1884. 73 Tra7is. N. K Ac. Sci- 



proposed now to give an informal personal narrative of his experience 

 in search of " singing beaches," with some of the results. 



His attention was first directed to the curious natural phenomenon 

 known as " musical sand," at a casual visit to Manchester-by-the-Sea, 

 in August, 1882. On making inquiries of distinguished naturalists 

 and geologists at home and abroad, both in person and by letter, 

 and by a long search in State Geological Reports, without result, he 

 found that the phenomenon had been generally overlooked, though it 

 seemed to him worthy of study. He has since that date travelled 

 many thousands of miles and written scores of letters in search of 

 " singing beaches." 



The peculiar squeaking sound made by walking over the dry sand 

 at the Manchester beach has been already described in these pages. 

 Tingling sensations in the toes and fingers, when kicking or stroking 

 the sand, are also noticeable. The acoustic property of the sand is 

 best demonstrated by rubbing between the hands a double handful, 

 which then gives out three or four (perhaps, five) musical notes on a 

 rising scale. The sounds can be heard over one hundred feet. When 

 the sand is removed from the beach it often loses its acoustic proper- 

 ties. 



In July, 1883, the speaker visited Eigg, a small island of the 

 Hebrides group, on which occurs a wonderful " singing beach," dis- 

 covered by Hugh Miller about 1850. Eigg is an interesting island 

 from an historical point of view, having been the scene of a terrible 

 massacre in the sixteenth century ; it is also most interesting to a 

 geologist on account of its lofty peak of pitchstone and other features. 

 The beach itself is about 1,200 feet long, and all the sand possesses 

 marked acoustic properties. The neighboring rocks are Oolitic sand- 

 stone. On the mainland, nearly opposite Eigg, at Ardnish, another 

 locality of sonorous sand occurs, which, however, the speaker did not 

 visit. 



The next singing beach examined by Dr. Bolton was on Lake Cham- 

 plain, near Plattsburg, N. Y., for the clue to which he is indebted to 

 Prof. Albert R. Leeds. At this locality the sand possesses the 

 acoustic properties to a moderate degree ; at least the sounds were 

 not so loud as at Eigg, but this may have been due to the damp 

 weather which prevailed about the time of his visit. A notice of this 

 locality was published in Science, for November 30, 1883. 



Two localities of singing sand were visited by the speaker on Chesa- 

 peake Bay, one about ten miles from Norfolk, Va., and the other near 

 Fortress Monroe. Again the damp weather was unfavorable, and 

 only small areas of sonorous sand were found at the first locality, and 

 none at the second, though it has been reported as occurring there in 



