JONES GEOLOGICAL FEATURES OF THE BERMUDAS. 21 



tiie Calabash tree, wliicli in his tiiiie afforded a cool shade, as it does 

 at the present day, to numerous pic-nic parties. 



In this locality, I have noticed a curious circumstance, which 

 lends a clue to the formation of certain cylindrical masses existing 

 on the shore at Harris Bay and other places. Mr. Richard Wood, 

 the owner of this lovely estate, shovv'ed me certain trees growing out 

 of the solid rock. The stem of one tree, a palmetto, was closely 

 surrounded by the stone, and fitted as tightly as a stove-pipe does 

 into the stone in a chimney. Now when this tree dies there will of 

 course be left a cylindrical hole, and were the rock it exists in within 

 reach of the waves of the sea, this hole which has had its walls hard- 

 ened by the Avater which has during many seasons trickled doAvn the 

 stem of the tree, would become a cylindrical mass standing by itself, 

 while the more friable rock aronnd would be worn away. This 

 condition would exactly account for the curious circumstance I have 

 alluded to as occurring at Harris Bay. At that position and close 

 to hio'h water mark, stands a collection of cvlindrical masses hollowed 

 within and marked with rust, Avhich I think may be owing to the 

 decomposition of the tree, which once grew in this cylinder when it 

 was part of the surrounding rock, which has been worn away by the 

 action of the waves or spray, which at this point falls heavily during 

 southerly gales. "From appearances I should say that these cylinders 

 contained palmettos from their rounded shape at the bottom, which 

 is characteristic of the tree's growth. 



I have at the commencement of this paper alluded to the pre- 

 sence of red earth in the caverns. This red earth exists very 

 generally over the surface of the island, and mixed with sand is 

 the common soil of the islands. I have every reason to believe that 

 it is composed of decayed vegetable matter, and this theory is borne 

 out by an analysis which was kindly made for me by Dr. Albert 

 Bernays, the analytical chemist to St. Thomas' Hospital. Colonel 

 Nelson has expressed his belief that the red earth found in caverns 

 was of animal origin, most probably accumulated masses of guano; 

 but as Dr. Bernays has stated that no animal matter whatever can 

 be traced, I think a A^egetable character can only be assigned to it, 

 for I see no difference between the cavern red earth and the surface 

 soil, beyond a more compact appearance in regard to the former. 



In observing road cuttings in different parts, we see at once how 

 3 



