V^-v^U, 1A-0-' 



GEOLOGICAL AND MINERALOGICAL NOTES. 65 



washed sand, and stones of all sizes, in a Stratum of vary- 

 ing thickness. There are several other places at Nahant 

 where peat beds are seen at ornear low water mark. One 

 in the southwest cove of Crescent beach is quite extensive 

 and contains many logs and stumps of old forest trees ; 

 another on the northwest side of Little Nahant is of simi- 

 lar character. Lynn harbor and the marshes of Saugus 

 f urnish numerous examples of old peat beds in which large 

 logs of pine and oak lie imbedded below the recent accuniu- 

 lation of marine peat and salt grass roots. At Chelsea 

 beach, a few years ago, some excitement was occasioned 

 by the supposed discovery of a supply of natural gas. No 

 doubt the decay going on in one of these old peat beds 

 and the throwing off of marsh gas caused the disturbance. 



On the Beverly shore, between West Beach and Moul- 

 ton's Misery Island, are many stumps of forest trees which 

 may be seen, when the water is clear and still, at a depth 

 of twelve or fourteen feet at low tide. A piece secured 

 from one of these stumps proved it to be white pine. 



In a cove near Chubb's Island, Manchester, at the depth 

 of eleven feet below high water mark, are the remains of 

 an oak stump, which, now divested of the sap wood, is 

 twelve feet in diameter inside the buttresses, representing 

 the tree at its füll srrowth in this region. 



In Manchester harbor, inside of the Ram Islands, 

 stumps of white pine and oak are found in the original 

 leaf mould and peat beds covered by washed sand and 

 rocks as at Nahant. 



In Kettle cove, Manchester, there is one large oak 

 stump four feet below low water mark. 



On Kettle cove beach a good section of the submerged 

 area is visible at low water during the spring tides. Near 

 the old road bed, inside of Crow's Island, the marine peat 

 and salt grass roots are from ten to fourteen inches thick. 



ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XXVI 9 



