Hunt — On the Action of Waves on 8ea-beaches, 8fc. 249 



to show how easily students of wave-action may be misled by a 

 misinterpretation of isolated observations : — 



(1). Sept. 3, 1883. — Cove under St. Lawrence, Isle of Wight. 

 Heavy sea. Waves, six per minute. Strand, small flint shingle, 

 or coarse sand. Tide rising. The waves carried off every stone I 

 placed on the beach, about mean water level, without apparently 

 disturbing the coarse sand. One of the stones was nearly spherical, 

 and some ten inches in diameter. 



(2). Sept. 27, 1882.— Sands under Torbay Hotel, Torquay. 

 Wind N.W., along shore. Small waves breaking on the sands 

 from S.W. Low water. Whilst wading, observed the motions of 

 light objects on the bottom. Could not see that they were driven 

 forwards by the waves, but observed that they were driven to lee- 

 ward by the wind, which seemed to drive the water before it, and 

 to cause a current. When the tide was flowing quickly, light ob- 

 jects ((?. g. an empty echinus shell) were driven before it shore- 

 wards, rather fast ; but here it was clearly the tidal current that 

 was the motive power. Where the surf was breaking I could not 

 see the bottom, though only a few inches below the surface. I 

 came to the conclusion that the sand was stirred up by the plung- 

 ing waves, and that what became of it then must depend upon 

 currents. 



(3). Sept. 28, 1882.— Sands (flat) atLivermead. Tide flowing. 

 Determined to ascertain whether the little " translation " waves 

 running along the shallow water, with their forward slopes 

 apparently high above the level of the water in front, had any 

 power to drive objects before them. A piece of large leathery sea- 

 weed (/amtwan'rt) showed a decided tendency to go shorewards; but. 

 this arose from the fact that it was carried along bodily by the 

 shoreward current, to whose impulse it yielded at once ; whereas, 

 having anchored itself when the current slackened, it did not start 

 seawards till the gradually increasing outward current had attained 

 considerable velocity, and spent much of its power. A piece of 

 heavy water-soaked stick was carried away seawards much faster 

 than the piece of laminaria was carried shorewards. The stick 

 was too heavy for the incoming waves to lift, and had to be rolled 



