E.C. Aldrich 1937. which I don't know the reason, unless it is due to the steepness of the shore itself. Since the oil floats on the water it would naturally be deposited more easily on flat surfaces where the water can seep into the sand leaving the oil as residue. On a steep shore the waves recede so fast that it takes the oil with it back into the surf. In some places the sand of the entire beach was colored a dense iridescent black to a depth of 8". For the most part, however, oil on the beaches was present in blobs averaging perhaps 2" in diameter x 1/2" thick. These blobs were very heavy and of nearly the consistency of grease; thier volatile parts gone, leaving an almost asphalt base. On the shore the blobs were concentrated in the masses of driftwood. In these masses were where we looked for the birds in particular. The oil seems to hold much debris