PART 3.] 
Theobald: The Kimimn Lakes. 
171 
easiest for tlieir new course, and sucli I believe to be tlie true explanation of an 
otherwise puzzling phenomenon. 
The only thing to be said against it is, that it must stand or fall with the 
glacial hypothesis of the origin of the lakes. 
Naini TXl. 
My notes on this lake need only be brief, as I have already noticed the chief 
points wherein I differ from Mr. Ball respecting it. The most important remark 
I have to make is regarding what remains of the old Naini moiuine. Of course 
I regard the barrier as virtually composed of old moraine materials, but imme¬ 
diately below the ‘ barrier ’ the ‘ moraine ’ has been engulphed in the steep gorge, 
down which the escape waters of the lake precipitate themselves in their course 
to the Balia river. If, however, leaving the ‘outfall’ of the lake, wo go along the 
cart-road, till we come in sight of the Brewery (Shardb-latti of the 1-inch map) 
and direct our eyes beyond it, we can see a little to the left of it (and of course 
below it) a small hill. This hill, in my opinion, constitutes one of the most pro¬ 
minent ‘ hummocks’ of the old Naini ‘ moraine,’ there still preserved intact, and in 
situ. The stream which below the ‘ outfall ’ of the lake has cut away and engulphed 
the old ‘ moraine ’ in the chasm worn by its wmtors, has lower down found an easier 
channel to the westward, and hence for some distance above and below Suria Tal, 
the old Naini ‘moraine ’ still remains intact. Suria Tal is indeed merely a pool 
formed by the local drainage being shut up by the ‘ moraine ’ sweeping past to 
the south-west. The village of Gitia (which is not marked on the map, but lies 
west of Suria Tdl) stands on the ‘ moraine,’ and below it spreads a highly irre¬ 
gular, ‘ hummocky ’ surface, freckled over with monstrous angular blocks of lime¬ 
stone, derived from the Naini basin and constituting the actual ‘ body and bones ’ 
of the old ‘ moraine.’ At least this is my idea. I confess I did see a difficulty 
once, not sufficient to outweigh the evidence afforded by the physical character 
of the ground, but still a difficulty, and that was, that the section displayed on 
the river abreast of this ‘ moraine ’ was one of ordinary river boulder gravel; 
very coarse no doubt, but not distinctly marked by the presence in it of the huge 
erratic masses which encumbered the surface a short distance off. I did not thou 
know what my last season’s work has jjlaced beyond all question, that the ‘ mo- 
raines, ’ to whose action I attribute the formation of the Kumaun lakes, are far 
newer than the old gravels filling the valleys, and on which old gravels they may 
occasionally be seen to rest. I shall not here enter further on this important 
discovery, beyond saying that it at once disposes of the difficulty I once felt in 
the fact of the huge ‘ erratics’ embedded in the ‘ moraines ’ (as I regard them) 
not being seen in the old gravels; but the full discussion of this question must be 
reserved for another paper. 
Malwa TIl. 
This lake, if the form of its basin is less suggestive of a glacier than is the 
case with either Naini Tal or Bhim Tal, is one which it is, on the other hand, 
more difficult to regard as due to a landslip than almost any lake in Kumaun. 
