OCKLOCKNEE AND AUCILLA RIVERS. 
123 
indicating the enlargement of the lake basin in that direction by sub¬ 
sidence, due. to underground solution. This new sink is one hun¬ 
dred yards or more in circumference, and when formed carried 
down to the lake level, land which stood fifty feet or more above the 
lake and was being used previous to the subsidence as a cemetery. 
That part of the lake basin which surrounds the sink lies at a 
slightly lower level than the more remote parts of the basin, and is 
the first to be submerged at the approach of the rainy season. This 
area is entirely devoid of trees, and during the dry season becomes 
a prairie. The greater part of the basin lying to the south of the 
railroad is thickly set with small cypress trees. 
The soil in the basin is prevailingly a gray sand, usually dark¬ 
ened by the presence, of organic matter. At a depth oi from one 
to two feet the amount of organic matter is reduced, the sand being 
lighter in color. Sandy clays are reached as a rule at a depth of 
from two and a half to three feet. During a season of heavy rain¬ 
fall this basin is occupied by a lake having a total are.a of approx¬ 
imately two thousand acres. Following a period of prolonged 
drought the basin becomes entirely dry, water remaining only at the 
sink. In times of excessive rainfall the lake overflows-at the east 
end, the water discharged reaching streams tributary to the St. 
Marks River. 
This basin has much the character of an elongated valley. The 
general course of the streams of this part of the county, the shape 
of the basin and particularly the topography of the surrounding 
country indicate that the drainage of this section was originally 
