84 Griffith Taylor: 



damp patches, he saw no water. He "jumped " another twelve 

 feet below the shaft with no result. So that a total of about 

 seventy feet failed to corroborate the diviner. The latter had 

 stated that he was able, by the varying " pressure " on the fork 

 to tell where the water was nearest the surface. This was not in. 

 the gully, as one would suppose, but on the ridge farther east on 

 the course of the " flowing stream." One must therefore postu- 

 late that his stream flows upstream, as well as along contours ! 



It is amusing to note that the settler was drawing water all 

 the time of sinking his own well from the Engineer's shaft 

 (5 on Fig. 1) put down in the middle of the flat, about one and 

 a-half miles to the south. The latter was, I believe, sunk without 

 any assistance from a diviner (or geologist!) merely to find out 

 the. character of the strata. It penetrated the water table, and 

 so has had a good supply ever since. (The mouth of this shaft 

 is thickly screened by large ferns.) 



I investigated two wells in Mr. Peden's property to the north 

 of the Repatriation areas. The further well (No. 3) was pre- 

 sumably sunk in a very dry season, possibly forty years ago. 

 It had not been needed at a later date, and was filled in when: 

 I saw it. 



About a quarter of a mile to the south was a spring, which 

 Mr. Peden had floored with large stones. (No. 4 on Fig. 1.) 

 Here he was able to get a plentiful supply for his stock. In 

 very wet seasons it flowed away to the creek, but usually the 

 water was run into a trough by means of a small pump. 



This spring is a striking proof of the large water supply in 

 the valley, for it occurs in a flat at a considerable distance from 

 any slopes. 



In conclusion, I should like to quote from the " English 

 Mechanic," 11th April. 1913. At Guildford (England) six 

 diviners gave an exhibition before a committee of well-known 

 scientists over ground chosen some time before by the latter.. 



Site No. (1) (Chosen over a spring) : "Most of the diviners 

 missed it." 



Site No. (2) (Chosen over a sewer)': "All missed it." 



Site No. (3) (Grass-covered top of a reservoir): "To see 

 water-diviners walking about a few feet above a mass of water 

 — running water, too — and not being able to detect it, was ex- 

 quisitely funny." ("Daily Mail" report.) 



I believe that much depends on the elasticity of the fork. It is 

 of the nature of a spring, and I feel sure that if the diviner's. 



