TllK VICTOUIAN NATURALIST. 29 



also in a paper by Dr. A. W. Howitt in the Mining Department 

 Report, Victoria, September, 1891, p. 28. Dr. Dendy fevoured 

 the landslip theory. Dr. Howitt regarded the origin as due either 

 to landslip or ice action. The latter cause was f^ivoured by him. 

 Mr. Lucas could not accept either the landslip or the moraine 

 theory, but is not clear in his description as to how he explains the 

 formation of the lake. The main objections to the landslip theory 

 appear to have been the following : — The source of the slip ; the 

 higher central portion of the barrier; and the unfavourable 

 geological structure of the surrounding rocks. 



Dr. Dendy 's explanation that a high cliff, similar to that of 

 Wellington, once existed on the opposite side of the valley, and 

 to the north-west of Wellington, appears to fit the case. On 

 ascending from the lake the party climbed the rocky spur leading 

 up from the barrier to the north. It lies in the direction of the 

 rocky ridge of the barrier below, and its surface is strewn with 

 huge rocks of similar nature to the prevailing ones of the barrier. 

 In places, particularly at the top, the characteristic hummocky 

 form of a land-slipped surface is well shown. The ridge-like form 

 of the barrier rocks appears to be readily accounted for by the 

 fact that the old valley at the lower end of the lake takes a sharp 

 bend almost at right angles to the east and west direction at the 

 lake, and thus turns to the south, which is in the direction of the 

 rocky spur. It appears evident that a gigantic run of rocks from 

 a falling cliff has shot down the centre of this southerly trend of 

 the valley, forming a steep ridge longitudinally along this part. 

 A portion of the easterly fringe of the rock debris has barred the 

 old valley at the bend, where it was originally very narrow. 

 Though very rocky, both the barrier and the mountain spur from 

 whence the rock-fall appears to come are now overgrown with 

 vegetation of considerable size, so that any scar which may have 

 existed is now completely masked. A slide such as this appears 

 to have been would materially differ from the ordinary type, such 

 as the one of the Dandenong Ranges, 1891, where a large mass 

 of the surface soil and loose rocks, thoroughly saturated with 

 water, slipped off a steep face of solid igneous rock. The Lake 

 Karng slide appears to have been more of the nature of a rocky 

 cliff" fall, of the type well known in the Rocky Mountains of 

 Colorado. These slides have been explained as being probably 

 due to earthquakes. 



The mountains of Victoria are at present particularly free from 

 such disturbances, but the large dimensions of this tumultuous 

 accumulation of rocks suggests some sudden and gigantic shock 

 to dislodge such a mass of material. The igneous rocks of the 

 Wellington mass are particularly well jointed, the vertical set 

 being especially well developed, hence precipitous bluffs of 

 tottering rock form a feature of the mountain face. 



After a particularly hard day's exertion, examining the lake 



