1836.] 



Neelgherries and Koondahs. 



293 



than on the upper part of the cavities, and produce the concave form 

 w hich they assume. 



It remains now to show, by an example, that this is actually the pro- 

 cess, which Nature pursues in the formation of these excavations ; and 

 I was fortunate enough to find it in the same slab. A couple of feet above 

 the upper extremity of the slab having the seventeen cavities, there 

 are two tabular masses overlaying one another. The lower one is the 

 broadest, and is under water, the upper has narrower dimensions, and 

 is above water. Near the edge of the latter, there is a circular per- 

 foration (see diagram of the cavities No. 1), two inches in diameter, 

 and three in depth ; it contained sand and a few small rounded peb- 

 bles. Opposite to this, and on the surface of the lower stratum, there 

 is another of an oval shape (No. 2) having portion of a nest of granular 

 hornblende (No. 174) adhering still to the cavity by its side and 

 under part, the other portion having been removed. The side of the 

 cavity thus empty, is beginning to get concave and smooth — in short, 

 is in an incipient state ; the surface of the remaining piece of the 

 nest, which is about an inch below the brim, is polished. 



I hope that the foregoing facts and observations are satisfactorily 

 conclusive, regarding what I wished to prove. My friend Mr. Viveash, 

 seeing that I was so much interested about this phenomenon, kindly 

 offered to add more information on the subject, which he said was no 

 rare occurrence in India. In consequence of which, he has communi- 

 cated to me the following : " About thirty miles from Bellary the river 

 " Tumboodra flows, and, at that place, it is dammed in its course to 

 " bring the waters to a high level, for the purpose of irrigation. Many 

 ff of these annicuts, or dykes, across the river, are hundreds of feet 

 " thick, and formed with immense masses of granite. A little above 

 " the island of Dashamoor, in the same river is one of these annicuts j 

 " many of the granitic masses are perforated precisely in the same 

 " manner as those of Makoortee, but considerably larger and deeper, 

 " so as to have afforded me a good bathing place. I am confident these 

 " excavations could not have existed in the masses when brought for 

 u the annicut from a place W. of Dashamoor. 



" The annicut west of the island of Dashamoor, is situated at the 

 " village of Kenchengode, about one march west of Dashamoor. The 

 " larger holes are at the most northerly part of the annicut. I have 

 " been in one fully four or five feet deep, and three feet in diameter. 

 " These holes are, I |hink, in all the old annicuts of the Tumboodra 

 " which I have seen, and I have met with them in annicuts made of 

 " brick-work also. They could not have existed in the stone, before it 

 " w T as brought to the annicut ; because they are formed in the masses of 

 " granite, which compose the annicut, cutting four or fi ve of the stones 

 " which are contiguous (PI. 7, %* 6). Besides it is not likely, that 



