1884. "3 Trans. N. Y. Ac. Scis 
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. Ejigg 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 Sczence, 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 
