have only characteristic grassland vegetation in them. 



Whether or not this be the true explanation of the presence or absence 

 of water in the kettleholes, the fact remains that all low ones are in one of 

 three categories: open water, seasonal ponds that dry by midsummer, or a 

 water-table that is below ground-level. 



The purely seasonal nature of many of these kettleholes is well illustrated 

 by one of them between the Inn and Culloden Point. On August 13, 

 191 8, the bottom of the kettlehole was filled with water. In September, 

 1920, the same place had, as the accompanying photograph shows (Fig. 4), 

 less than half as much water. On July 31, 1921, the water had reached the 

 same level as in 19 18, well shown by the sketch (Fig. 5) kindly made of the 



