4 NOTES ON SURFACE GEOLOGY — BAILEY. 



ino- rocks, and that their steeper sides are turned to the west. 

 They are wholly composed of drift, in some instances made up to 

 a large extent of boulders, and presenting the aspect of lateral 

 moraines ; in others, largely composed of gravel and sand, forming 

 veritable kames or horsebacks. Apart from these ridges, which 

 rise somewhat prominenth' above the general level of the coun- 

 try, and which aie often of very considerable length, there are 

 also some remarkable contrasts in the ordinary depih and distri- 

 bution of the drift covering. Over certain belts, having an east 

 and west course, the boulders, often of enormous size, are so 

 thickly and so widely scattered that little else is seen ; in other 

 and parallel belts, on the other hand, the underlying rocks are 

 barely covered with soil or are wholly denuded. The for- 

 mer feature is most common in connection with the so-called 

 " whin " belts, and is well exhibited about Ponhook and Molega 

 Lakes ; the latter when the underlying rocks are slates. It is 

 however over the slate belts that the best soils and farming lands 

 are to be found, the whin and granite country being for the 

 most part indescribably barren. 



The character and distribution of the drift, partly in north and 

 south hills and partly in east and west belts, some of which may 

 have been terminal or frontal moraines, have been the chief de- 

 termining causes in the formation of the remarkable system of 

 lakes to which reference has already been made. Within the two 

 counties under consideration the number of these lakes is cer- 

 tainly not less than one hundred, besides innumerable lakelets and 

 ponds. Though not contined to any particular region they are 

 most abundant, as well as of the largest size, in connection with 

 the belts of whin and granite, Xake Ponhook, Molega Lake, the 

 Christopher Lakes and Lake Rossignol being all situated in the 

 former, while Pleasant Lake, Tupper Lake and others, either 

 border or are included within areas of the latter. They are 

 often also in groups or belts, as well illustrated in the Chris- 

 topher Lakes, occupying east and west depressions. In most 

 cases the lakes contain numerous islands which are often only 

 piles of boulders, and scattered blocks, often of huge dimensions, 

 help to make their navigation somewhat difficult and danger- 



