171. Becords of the Geological Snmei/ of India, [vol. xiii. 
evidently compounded of two or more contignons basins united, and a minute lake 
to the west. As in the case of Bhim Tlil and Naukatchia Tal the drainage of 
these lakes can only be indistinctly made out from the map. The small lake to 
the west is the lowest, and the drainage from the other lakes is passed through it. 
It is mainly i’emarkablo, as affording a complete dis]proof of the notion of any 
overpowering rush of wmter, being the agent ■whereby the large blocks seen in the 
barrier of the large lake just above it were brought down to their present position, 
as any such rush of ■neater so laden with stones and mud must have simply 
obliterated this little hollow, as easily as a man’s thumb wipes out a spot of ink. 
The barrier below it is of large rough stones, fallen mainly from the hills adjoin¬ 
ing it, which are so permeable that they do not allow its waters to ever stand for 
long at a high level ; but although thus peianeable to clear’, or moderately turbid 
water, anything like a moving flood of mud capable of bringing down enormous 
masses of rock, must have filled up the lake flush with its barrier, and then 
passed onwards down the gorge. But this obliteration of the tiny basin has not 
occurred, therefore no such floods can have over passed over it. 
The uppermost lake to the north is a little cocked-hat of a lake with steep 
sides of loose materials, and without visible outlet, in this re.speet resembling 
Khurpa Tal. Its surplus w’aters, however, find an exit by percolation through 
the barrier (moraine) separating it from the larger lake, whose surplus waters 
they join below the barrier. The larger lake is created by the obstruction 
caused by the above baiTier. This barrier is a huge bank of earth and stones, 
some of the embedded blocks of rocks measuring 30 or 40 feet in girth. This mass 
of materials, which I cannot but regard as a ^ moraine, has crept down from 
almost due north, till arrested by the hill whereon Siloti stands. The impiouuded 
drainage from the eastward has consequently gathered into the form of a lake 
of very irregular shape, the escape waters from -udrich have scoured a passage for 
themselves, between the termination of the moraine and the mountain side, 
whereon it abuts, and ivhoreby it became arrested and deflected to the west 
from its north and south coui’se. It is an objection in the mind of some, who 
are opposed to the idea of ice action, that the ultimate source or head of this 
moraine is not quite a mile off. This, so far from being a valid obstacle to the 
view adopted by me, is probably, as I shall endeavom’ soon to show, the main 
cause of the very existence now of the lake, and moreover such objector’s should 
reflect that if a limited catchment area is opposed to the genesis of a large 
moraine, a fortiori is it incapable of giving birth to a stream adequate to trans¬ 
porting such blocks as help to form the barrier in question. 
Concluding Eemarks. 
Having attempted in the pi’evious pages to establish a case in favour of the 
idea that glaciers have been the proximate agents in the formation of the lakes 
of Kumaun, if not by the actual excavation of a rock basin in all cases, at least 
by the obstruction, cairsed on their retrocession, by the largo accumulations of 
‘ moraine ’ matter abandoned in their wake, I would offer a few words touching 
some objections which may be urged against my views. 
