METEORIC RIVERS OR WATERFALLS. 375 



on the south side of the railroad. It is about eleven or 

 twelve hundred yards long, pretty steep on the north side, 

 and perhaps about two hundred feet high. On the east end 

 it terminates pretty abruptly, and on the west not so much 

 so. The whole northern side is covered with trees to the 

 base, and on the top there is a cultivated farm. 



On examining the northern side of this ridge large masses 

 of gravel, and rocks, and trees, and earth, to the number of 

 twenty-two, were found lying at the base on the plain be- 

 low, having been washed down from the side of the ridge 

 by running water. The places from which these masses 

 started could easily be seen from the base, being only about 

 thirty yards up the side. On going up to the head of these 

 washes, they were found to be nearly round basins, from 

 about one to six feet deep, without any drains of water 

 leading into them from above. The old leaves of last year's 

 growth, and other light materials, were lying undisturbed 

 above, within an inch of the rim of these basins, which 

 were generally cut down nearly perpendicular on the up- 

 per side, and washed out clean on the lower. The greater 

 part of these basins were nearly of the same diameter, about 

 twenty feet, and the trees that stood in their places were 

 all washed out. Those below the basin were generally 

 standing, and shewed by the leaves and grass drifted on 

 their upper side, how high the water was in running down 

 the side of the ridge ; on some it was as high as three feet j 

 it probably, however, dashed up on the trees above its 

 general level. 



I have said that the basins were nearly of the same size, 

 and nearly at the same distance apart, from forty- four to 

 fifty yards. The one, however, at the west end of the 

 ridge is an exception ; it was only about six feet in diameter, 

 and one foot deep, and exactly ten yards from the one next 

 it to the east, or from centre to centre fourteen yards. Be- 

 yond this to the west the ridge tapers oif and becomes quite 

 low, and the basins terminate. 



