GEOLOGICAL AGE AND FORMATION. 53 



notice. Directly behind each of the beaches, and almost 

 opposite its centre, is a large sound or bay ; thus, opposite 

 Peck's Beach is Peck's Bay; Ludlam's Bay is opposite 

 Ludlam's Beach; Learning's opposite Seven-mile Beach; 

 Grassy Sound behind Five-mile Beach ; Jarvis's Sound op- 

 posite Two-mile Beach ; and Cape Island Sound opposite 

 Poverty Beach. Each of these sounds is connected by 

 thoroughfares with the inlets at both ends of the beach. 

 There is another series of sounds opposite the inlets, and 

 nearer the upland ; some of the inlets have one, and others 

 two. They have thoroughfares connecting them with the 

 inlets to which they stand opposite, but are not connected 

 with the other sounds by thoroughfares. It would be diffi- 

 cult at this time to give a good explanation of the causes 

 which have produced this peculiar order, but it is evidently 

 in some way connected with the movement of the tides. 



The beaches lie directly on the borders of the water, and 

 in ridges and hills which have a general direction parallel 

 with the shore. They are composed of beach-sand, which 

 has been drifted or washed up into these long and narrow 

 banks. On the side next the water the sand is generally 

 bare, and easily moved by the wind ; further in, the ridges 

 are covered by timber, and undergo but little change at 

 present. The accompanying Sections will help to explain 

 some of their peculiarities. 



Section 1 was taken square across Five-mile Beach, 

 about two hundred and twenty rods below the northeast 

 end. Bearing in mind the distortion of the profile, which 

 represents the ridges as five times as high as they really 

 are in proportion to their breadth, it sufficiently explains 



