48 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY-THIRD ANNUAL REPORT.
below normal during the preceding four years and at the Lake City station the rainfall had been below normal for at least three years in succession and apparently, from some imperfect records, had not reached normal during the preceding seven years.
Under these circumstances it was deemed advisable to make use of the favorable opportunity during the fall of 19o9 for investigating the geology of these lake basins.
Attempts have been made to drain some of these lakes as the land is more or less valuable for agricultural purposes. In some instances drainage operations have been delayed owing to legal difficulties arising from the variable character of the lakes. The lake basins claimed by the State under the title of swamp and overflowed lands were likewise claimed by abutting property owners under the privilege of riparian rights. A recent decision of the State Supreme Court vests the title of the lands in question with the State, not, however, as swamp, and overflowed land but as navigable water.
LOCATION OF LAKES.
The lakes described in this paper occur in the upland section of the interior of Florida. In general they may be said to occur in a belt extending with interruptions from the Ocklocknee Rivei east and south paralleling the Gulf of Mexico to Hernando and Pasco 'Counties. The largest and best known examples are found in Leon, Jefferson, Columbia and Alachua Counties. Smaller but no less typical lakes of this type occur in Madison, Suwannee, Marion, Levy, Orange, Hernando and probably some other counties adjacent to those mentioned. West of the Apalachicola River small lakes of similar character occur in Jackson County and possibly also in Holmes County.* The lakes selected for description as illustrating this type include Lakes Iamonia, Jackson, and Lafayette, in Leon County; Lake Miiccosukee in Jefferson County: Alligator Lake in Columbia County; Alachua Lake in Alachua County; and Ocheesee Lake in Jackson County. The belt )f country through which these lakes occur, although now broken up through natural processes of erosion into, several more or less well defined sub-divisions, was probably at one 'time continuous.
CHARACTERISTICS.
The leading characteristics of these lakes have been mentioned. They do not occur along the coast nor in the level low lying parts
*For location of counties, see map plate I0, following page 121.