1890. | NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 3t 
Il. California. 
In previous communications we have enumerated over 70 
localities of musical sand in the United States. With few ex- 
ceptions, all of these were on the Atlantic coast, our efforts to 
secure by correspondence information as to the Pacific coast 
having been at that time rather unsatisfactory. 
During the earlier part of this summer I examined in person 
the sea-coast of California at several points, and with the follow- 
ing results. Beginning at the southern extremity of the State, 
I first visited 
1. Coronado Beach, San Diego. At this agreeable spot so- 
norous sand occurs in abundance, though of inferior quality. I 
first noticed it alongside of Prof. Henry A. Ward’s Museum of 
Natura] History, near the Hotel del Coronado, and traced it at 
intervals for more than 1,500 feet west and the same distance 
east of this place; as the beach appears to be uniform in charac- 
ter, it probably occurs througbout the entire length, about ten 
miles. ‘The musical sand occupies areas of various sizes in a 
belt six to twenty feet wide above the ordinary high-tide line ; 
a less sonorous variety, emitting a shriller note, also occurs be- 
low the high-tide line on the surface only. Under the foot the 
sand is distinctly sonorous, and a tingling sensation is perceived 
in the toes when thrust into it forcibly; but these phenomena 
were less marked at the time of my visit than they are at Higg, 
Manchester, Mass., Rockaway, N. Y., and other places. In a 
baga loud sound is obtained. There are no dunes in the imme- 
diate vicinity. The areas of loudest intensity evidently change 
their position from day to day, or season to season ; a certain area 
giving notable results one afternoon became moistened by an 
unusually high tide during the night and was thus deprived of 
its acoustic properties. 
2. Santa Barbara. Very weak, superficial sonorous sand was 
detected on the bathing beach near the long pier. The locality 
is unfavorable, owing to abundance of alge and narrowness of 
the sand-belt. 
3. Redondo Beach, near Los Angeles. No sonorous sand was 
detected at the time of my visit (July 2d). 
4, Monterey. Affirmative results at two places. On the 
bathing beach near the much-frequented Hotel del Monte is a 
tract of loose sand highly sonorous, equal, apparently, in power to 
that of Manchester, etc. ; also at Moss Beach on the so-called 
seventeen-mile drive. The sand here is unusually white and 
transparent, and is fairly sonorous on the surface. 
5. Pescadero. Sonorous sand has been reported by several 
