454 



George E. Nichols, 



{"Hochmoorteiche"). Previous investigators for the most part 

 had reasoned either that they represent the remains of lakes 

 which formerly existed in the areas now occupied by bog, or, in 

 view of the common paucity here of sphagnums, that they 

 represent places where springs of lime-carrying • water break 

 through, a view which was somewhat doubtfully favored by 

 Ganong. Parenthetically it may be suggested that the luxuriance 

 with which the sphagnums. particularly 6". Pylaisei, not infre- 



FiGURE 69. — Pools on surface of mature raised bog; Scotchman's 

 Barren. 



quently occupy such ponds in northern Cape Breton is of relevant 

 interest in this connection. In discussing their origin, Weber 

 points out that while undoubtedly the first explanation mentioned 

 above is sometimes the correct one, the second one is largely 

 based on insufficient investigation. He effectually disposes of 

 this lime theory by making careful analyses of the water in the 

 ponds, which he finds, like that in surrounding parts of the bog, 

 to be extremely poor in inorganic salts. He therefore concludes 

 that the source of water supply cannot come from the ground. 

 He incidentally comments on the universal lack of any positive 

 signs of springiness, an observation which the writer can con- 



