62 A. BE. Verrill— The Bermuda Islands. 474 
similar way. (See p. 427 and plates Ixxxviii, Ixxxix.) The sea has 
here washed out vast quantities of soft rock or scarcely consolidated 
sand, such as occurs in many places along that coast, and has left the 
harder parts standing as large, roughly fretted and fluted columns, 
12 to 15 feet high, which are partly roofed over by the upper and 
harder layers of limestone. (See under Geology.) These column- 
like rocks are very curious and picturesque, but are neither so tall 
nor so massive as they appear to be from the photographs. 
Similar rocks, but not roofed over, exist at Tobacco Bay, a cove 
near Fort Catherine, on St. George’s Island, and in other localities. 
(See plates Ixxx, fig. 1, xe, fig. 1, and Part IV, ch. 49, Geology.) 
10.—Sand Dunes and Drifting Sands. 
As the entire mass of the land consists of hardened sand-dunes, we 
should naturally expect to see the process of forming them still 
actively going on. But at present this is not the case, except in one 
well marked district at Tucker’s Town, near the southeastern end of 
the Main Island, and in a few other very local spots. 
At the time that Matthew Jones wrote, 1872 to 1876, there were 
extensive moving sands on the south side of the Paget hills, near 
Elbow Bay. Even as late as the visit of the Challenger (1883) 
those sands were still moving, and both Moseley and Themson gave 
very interesting accounts of them. At that time there was to be 
seen the chimney of a small stone house projecting above one of the 
sand-dunes, all of the rest of the house having been buried in the 
sand.* Partially buried trees were then visible, with their dead 
branches projecting out of the sand. But within a few years these 
drifting sands at Elbow Bay have become practically quiescent and 
fixed. Matthew Jones, in 1876, gave the following detailed account 
of these sand-dunes, which is of interest as showing the contrast. 
with the present stationary condition. 
“On arriving at the northeast corner of the sand-hills, the 
encroachment of the drifting sand will at once be perceived ; as the 
mass, some ten feet in depth, is now gradually covering a small 
garden. According to the observations made by persons residing 
close to, this overwheming body has advanced over the cultivated 
land about eighty yards, during the last twenty-five years. At the 
northeast corner of the hills, will be seen among some oleander trees 
near the top, the chimney of a cottage which formerly stood there, 
* Another house is said to have been buried at Tucker’s Town, but the chimney 
is said to have been dug out, for the sake of the bricks and stone. 
