478 A. JE. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 



Town, and he gave a good history of the beginning of these invasions 

 of sand. After discussing that near Elbow Bay (see under Geology), 

 he gives the following account of this region : — 



" There is another encroachment at Tucker's Town, said to have 

 taken place about sixty years ago [about 1777] ; and has crossed the 

 neck between Harrington's Sound and the sea ; but beyond this it 

 does not seem inclined to move. The sand has not been stopped at 

 the eastern extremity of the beach, where the bluffs commence, by 

 their very considerable declivity, — though it has been most effectually 

 at the crest of the slope, by a natural fence of sage bush, growing 

 partly in the soil and partly in the sand ; which, as it ascended, 

 seems to have thus rolled on with the seeds of destruction to its 

 progress, in its own bosom. 



The same operations appear to have occurred throughout the sand 

 tracts at and near Great Turtle Bay." 



From this description it seems that the vegetation, at this very 

 exposed place, has not been able to much more than hold its ground 

 against the sand, but Nelson's account is too general to permit us 

 to decide whether there has been any marked change in the extent 

 of these dunes during the last 70 years. It would seem that there 

 has not been any radical change in that period, though there may 

 have been long periods of comparative rest. 



Nelson also gives a more detailed account of the origin and pro- 

 gress of the sand-dunes at Elbow Bay, which I shall discuss under the 

 geology. He states that it began on the land of a Mr. Lightbourne, 

 in consequence of the cutting away the brush and disturbing the 

 surface to build a fort and military road, about 1763. When he 

 studied the dunes (183:3) they were in very active progress and the 

 sands had reached the height of 180 feet, but he observed that they 

 were invariably stopped by a row of cedars, or by thickets of sage 

 bush (Lantana). 



Nelson also gives an account of an important change in the con- 

 figuration of Shelly Bay, since 1804, due to the cutting of the brush 

 on the sand-hills for fuel, and thus starting the sand to drifting, 

 until the seaside sand-hills were swept away and thus permitted the 

 invasion of the sea. (See plate lxviii, fig. 1.) 



"In 1810 Shelhy Bay scarcely existed; Avhat is now the mouth, 

 was at that time a row of sand hills, and the road on the north side 

 lay close within. Some free blacks who lived there, being in want of 

 fuel, cut down the plants which kept these sand-hills in a solid state. 

 Being no longer duly opposed, the sea quickly broke through, and 

 now retains possession of the ground at least 100 yards in rear of the 



