Dr. C. Davison on Earthqnake-Soimdt 



45 



to sound-phenomena by many compilers of earthquake- 

 catalogues ; so that it often remains uncertain whether we 

 are to attribute the lack of reference to the inaudibility of 

 the vibrations or to the neglect of the compiler or his 

 authorities. For instance, in Barbiani's list of earthquakes in 

 Zante (1825-1863) * only 21 out of 1371 shocks are recorded 

 as accompanied by sound. According to Mr. Roper's cata- 

 logue t, only 21 per cent, of the British earthquakes felt 

 during the present century (1801-1889) were attended by 

 sound ; but we know from other records that this low figure 

 is chiefly due to incomplete chronicling. 



Great Britain. — Mr. David Milne, in a valuable memoir 

 on " Earthquake-Shocks felt in Great Britain, &c," remarks 

 that " the shocks are invariably accompanied by sounds " J, 

 Though his list contains many entries in which no mention 

 of sound-phenomena is made, I believe that this statement 

 is practically correct. Among the undoubted earthquakes of 

 the last ten years 1 know of only one exception. The well- 

 known Comrie earthquakes are hardly, if ever, free from 

 sound ; indeed, the observers speak of " hearing the earth- 

 quakes," rather than of feeling them. 



Table III. 



Earthquake. 



Percentage of Audibility in 



Disturbed Area. 



Central District. 





938 



95-3 



75-4 



90-8 



43-9 



907 



58-7 



100-0 



1000 



1000 



59-2 



93-8 



97'2 

 98-8 

 87-2 



Cornwall, 1892 



Pembroke, 1892, Aug. 18, 0.24 a.m. ... 



„ ,, „ 1.40 A.M. ... 



„ 2.50 a.m.... 

 Leicester, 1893 



Pembroke, 1893 



Exmoor, 1894 



Cornwall, 1895 



1896 



Hereford, 1896 



Cornwall, 1898 





* Dijon, Mem. Acad. vol. xi. 1863, pp. 1-112. 



f ' A List of the more remarkable Earthquakes in Great Britain and 

 Ireland during the Christian Era.' By W. Roper (Lancaster, 1889), 

 \ Edinburgh New Phil, Journ. vol. xxxi. 1841, p. 287. 



