692 ON THE VOLCANO OP TAAL, 



its dependent ridges. These extend parallel to the margin of the 

 lake, like a wall bounding the rich and popidous agricultural 

 districts surrounding the large towns of Lipa, Cuenca and San Jose. 

 All these towns are on a kind of plateau about 1000 ft. above the 

 level of the sea. This plateau may be called the culminating 

 portion of the land which surrounds the mountains Macolod and 

 Sungay, and it slopes down gradually westward towards the river 

 Pansipit. This as already stated is the only outlet of the lake, 

 and by its very slight fall shows the very small difference there is 

 between the level of the lake and the sea. 



Of the two above-mentioned mountains, Macolod and Sungay, 

 which with their dependent ridges, as it were, surround the lake, 

 Sungay is on the north, and Macolod on the south. The highest 

 point of Sungay is the Pico Gonzalez, which is about 2,200 ft. 

 above the level of the sea. There is an extension of the mountain 

 ridge to another peak called Ilong-Castila, distant about ten kilo- 

 meters, and slightly less elevated than Pico Gonzalez. The eleva- 

 tion is continued by the Cordillera of Tagatay, which slopes down 

 towards Mount Batulao on the south-west, whence extend ridges 

 with a generally southerly trend, and filling up the land between 

 the sea, the lake, and the river Pansipit. 



Mount Macolod is about 3,243 ft. above the level of the sea. 

 It forms a very conspicuous bluff, as already stated, on the south- 

 east side of the lake. This mountain is quite precipitous on the 

 lake side, and declines very rapidly towards the sea, sending a long 

 peninsula out into the ocean, which forms the boundary between 

 the two bays of Balayan and Batangas. On the north-east at 

 some considerable distance is the extinct volcano of Maquilin, 

 from the base of which spring forth the very hot springs of Los 

 Baiios. There is no river of any importance emptying into the 

 lake, but in the rainy seasons there is considerable drainage from 

 the slopes all round, which is supposed to be sufficient to counter- 

 balance the evaporation. The weathei'ing effect of the rains upon 

 the loose volcanic soil must, I should say, be very great, especially 

 during the summer monsoon when the downpour is so heavy and 

 continuous. I noticed several large and rugged ravines, and I 



