12 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [oCT. 13, 



sounding. The captain of our boab, a reliable man^ told me 

 that in the '*Pine Yard " was a liole similar to this one, in which 

 he had found no bottom with a line over thirty fathoms in 

 length. Before attempting to explain the formation of these 

 ocean-holes it will be well to describe what the natives call 



Boiling-Holes. 



The first of these I was shown on Andros in a small creek 

 that runs into Conch Sound. The top of the hole was about 

 a foot under water at low tide, and close to the mangroves that 

 formed the side of the creek. It was about seven feet in length 

 and about two or three wide. Below the diameter increased, 

 forming an overhanging ledge. When the tide was low in the 

 creek, but rising outside, the clear sea-water could be distinctly 

 seen ascending, thus producing the same appearance as that 

 presented by a mixture of sulphuric acid and water. Suspended 

 particles could also be seen rising. 



While sailing past Eat Cay, near Mastic Point, another ''boil- 

 ing-hole^' was seen that was apparently about ten feet in diame- 

 ter, and from a distance we could see a perceptible "boil" on 

 the surface that was undoubtedly caused by the rising water. 

 Our captain said that when the tide was falling the water in the 

 hole went " down and round " — which statement I believe, as the 

 water was rising with some force, and probably ran out again 

 with sufficient rapidity to cause a small whirlpool. In another 

 boiling-hole near Mangrove Cay the water was seen ascending. 



These facts prove not only that an underground connection 

 exists between these holes and the ocean, but that the connec- 

 tion is an open one, so that the water can flow freely through 

 it, and thus the pressure resulting from the passing tidal wave 

 is shown before the tide commences to rise on the shore. The 

 ocean-holes, I believe, can be explained by supposing them to 

 be old boiling-holes in which the connection has been stopped 

 up, and their greater size caused by the falling-in of the ledge 

 on the edge, which would aid in the stoppage. I regret that I 

 have no facts to offer on the depth of the boiling-holes, for the 

 only one I stopped to examine was at Conch Sound, and this one 

 ran under the ledge, so that its depth could not be determined. 

 The ocean-hole at Nicols Town, described above, is also, I believe, 

 an old ocean-hole now elevated. 



Banana-Holes. 



These are holes found mainly on the elevated parts of the land 

 on both New Providence and Andros. They contain a quantity 



