Geological Survey of Canterbury. 75 



the two lakes. For instance, I found Lake Catherine some 7 feet higher 

 than Lake Sumner, whilst in the spring after the melting of the snow 

 in the high Alps, or after continuous rainfall, the principal lake is said 

 to be higher. Separate roches moutonnees go from the southern side 

 through the swamp, towards the mountains lying at the southern end 

 of Lake Sumner, called the Big Brother range, the western end of 

 which is covered with glacier marks, while the summits have kept their 

 rough rocky forms. Similar roches moutonnees and remains of large 

 side moraines are also visible on the southern shore of the Hurunui 

 river above the lake, and over these we reached the western shore. 

 Like all the shores at the head of our alpine lakes, this is formed by the 

 delta of the river which flows into it, so that the lake is very shallow 

 for some distance. The valley of the river itself continues in a straight 

 direction, as broad as the lake, for at least ten miles towards the 

 central chain without narrowing visibly ; it is formed of masses of 

 debris, over which the river hurries, in a number of branches, to the 

 lake. 



Groing upwards from the shore of the lake, we followed along a 

 grassy flat which occurs on the southern shore of the Hurunui river. 

 A striking difference is here noticeable, when compared with the valley 

 below the junction of the two principal branches. Instead of the deep 

 gorge, the river has here a bed generally two miles wide, over which it 

 spreads out in a number of branches, changing its course after each high 

 freshet. Here and there, roches moutonnees of different sizes project 

 out of it, often covered with thick beech forest. A similar luxurious 

 forest vegetation ascends on both sides of the mountains for 500 feet j 

 but, nevertheless, does not quite hide the numerous remains of moraines 

 and glacier shelves. The predominating forest tree here, is Fayus 

 Soland^i with small finely cut leaves, reminding one by its regular shape 

 of the European pines. In the eastern lower mountains and the Alps, 

 the principal vegetation consists of this elegant kind of tree ; whilst on 

 the western declivities, Fayus fusca often six to eight feet in diameter, 

 forms the chief vegetation. The range on both sides as far as the 

 central chain, consists of a continuous chain, above which, isolated peaks 

 project. Advancing on the right bank of the river for four miles, we 

 came to a place where the principal branch of the river flows close under 

 a perpendicular cliff, we had therefore to cross the river, which was very 

 easily done, as the water was so low that it scarcely reached the horses' 

 knees. Several storekeepers and a butcher had put up their tents here. 



