Show Hawaii's Barking Sands' Sands Puzzle Natural Scientists The world-famed world Barking Sands which were discovered in 1850 are on the Island of Kauai in the Ha Ha- Hawaiian Hawaiian group W. W A. A Bryan in his Natural History of Hawaii describes them as consisting of a series of wind-blown wind sand-hills sand a mile half-mile or more in length along the shore at The bank is nearly 60 feet high and through the action of the wind the mound is constantly ad ad- advancing advancing on the land The Th front wall is quite steep The white sand which is composed of coral shells and particles of lava has the peculiar peculiar liar property when very dry of ot emitting a sound when two hand- hand handfuls handfuls fuls fills are clapped together that to the imaginative mind m nd seems to re re- resemble resemble resemble the barking of a dog When a horse is rushed down the steep incline of the mound a curious sound as of subterranean thunder is produced pro pro- produced The sound varies with the degree of heat the dryness of the sand and the amount of friction em em- employed so so that sounds varying from froma a faint rustle to a deep rumble may be Attempts Attempt at explain- explain ng this rare natural phenomenon nave Ilave left much of the mystery still unsolved However the dry sand has a resonant quality that s the basis of the peculiar mani mani- manifestation manifestation which disappears when the sand is s wet I That the Barking Sands are found in only a couple of the localities localities ties in m the group is also significant Much of the shoreline of Kauai for tor example is lined with old coral reefs that have partly disintegrated into sand that forms the beaches I |