1890. | NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 33 
the region ; it forms one of arange parallel to the coast, and the 
sonorous slope faces the sea. The sand consists of ordinary 
quartz intermingled with a few broken shells. The sound pro- 
duced by the sliding sand Mr. Waddell likened to that of bells, 
or rather to that made by rubbing the moistened finger on the 
edge of a glass bowl ; not having a musical ear, he was unable 
to recall the pitch. , 
The phenomenon was known to some of the Mexicans in the 
party, who narrated the following legend: Many centuries ago 
there wasa flourishing monastery at this place, but, owing to the 
wickedness of the monks, it was overwhelmed by drifting sand. 
The monastery bells, however, were not involved in the fall of 
the monks, having been blessed with due ceremony by high 
ecclesiastics, hence the sound of these holy bells is still heard 
at matins and vespers. The tradition resembles that of Jebel 
Nagous, Arabia, so far as the monastery bells are concerned, 
but is ingenious in accounting for both the underground state 
of the priestly establishment and the survival of the music-yield- 
ing bells. 
There are no villages in the vicinity of this sand-hill, and the 
ranches in the arid and desolate Peninsula are widely scattered ; 
there is no business for commercial men, no attraction for tour- 
ists, and the region is rarely visited by scientific travellers. 
Ill. Additional Localities—Theories. 
Several localities of peculiar interest have been reported to 
Dr. Julien and myself, which I desire to place on record, 
especially as by so doing public thanks can be given to infor- 
mants. While sonorous sand has been shown to occur on the 
shores of fresh-water lakes, on sea-beaches, and in arid regions 
far removed from the sea, we have had no proof until recently 
of its occurrence on rivers. Mr. William De M. Hooper, of In- 
dianapolis, reports observing musical sand on the east bank of 
the river Wisconsin, about two and one-half miles above Kil- 
bourn City, Wis. It lies in several banks near the mouth of a 
small gulch leading into the river. The scenery of the so-called 
Dells of the Wisconsin is very picturesque and attracts many 
visitors. It was in company with Prof. Fifield, of New Haven, 
and on July 13th, 1886, that this locality was noted. ‘The river 
was low at the time, and thedry sand loudly sonorous. 
Similar phenomena were observed on a shallow spot in the 
Mississippi River, opposite Carondelet, by Mrs. Stoltz and her 
brother, of Waimea, in September, 1875. Being familiar with 
the Barking Sands of Kauai, only ten miles from her home, the 
lady collected samples from the river and exhibited them to 
