¥.—GEOLOGY. 
Arr. LXVII.—On Wind-formed Lakes. By J. C. Crawrorp, F.G.S. 
[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 13th September, 1879.] 
Tue scientific world has had its say upon rock-basins and the action of 
glaciers in scooping out beds of lakes; and some, indeed, venture to work 
out the solid materials in that manner in such lake-basins as that of 
Wakatipu, with its surface 1000 feet above the sea, and its bottom 800 feet 
below the sea-level. I have, however, nowhere read of wind-formed lake- 
basins ; and I, therefore, propose to describe shortly how they may be and 
are formed. 
If we suppose a flat, composed of sandy soil say, more or less covered 
with vegetation, and on it a slight depression, which may be caused by the 
action of the wind blowing the loose soil away—in this depression storm- 
water will lodge. This lodgment destroys the grass and other land- 
plants which may have been growing on the surface; and when the pool 
has dried by evaporation, the surface of the iarain is in a fit state to 
be again acted upon by the wind, any aquatic plants which may have 
sprung up being destroyed by the drying-up of the water. A further 
deepening and possible enlargement of the pool takes place, and this 
process goes on until rain again falls and forms a temporary lake. At 
length the lake may attain sufficient depth to retain its water throughout 
the year, and then vegetation may spring up round its borders, and a 
stability of years or of centuries may be attained. 
There have been, I think, a considerable number of wind-formed lakes 
in New Zealand, many of which have been destroyed by the effects of 
: colonization and the introduction of stock. The fires of the settlers, and 
the grazing and tread of cattle, destroy the vegetation on the shores of the 
lake, the sand is set blowing, and the lake is either destroyed or altered 
in position, 
I am inclined to think that part of the Wairarapa Lake has been formed 
by the wind. There is a line of sand-hills on the eastern shore which there 
is little doubt is composed of sand blown from the lake-bottom when that 
had dried up. I by no means suppose the whole lake to be wind-formed, 
because, as a rule, I do not suppose it to have, or have had, a sandy bottom ; 
