Notes on Water-Divining. 83 



Conclusions: The owner obviously reached the water-table, 

 •which here is determined by the lower boundary of permeable 

 (decomposed) tuff. He has a poor catchment on the slope of 

 the ridge shown in Fig. 1, where the average rainfall is about 

 twenty inches. It is fair to state that the conditions were not 

 very favourable for water, and that one could choose a hundred 

 better places within half a mile. However, they were not on 

 his property ! 



The chief geological interest in this example lies in the course 

 -of the " flowing stream." I have already mentioned that defi- 

 nite streams are not to be expected under the conditions ob- 

 taining in the Ainslie Valley. 



Moreover, the drainage underground must conform with the 

 surface contours in general. In this case the hypothetical 

 " stream " runs perpendicular to a well-defined slope, and right 

 through a ridge of porphyry tuff, whose undecomposed outcrop 

 is visible at the surface! (See line on Plate figures.) 



I am of the opinion that as the water table can be reached 

 at from twenty to fifty feet anywhere in this flat, there is no 

 evidence that the diviner exhibited any occult power in this 

 case. Moreover,an analysis shows that the well water is distinctly 

 not potable, while the " flowing stream " supplying the well can 

 only be a portion of a sheet of extreme tenuity. 



It is of psychological interest that everyone had heard of 

 the Ainslie success (No. 1 on Text Fig. 1), whereas few knew 

 of the next case, that of the well about one mile to the north- 

 west (No. 2 on Text Fig. 1). 



No. 2 Well. 



The same arid conditions early in 1919 led another settler on 



the other side of the valley to engage a diviner. Mr. T 



carried out the work. He chose a ridge between two gullies, 

 considerably above the general level of the valley (see map). 

 Here the outcrop was of Silurian clay-slate, with very little sur- 

 face soil. 



The diviner mapped out a " flowing stream," which ran east 

 and west, and again was not in accord with the very definite 

 slopes of the valley. 



The " stream " ran from one gully to another, and the owner 

 was advised to sink near the crest of the traverse. He went 

 down thirty-two feet through somewhat decomposed shale, and 

 then about twenty-five feet in hard shale. Apart from a few 



7a 



