124 
THE DIVINING ROD. 
So that if the action at a be represented by 1, at 6 it will be 
1 -- or about f . 
Now, if a force of 1 causes the rod violently to assume the 
upright position, surely one of | should have some appreciable 
effect ; whereas the rod show^s no sign of agitation, remaining 
quite unconcerned, till a is reached. 
Again, we have stated the case here far too favourably for the 
dowser, for the underground water is not all concentrated at c ; 
it is diffused throughout the alluvium, the underlying deposits 
are all moist, and the diffused water will act upon the dowser as 
well as that concentrated in one place. The action at a, there- 
fore, is : — 
1-f- influence of the diffused water = X and at h : |-f influence 
of the diffused water = Y, and the difference between X and Y is 
much less than 
Moreover, on many occasions, the underground spring exists 
at a much greater depth than 20 ft., and yet affects the dowser 
when he stands vertically over it. Its influence in these cases 
must be often less than the f in our experiment, yet it makes 
itself decidedly felt. 
The dowser is naturally possessed of much mother wit, and 
he has a large experience of the behaviour of underground water ; 
but his wonderful rod has no more magical power than the gold- 
headed cafie of the medical practitioner of the last century. 
Note by Edward E. Pease. 
Whilst agreeing fully with most of the conclusions which 
Professor Sollas sets forth in his very able report, I cannot feel 
his complete confidence in the conclusive nature of the experiment. 
In September I went again to Locking, and had both the wells 
emptied of water. The -f- well I found now to be a mere hole 
some 10 ft. deep, whilst the — well was a carefully- timbered shaft 
■24 ft. in depth. I made minute observations of the rate at which 
