122 September 1748. 



fome people pretended, that thefe holes were 

 made by the favages, that they might in 

 time of war hide their corn and other valu- 

 able effedts in them. But he wrote agaihft 

 this opinion, and accounted for the origin 

 of thefe cavities in the following manner. 

 When the ice fettles, many pebbles flick 

 in it. In fpring when the fnow melts, the 

 water in the rivers fwells fo high that it 

 reaches above the place where thefe holes 

 are now found in the mountains. The ice 

 therefore will of courfe float as high. And 

 then it often happens, that the pebbles 

 which Were contained in it, ever fince 

 autumn when it firfl: fettled on the banks of 

 the river, fall out of the ice upon the rocky 

 bank, and are from thence carried into a cleft 

 or crack by the water. Thefe pebbles are 

 then continually turned about by the water, 

 which comes in upon them, and by this 

 means they gradually form the hole. The 

 water at the fame time polifl^es the ftone 

 by its circular motion round it, and helps 

 to make the hole or cavity round. It is 

 certain that by this turning and tofling, 

 the ftone is at laft unfit for this purpofe ; 

 but the river throws commonly every fpring 

 other ftones inftead of it into the cavity, 

 and they are turned round in the fame man- 

 ner. By this whirling both the mountain 



and 



